Passion, expression in every step

_{Daniel Caballero, artistic director and dancer of the Flamenco Dance Company in Madrid, Spain, will be one of the main performers at “A la Música 2023,” alongside fellow Flamenco Dance Company member Nerea Carrasco at 10 a.m. today in the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg.}_{Courtesy Photo Demetria Solana}

The UTRGV Center for Latin American Arts will present “A la Música 2023” a performance of flamenco concerts featuring dancers from Madrid, Spain, live music and the UTRGV Ballet Español.

Performances start at 10 a.m. today and continue at 10 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday in the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex on the Edinburg campus.

Ballet Español Director and Dance Department Lecturer Sonia Chapa Gomez is one of the coordinators of the event and told The Rider she is excited to be able to offer a little bit of Spain to the UTRGV community.

“Flamenco is something representative of the country,” Chapa said. “For anyone who has not visited Spain or has never seen a flamenco spectacle, this will be something that they would really enjoy and … it’s not only a visual experience. It’s an auditory experience and it’s a sensory experience.”

The concerts will feature Artistic Director Daniel Caballero and fellow dancer Nerea Carrasco of the Flamenco Dance Company in Madrid, Spain, alongside Spanish singers Jose Cortez and Francisco Orozco, who is also playing percussion, and guitarist Jose Manuel Alconchel.

“Flamenco itself is so passionate,” said Chapa, who studied the dance style in Spain. “There’s so much strength and grace at the same time, which, I think, that depicts a lot of love. … All the artists, the way they’re going to be performing and how they will be having that same language on stage is going to be interesting and very passionate. I think it’s a perfect evening for any couple or lovebirds that would like to spend the evening watching a beautiful flamenco performance with two people who are sexy, beautiful … and are wonderful at how they move.”

Caballero, who studied at the Amor De Dios dance center in Madrid, Spain, has danced across Europe and some parts of the United States.

_{The 2023 UTRGV Ballet Español student company pose Jan. 27 after their student dance performance. The dance group will perform in “A la Música 2023” at 10 a.m. Monday at the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg.} _{Courtesy Photo Sonia Chapa Gomez}

He told The Rider a principal message in the performance is “to have a point there between everyone, from the public to us” and transmit the love of the art of flamenco from the performers to the audience.

“We can give a message and the people understand the sensibility of the dance style,” Caballero said.

He will direct and choreograph the performances and plans to give workshops to the UTRGV Ballet Español prior to the performances as well.

“The intention for all of this is that they express themselves,” Caballero said. “I want them to express their own message and to give something that is real, something that they believe … not some choreography that is complex and not even understand the meaning behind it, but something they understand and that is authentic.”

Katherine Moore McAllen, director of the Center for Latin American Arts and associate professor of art history, told The Rider the performances and workshops are possible through four grants the center received.

_{Nerea Carrasco, member of Flamenco Dance Company in Madrid, Spain, will be one of two dancers during “A la Música 2023” at 10 a.m. Monday in the UTRGV Performing Arts Complex in Edinburg. Carrasco studied dance at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza Mariemma in Madrid, Spain.}

The four grants are the Alice Kleberg Reynolds Foundation, Raul Tijerina Jr. Foundation, Brown Foundation and Rea Charitable Trust, which total just over $100,000.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity to experience art and cultural expression from a country with so many traditions,” McAllen said. “It will be a wonderful opportunity to enjoy a cultural experience on Valentine’s Day with beautiful music and stunning dancers and incredible talent from superstars in Spain.”

Tickets start at $5 for children and $10 for the general public. VIP tickets include a pre-concert refreshment for $17.50, with VIP couples’ tickets at $35. Tickets can be purchased at the box office at the front of the Performing Arts Complex.

In collaboration with Sidebar Restaurant, which is located at 215 E. University Dr. in Edinburg, there is a special Valentine’s Day dinner and concert package that includes dinner at the restaurant before the concert. For more information on the package call, 300-5165.