Vancouver was the last stop on the North American tour for The Paco de Lucía Project. This ensemble continues the music of legendary Spanish guitarist, Paco de Lucía, who has been called the greatest Flamenco guitarist and its most influential artist. His contribution has certainly modernized it; he even brought in the harmonica when Antonio Serrano joined him in 2004.

The Paco de Lucía Project was formed to pay tribute to the man who transformed this genre by infusing it with other styles such as jazz. The ensemble consists of de Lucía’s nephew Antonio Sánchez (guitar), Israel Suárez “Piraña,” (percussions), Alain Pérez (bass), Antonio Serrano (harmonica), David de Jacoba (vocals), and Antonio Fernández aka “Farru” (dance).

Seated in the third row, I was privy to a closeup of each person’s breathtaking talent – the mindboggling footwork, the guitar picking, the cajón drumming, the bass rifts, how the whole body was the vehicle and instrument for every one of them…and the way everyone smiled, joked, and chatted while playing. It made me think of how flamenco started, before its global reach, before the tablaos of Madrid and Barcelona, back to the days when gypsies danced for themselves in Andalusia.

With no photography or recording during the sold-out show, the audience was invited to photograph and film the encore performances. I’ve included videos for you to enjoy some of what I saw at the Chan Centre at the University of British Columbia.

So when the ensemble returned to the stage, cameras were quickly whipped out, as we all stood clapping and cheering their amazing performance and talent. They too took out their phones for a group shot with everyone in the background, as well as having some fun before their exit for the night.

Pre Show Talk for The Paco de Lucía Project show

The pre-show talk with Rosario Ancer and Victor Kolstee was rather illuminating for someone such as myself who really knew nothing about flamenco’s roots. In this digital age, it’s really no excuse, especially since I did visit a tablao in Madrid in 2013. Below is a small sampling of the show at Corral de al Moreria.

The two speakers shared about the three eras of this dance, how it went from self-entertainment for the “downtrodden and oppressed” to commercial cafés to the passionate dance we know today. Rosario reminded us that flamenco is about adaptation and change, an universal message we can all relate to.

Fun fact – there are more tablaos in Japan than in Spain. Perhaps it’s the heightened sense of aesthetics that appeals in Japan.

While we may think of the flamenco as a Spanish export, the cante (flamenco song), for example, is believed to be rooted in at least four cultures – Gypsy, Moorish, Andalusian, and Jewish. The pre-show speakers also mentioned common roots with classical Hindu dance, seen in the hand gestures and foot movements.

As a trio, we also have the guitar and the dance. A trio… until Paco de Lucía “revived it with youthful creativity” after his collaboration with famous flamenco singer Camarón de la Isla, so it was no longer “grandparents’ music” as Rosario and Victor put it.