Creators Of Hit 'Antigona' Return To Z Space With ENTRE TU Y YO

The creators of Antigona, the widely acclaimed and wildly popular flamenco adaptation of Sophocles's Antigone, return to San Francisco's Z Space with their hit program Entre Tú y Yo (Between You and Me). Conceived, choreographed, and directed by Noche Flamenca Artistic Director Martín Santangelo and lead dancer Soledad Barrio, Entre Tú y Yo explores through dance the possibilities afforded and constraints imposed by relationships. Joined by some of Spain's most celebrated flamenco artists, legendary dancer Soledad Barrio stars in this evening-length program of duets, solos, and ensemble works, conceived and directed by Martín Santangelo.

Entre Tú y Yo will be presented with one preview (October 31, all seats $25), opening Friday, November 1 (press opening) and running through November 17, 2019, with performances 7:30pm Tuesday through Saturdays, and 2pm Sundays at Z Space, 450 Florida Street, San Francisco. Tickets (preview $25, regular $30 - $70) and information can be found at zspace.org or by phone at 415-626-0453.

Receiving the highest rating (the "Leaping Man") from San Francisco Chronicle critic Steven Winn, Noche Flamenca's Antigona was declared "A powerful work of flamenco and theatre. Potent and richly imagined. With the fearless and transfixing Soledad Barrio in the title role. Pulse-poundingly effective. Remarkable." Presented in hit engagements around the world, The New York Times's Alastair Macaulay has enthused "There has been no company I have been so glad to discover as Noche Flamenca and, above all, its lead dancer, Soledad Barrio. I can think of no current ballet star in the world as marvelous as she." Noche Flamenca's Entre Tú y Yo was lauded by Financial Times's Apollinaire Scherr as "Authentic. Gorgeously ornamented yet propulsive melodies. A tremendous cast," with The New York Times's Brian Seibert concurring, "My desires have been shaped by years of watching Ms. Barrio and her company, Noche Flamenca. This, of course, is the moment everyone has been waiting for."

Entre Tú y Yo features Barrio's signature, "Soleá," which exemplifies the catharsis at the heart of flamenco. In it, Barrio displays the singular artistry which caused Tobi Tobias in ArtsJournal to exclaim, "What woman could hold a candle to Soledad Barrio? In modern dance, Isadora Duncan and Martha Graham. In ballet, maybe Nora Kaye, in her Tudor roles. Certainly no one we can go and see today has Barrio's transformative power." Among the other works in Entre Tú y Yo is "Refugiados," inspired by poems by children in refugee camps and a poem by Nobel Prize laureate Pablo Neruda. The program also includes the latest iteration of "La Ronde," inspired by Max Ophüls' 1950 film and its dizzying carousel of romantic and sexual relationships. The "purest" form of flamenco traditionally includes a guitarist, a vocalist, and a solo dancer-but true to Noche Flamenca's boundary-pushing and emotionally probing style, in Entre Tú y Yo Santangelo offers a series of duets to explore love, hate, jealousy, solitude, and death. The piece also draws inspiration from Ingmar Bergman's Persona, the pianist James Booker, Demeter & Persephone, and other sources.

In Entre Tú y Yo, Barrio is joined by some of Spain's most celebrated flamenco artists, including dancers Antonio Rodriguez, Jasiel Nahin and Marina Elana; musicians Eugenio Iglesias, Salva de María, and David Rodriguez; and singers, Manuel Heredia, Reyes Martín, and Carmina Cortes.

The intimate, intuitive nature of Santangelo and Barrio's partnership-as husband and wife, and as longtime collaborators-makes their work with duets in flamenco more organic. Santangelo says, "Soledad and I have a wonderful way of communicating. I approach ideas from an associative and experimental perspective. When I'm in rehearsal, I'll try everything and anything to get to it. Soledad is intuitive and corporally brilliant. She takes an idea and realizes it physically. For our adaptation of Sophocles' Antigone, I researched and developed for three years to be able to fully express my vision, and in rehearsal, I tried many different approaches to each scene. Soledad read the play and right away said, 'I got it. I know who she is.' We have two different ways of working, and we understand each other deeply. I talk, and she listens; she dances, and I watch."

Martín Santangelo (Artistic Director) founded Noche Flamenca in 1993. He studied with Ciro, Paco Romero, El Güito, Manolete and Alejandro Granados. He has performed throughout Spain, Japan, and North and South America, appearing with Maria Benitez's Teatro Flamenco, the Lincoln Center Festival of the Arts, and Paco Romero's Ballet Español. He also appeared in Julie Taymor's Juan Darien at Lincoln Center. He choreographed and performed in Eduardo Machado's Deep Song, directed by Lynne Taylor- Corbett. He choreographed a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Denver Theater Center. He has directed and choreographed Antigona, Bodas de Sangre, The Lower Depths, La Celestina, A Streetcar Named Desire, amongst many other productions in Spain.

Called the "crown jewel of flamenco" by Dance Magazine, Soledad Barrio (Choreographer & Dancer) was born in Madrid. A founding member of Noche Flamenca, Barrio has appeared as soloist with Manuela Vargas, Blanca del Rey, Luisillo, El Güito, Manolete, Cristobal Reyes, and El Toleo, Ballet Español de Paco Romero, Festival Flamenco and many other companies. She has performed throughout Europe, Japan and North and South America with such artists as Alejandro Granados, El Torombo, Isabel Bayón, Jesus Torres, Miguel Perez, Manolo Marin, Javier Barón, Merce Esmeralda, Rafael Campallo, etc. She has won awards from over 15 different countries around the globe for her excellence in dance. She recently received a Bessie award for Outstanding Creative Achievement and a Dance Magazine Exceptional Artist award.

Formed in 1993, the award-winning Noche Flamenca has become one of the world's most successful touring companies, performing regularly in New York City and worldwide, including Argentina, Chile, Brazil, Egypt, and throughout Europe, North America, Australia, and Canada. Hailed by critics for its transcendent and deeply emotional performances, Noche Flamenca has been proclaimed the most authentic flamenco touring company in the field today, expressing the rigorous, spell-binding aesthetic of flamenco beyond the highest artistic expectations. Santangelo has successfully brought to the stage the essence, purity, and integrity of one of the world's most complex and mysterious art forms. All aspects of flamenco-dance, song, and music-are interrelated and given equal weight creating a true communal spirit within the company: the very heart and soul of flamenco. In support of its mission to educate and enlighten audiences about flamenco, in addition to its performance repertory, the company offers extensive residency programs that reach out to people of all ages.

Noche Flamenca's achievements have been recognized with awards from the National Dance Project, the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Arts Council, the MAP Fund and the Lucille Lortel Award for Special Theatrical Experience, among others.

Noche Flamenca is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts, the Howard Gilman Foundation, the Harkness Foundation for Dance, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation. Noche Flamenca's New York Season is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.

Under Executive Artistic Director Lisa Steindler, Z Space empowers artistic risk, collaboration, and camaraderie amongst artists, audience, and staff in the service of creating, developing, and presenting new work. Operating two venues in San Francisco's historic Mission District, a mainstage and a black box theater, Z Space hosts new works from a variety of performance disciplines year-round.