Savannah Fuentes to perform flamenco in Sebastopol

Seattle-based Flamenco dancer Savannah Fuentes lights up the Sebastopol Grange July 14 with her latest show, El Sol de Verano - The Summer Sun.

Fuentes, who tours the western U.S. producing independent concerts and workshops featuring internationally recognized Flamenco performers, will be joined by Jose Manual Perez, “El Pechuguita,” a promising young prodigy from southern Spain.

He acquired a deep understanding of el cante Flamenco, or vocal Flamenco, observing master artists in the clubs of Seville, his hometown. At 22, he has already performed with a long list of the most prominent contemporary Flamenco artists, including Paloma Fantova, Maria Juncal and Moi de Moron.

Also performing with Perez and Fuentes will be guitarist Bobby de Sofia, a native Bulgarian who discovered Falenco in Los Angeles and continued his studies in Andalusia with artists such as Pedro Viscomi and Paco Arroyo. He currently performs regularly at Flamenco clubs in Los Angeles.

Fuentes, who is of Puerto Rican and Irish ancestry, studied in Spain with dancers like Belen Maya and Cristobal Reyes.

Flameno is an artistic expression fusing song, dance and musicianship. It is closely associated with Andalusia in southern Spain, but also has roots in such regions as Murcia and Extremadura. It is performed during religious festivals, rituals, church ceremonies and private celebrations.

Tickets for the 8 p.m. show are $23, $35 for VIP seating, $15 for students and low-income people and $8 for children. The Grange is located at 6000 Sebastopol Ave., Sebastopol. For tickets visit brownpapertickets.com. For information visit Savannahflamenko.com.

You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com or 521-5204. On Twitter @megmcconahey.