La Otra Orilla (The Other Shore) enraptured the Fredericton Playhouse audience on the stormy evening of Feb. 16 with their performance of Rite.
Founded in 2006, La Otra Orilla stands as a distinctive and vibrant company dedicated to revitalizing the tradition of flamenco, an art form based on the folkloric music traditions of southern Spain.
After almost 20 years of working with contemporary flamenco, La Otra Orilla decided to create Rite, a visceral demonstration of the roots of flamenco.
Myriam Allard, co-founder of La Otra Orilla and co-creator of Rite, said that Rite was meant to be raw and evocative.
“We decided really to go back to the fundamentals of flamenco, which is the singing, the guitar, the rhythm and the dance,” she said.
The company’s productions are usually diverse in terms of artistic creation. They also cross disciplines and implement elements of cinema and theatre.
Allard shared that the company decided to go “tabula rasa,” a Latin term that would be translated as “starting from scratch and going back to basics.”
The scenario, composed of three wood boards, was built by Hedi Graja, co-founder of La Otra Orilla and co-creator of Rite.
In front of each wooden board, Miguel Medina played the drums, Graja engaged the public with his voice and Caroline Planté played the guitar, while Allard danced to the rhythm of flamenco.
Allard also discussed the different styles of flamenco they have created, some being more profound while others are lighter in tone.
“I really respect the audience members and I really like the fact that they get to choose what they feel and how they receive a piece or another part of the show,” she said. “I try not to direct too much of the emotion that the person in the audience feels.”
As a dancer, Allard said she has a “very intimate relationship” with this art form due to her long commitment and passion for flamenco.
“I do think it’s a very powerful and sort of electrical show,” she said.
Allard said that one challenge she has faced from working with this art form is that people can be hesitant to experience flamenco since it’s not a traditional American dance.
“I’m so far away from Spain, so often audiences don’t know this art form that well,” she said. “Sometimes it’s challenging that way to just get people to come in and see a show because they don’t know what it is and their vision is very limited.”
Contrary to popular belief, Allard thinks that flamenco is “very accessible” because the rhythm and music can touch everyone’s spirit.
“Because it’s so powerful, I think it’s truly for everybody to experience.”
