Get immersed in San Antonio’s hot flamenco scene

BY TRACY L. BARNETT n PHOTOGRAPHS BY WYATT McSPADDEN

Feet on Fire

T

eresa Champion was just 6 years old when she heard a sound that

would change her life forever. She was the leader in line to go to

catechism class in her South San Antonio barrio when a sharp click-click-click

reached her small ears and piqued her curiosity. The next day, she stood last in line, and when the

group rounded the corner, she hung back and returned to the place where she’d heard that

sound. She peered into a window and stood transfixed.

“I saw this older lady, heavy size, and she was …”— here Teresa stops to

demonstrate the motion and sound of the castanets, wooden clapping instruments—

“I had no idea what I was seeing. I stood there, and I forgot about the catechism.”

Every day she did the same, slipping away from her class to go back and watch the

lady dance. After a week, the woman came out and spoke to her.

“Are you a dancer?” she asked in Spanish.

“‘I’ve never danced,’ I told her, and she asked if I’d like to try,” Teresa says.

So began the initiation of a gypsy soul.

MARCH/APRIL 2016 | Texas Journey 2524 Texas Journey | MARCH/APRIL 2016

Jennifer Castillo is a regular performer at Fiesta Noche Del Rio, San Antonio’s annual outdoor variety show series that includes flamenco and folklórico dance performances. >>>

26 Texas Journey | MARCH/APRIL 2016 AAA.COM AAA.COM MARCH/APRIL 2016 | Texas Journey 27

Paula Sullivan, top, founded Carmens de la Calle, which hosts intimate flamenco performances. The group Alma Flamenco performs.

Chayito Champion holds a photo of her mother, Teresa, and father, Willie “El Curro” Champion, in their heyday.

Teresa practiced flamenco under the tutelage of that teacher for a year or two then paired with a few others until, at age 12, her instructors told her mother that there was no one left in San Antonio to teach her. Teresa’s father took a second job to be able to send her to the Academia de Bellas Artes in Mexico City, where she practiced for three years with the best dance instructors on the continent. She returned to San Antonio to be a professional dancer.

At age 16, Teresa married her guitarist, Willie “El Curro” Champion. Until his passing in 2012, he accompanied her for 57 years, strumming rhythms for her performances in the John Wayne version of The Alamo, at the White House, and around the country touring with Latin dance stars includ-ing José Greco and Cantinflas. Nowadays, four generations of Champions preserve the flamenco legacy on the tablas (wooden stages) and in the studios of the Alamo City.

While San Antonio’s Tex-Mex roots influence much of its entertainment offerings, an increasing number of its 32 mil-lion annual visitors are attracted to the Spanish culture of the region’s first European settlers who brought flamenco to the New World. These days, a visitor can find at least two or three first-rate flamenco performances on any given week.

Early StepsAlthough the Champion family has been instrumental in popularizing flamenco in San Antonio, a wide range of teachers at the Spanish-influenced San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department have guided generations of local dancers. The accessibility of low-cost public classes in com-munity centers around the city formed the foundations of key figures such as Elizabeth Sanchez-Lopez, now the direc-tor, choreographer, and emcee of the city’s summertime River Walk performance series, Fiesta Noche del Rio; and the classically trained Belinda Menchaca, who has taken a vari-ety of roles at the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center in West San Antonio.

The flamenco scene, like the city itself, is populated with enough colorful characters to cast its own telenovela. Paula Sullivan was a food scientist from Chicago whose path led her to San Antonio as operations director for Pace Foods. When the plant closed after a buyout from Campbell’s Soup Company, Sullivan took some time to plan her next steps. She’d always loved the rhythms and the passion of flamenco,

and as a foodie, she was also drawn to the concept of the Spanish tapas bar.

When she arrived in 1988, flamenco was almost an under-ground phenomenon, popping up in little pockets through-out the city: the Champions, the Parks and Rec classes, the annual Texas Folklife Festival, the short sets on the River Walk. Sullivan sensed a hunger for more.

“So many dancers were here, but I wondered how they could hone their skills just doing those performances,” she

says. “Dancing on the tablas, dancing up close, is so different from a staged show. It brings in your audience, and they fall in love with you, they follow you.”

So, 16 years ago, she founded Carmens de la Calle, an intimate venue that seats audience members almost close enough to feel the sweat as it flies from a whirling face or the rush of air from a flourished fan. It remains a popular place downtown to watch top-notch flamenco on weekends.

New MovesWhile Carmens has set a high bar for the local flamenco scene, the Guadalupe Cultural Arts Center has worked to cre-ate a sense of community among the dancers themselves.

“My generation grew up in an atmosphere where you didn’t go visit other dance companies,” recalls instructor Belinda Menchaca. “Companies were possessive of their danc-ers and there was a fear that you’d leave this group for that group. We wanted to get rid of that thinking.” Their tactic is offering inclusive workshops and festivals, even inviting top-ranking teachers from Spain to help all dancers sharpen their skills.

Other cities have bigger flamenco festivals (Albuquerque, New Mexico, hosts a notable one each June), but something about San Antonio makes it special in the field of flamenco.

“The music, the castanets, the fans, the footwork … is the same as you may see in other places,” says

Fiesta Noche del Rio’s Sanchez-Lopez. “But the performers’ passion is what stands out.”

She cites Chayito Champion, the vocalist daughter of the famous Teresa and Curro,

as an example. “Chayito has worked with bailaores and musicians around the world. People just fall in love with her voice.”

That passion is found off stage, too, in people like Lisa Perello (see “The Perfect Fit,” page 28). A sought-

after flamenco dressmaker, she has watched the local flamenco scene

evolve for more than 30 years. Chatting with her, one senses her excitement about

what’s to come. “When most people think of San Antonio

dance, they picture folklórico, they think of Mexico,” she says. “But we’re stepping up our game in fla-

menco. The rest of the world just hasn’t caught on yet.”

Tracy L. Barnett is a former travel editor of the San Antonio Express-News. Follow her at tracybarnettonline.com.

For information on AAA TourBooks and TripTik Travel Planners, visit AAA.com/maps.

>>>MORE

Flamenco VS. FolklóricoIt is a common mistake to think of

flamenco and folklórico as

the same, or to confuse

the two. Flamenco

is a form of Spanish

dance. Folklórico is a

form of Mexican

dance. Both

flamenco

and

folklórico

are passed

down from generation

to generation. Here,

Fiesta Noche del Rio

Director Elizabeth

Sanchez-Lopez

explains the main differences:

Flamenco dance is an

expressive, emotional style of

dance with strong percussive

footwork and graceful hand, arm,

and body movement. Folklórico

dance is a more festive, highly

expressive, celebratory style

of dance with a set of steps

called zapateados that involves

percussive heel-stomping.

Improvisation is often used

in flamenco dance whereas

most folklórico dances have set

movement or choreography.

Flamenco is often danced

solo or as a duet. Folklórico is

often performed by an

ensemble group.

Flamenco often includes

three components: guitarra

(guitar), cante (song), and baile

(dance). Flamenco may be

danced without music, where

the dancer claps to set rhythm or

uses hand-held instruments called

castanets. Folklórico dances are

often accompanied by a mariachi

or other musical group.

Flamenco dance may be

performed in an informal

setting or small cafés or

cabarets. Folklórico dance is

often performed in outdoor

venues or theatrical settings.

A former dancer finds her real passion in dressmaking

The Perfect Fit

Lisa Perello, the daughter of Jose, a flamenco guitarist from Pamplona, Spain, and Sylviana,

a former professional flamenco dancer, grew up immersed in the genre. Always the dutiful

daughter, she went to classes and recitals from the time she was 5.

“Don’t get me wrong—I loved being onstage, and I loved to get dressed up,” Perello says.

“I just didn’t like practicing. I was lazy.” When she was 15, she reached the pinnacle of her

dancing career at Fiesta Noche del Rio. That was her last performance.

As a young girl, Perello attended Parks and Rec dance classes, and the kids’ grandmothers

sewed costumes for their performances. As time went on, women transitioned into careers

out of the home, and no one was left to sew. “Our moms had jobs in an office and we went to

after-school care or we were latchkey kids. Now, nobody can sew,” she says.

But Lisa Perello can.

Surrounded with her daily works of art—Blue Lagoon, a svelte yet ruffled number she

made for local dancer Monica Moncivais, and Fuego, a black skirt with hand-painted gores—

Perello recalls her early influences: She used to watch while her great-grandmother and other

elder seamstresses created their masterworks. “I’m grateful that I was paying attention and

that God gave me the talent. Nowadays, I don’t know if it’s embarrassment or what, but

people don’t want to say, ‘I’m a seamstress.’ But I do. I used to put my head down … because

people don’t think that the job of a seamstress is elevated enough. But I’m very proud of

it. Absolutely.”

Her mastery was recognized in 2011 when she won the Tobin Award for Costume Design,

and again by the McNay Art Museum in San Antonio when it exhibited some of her dresses.

Perello still lives with the adrenaline flow of uncertainty. “I go to bed every night

with that heart pounding, thinking, where am I going to take it from here, how am I

going to make it better?”

She stops her story for a moment to search her small workshop for a card

someone gave her years ago, which has become the guidepost for her life: “If

your dreams don’t scare you, they’re not big enough!” —T.L.B.

View a sampling

of Lisa Perello’s

dresses at

lisaperello

designs.com.

28 Texas Journey | MARCH/APRIL 2016 >>>MORE

AAA.COM

To fi nd a participating AAA Approved Repair facility near you:

CALL 877.552.4925 | CLICK AAA.com/AutoRepairVISIT your AAA Texas branch

1 Members save 10% (up to $50) on regularly-priced parts and labor at AAA Approved Auto Repair facilities if discount is requested. Cannot be combined with any other discount or coupon. Valid AAA membership card must be presented at a AAA Approved Auto Repair facility at time of service.

2 All repairs are guaranteed by the facility for 24 months or 24,000 miles, whichever occurs fi rst, under normal operating conditions, unless otherwise stated in writing. Other restrictions may apply. See facility for details.

Free 40-point AAA Vehicle Maintenance Inspection is a limited-time offer for members, valid 12/16/15–3/31/16. No purchase necessary. Free inspection is limited to items identifi ed on the AAA Maintenance Inspection form only. Cost of any repairs not included. Most passenger cars and light trucks are eligible. Appointment may be required. Contact the facility in advance for details. Other restrictions may apply. Not valid with any other offer. Offer subject to change without notice. Valid AAA membership card must be presented at a participating AAA Approved Auto Repair facility at the time of service.

Copyright © 2016 AAA Texas, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

A little preventive maintenance can keep your car going

strong. For a limited time, AAA members can get a FREE

40-point AAA Vehicle Maintenance Inspection. This $80

value includes:

✔ Brake inspection

✔ Battery test

✔ Check fl uids

✔ Inspection of belts & hoses

✔ Tire pressure check

✔ And more

Plus, upon request, members save 10% on any needed

regularly-priced parts and labor,1 and all repairs are

guaranteed up to 24 months or 24,000 miles.2

HELP PREVENT COSTLY REPAIR BILLS

WITH A FREE

40-POINT INSPECTION

A N D R E P A I RM A I N T E N A N C E

40-POINT AAA MAINTENANCE INSPECTION

FREEan $80 value!

PLUS SAVE 10% ON PARTS AND LABOR.1

Available at participating AAA Approved Auto Repair Facilities.

Restrictions apply. See ad for details. Offer expires 3/31/16.

LIMITED TIME OFFER

HURRY!

Offer ends

March 31, 2016

If You GoTo treat yourself to a taste of San Antonio’s flamenco scene, check schedules with

these resources.

CARMENS DE LA CALLE: Flamenco on

Fridays and Saturdays, plus jazz on Thursdays.

(210) 281-4349; carmensdelacalle.com.

ESPAÑA BAR DE TAPAS: Flamenco on

Saturdays, with a variety of activities on other

nights. (210) 690-4433; espanabar.com.

FIESTA NOCHE DEL RIO: Variety show

featuring a flamenco segment at

the classic Arneson River Theater

on the River Walk. Friday and

Saturday nights May 13–August 13.

(210) 226-4651; fiestanochesa.com.

GET CREATIVE SAN ANTONIO: Click “Events,” then “Dance” at the

Department of Culture and Creative

Development’s website to find local

happenings. getcreativesanantonio.com.

GUADALUPE CULTURAL ARTS CENTER: Organizes occasional flamenco workshops

and performances. The annual Flamenco

Fest this year will be in June. (210) 271-3151;

guadalupeculturalarts.org.

VISIT SAN ANTONIO: The city’s

official tourism site features dance

and musical performances. (800)

447-3372; visitsanantonio.com.

(Above) Sonya Ann Casillas a.k.a. “La Sonya” performs at

Carmens de la Calle; (right) Gabriella Rodriguez takes center

stage at España Bar de Tapas.

30 Texas Journey | MARCH/APRIL 2016