We arrived in Quito in February 2009 ready to work with children doing Flamenco Unity workshops. Our first port of call was a centre for street children, Casa de la Ninez, which was a fantastic centre for children, a great space in a quiet, residential are of the city, with dormitories and classrooms, a performance/dance area, gardens, kitchen and offices.
The gang at the Casa de la Ninez
The children are interviewed on the streets before they are chosen to have this opportunity. Only those with the motivation to make this experience a life changing possibility will be invited and taken home to start a new life.
In their cupboards were pictures, photos or cut out of magazines, of the things they loved, cars, football, travel, girls… Their few clothes and possessions were neatly folded and stacked or hung, and this small space was the vent for creativity and individualism for each one.
Kids showed us their cupboards where their private possessions were kept
They told us about their interests. Many loved dance, and performed with great enthusiasm in our workshops. After the tour, they invited us to watch them dance – hip hop mainly of course! They were great: bright, positive, funny, charming..It was an honour to be there with them, and many thanks to the staff and to Carolina Knight and her mother, Marta for setting it up!
The next day we had two visits organised: one to a school for handicapped kids in Quito and one to a local school.
Our workshops allowed the kids to watch the trio from Spain perform, then to join in with hand clapping, and then to learn some steps.
Group pic with kids in Quito
Eventually we get the children to dress up in clothes and do a short show for the audience. Ricardo, Maria and Laura impressed the kids with music and rhythm, singing and dance, some of course had never seen anything like this! Then when we got the clothes out, skirts, shawls, fans, flowers for hair and neckerchiefs for the boys, there was a rush to come and join in. We could take the larger groups in relays, and tried to ensure that every child who wanted to perform got the opportunity to do so.
We were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit schools of different sorts – some schools where the children were very poor and some affluent schools with every mod con. We went to two centres for the Handicapped and also to a Hopital where the children could all find something to join in with – song hand clapping or dance.
Kids workshop in a primary school in Quito
- Group pic with kids in Quito
First night in India!! Very exciting – we are invited to meet the booker from the new and trendy venue, The Blue Frog in Mumbai. Arriving early, guitar in hand, we come across a huge crowd. They are waiting for the group to arrive – and as the concert is free – and high profile – they have arrived in advance to be sure of getting in. We are ushered forward – the bouncer spotted the guitar and let us in. We meet Emmanuelle, the booker and start to discuss bringing a show to the Blue Frog. “You will stay for the show later I hope,” she says, almost as an aside.
African music, collaborated with a sitar and tabla player and even worked with Scottish traditional musicians. For nine years he has brought a show to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe: conceived, composed and produced as an original work for the Fringe. The fifth and sixth shows were also performed in Canada and the US: Montreal, Ottawa, San Francisco, Orlando, Toronto and Vancouver to sell out audiences and five star reviews. Flamenco con Fusion won the “Audience Choice Award” in Vancouver International Fringe Festival, September 2007.