TABLAO FLAMENCO Dance Show - 1 Night Only!

Come experience, an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremedura and Murcia.

Live music accompaniment by singer PEPELE & guitarist KAMBIZ.

Prepay $20, Door $25

VENMO Cristina Love@TinaNubia

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

LAKSHMI “La Chimi” After performing as a

flamenco dancer in California and studying classical dance at the UCSB, Lakshmi went to Spain at the age of 20. Over 15 years in Spain, she worked in tablas and flamenco private events alongside great artists such as La Toná, La Familia Amaya, Pepe Torres, Joselito Méndez, Antonio Moya, La Tana, Carmen Ledesma, Antonio Rey and Manuel Molina.

She became one of the first and only foreign artist in Spain to win a highly regarded national prize in, Concurso de las Minas de La Unión, 2011. She also won an award in another primary contest, Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba. Lakshmi Basile has found her substantial artistic career as a flamenco dancer and instructor, because that is what she is in her soul and heart. “Su baile es de una alegría conquistada” (Her dance is one of

conquered joy) – Félix Grande, poet and

flamencologist. “La única cosa americana que tiene es su pasaporte”, (The only American thing she has is her passport) – Ángel Ojeda, former Minister of Culture of the Junta de Andalucía.

MELIZZA CRUZ - Bay Area-based flamenco

professional - has been a full-time flamenco artist and instructor for 15 yrs. Soon after training with the Bay Area’s acclaimed flamenco master Rosa Montoya, she joined Ms. Montoya's professional company. Melissa has performed as a soloist in the San Francisco International Arts Festival and has

presented in eight San Francisco Ethnic Dance

Festivals, twice as a featured soloist. Summer 2021 saw Melissa featured in the one-woman flamenco theater play, "Flamenco on my Own" produced in collaboration with Miami’s Ballet Flamenco La Rosa and as a featured performer and instructor at the 2021 Festival Flamenco Albuquerque presented by the National Institute of Flamenco. In 2023, Melissa

was featured in the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco, the Peninsula International Dance Festival and the World Arts West Dance Festival. Additionally, Melissa is a Bachelor of Arts graduate of UC Berkeley and holds a Juris Doctor degree from University of San Francisco.

KAMBIZ PAKAN, as a child, was so impressed

by a relative playing the setar (Persian

stringed instrument) that it later drove him to

pursue a unique sound from the guitar. In

1985, after attending the International Guitar

Festival, where he was living in Istanbul, he

embarked on studies in music, which brought

him to California to achieve a degree in

ethnomusicology/flamencology with honors

at CSULB. Mainly living in Granada and

Jerez, Kambiz has deep insight into the art of

flamenco. He has performed on many

prestigious stages in the USA, Spain, France,

Portugal, Israel, India, Iran, among others.

His extensive exposure to world music has

helped Kambiz acquire a distinct harmonic

versatility and an extraordinary sensibility.

MAYA DE SILVA CHAFE, a Santa Barbara native,

went to NYC in 1986, with a BFA in Acting and

Dance from UNM, to train and work as a

flamenco dancer. She has studied extensively in

America and Spain, including six months on

scholarship at the Cristina Heeren Foundation for Flamenco in Sevilla, also modern and jazz in

NYC. She has danced on stages of all sizes, from

tablao gigs to the Joyce Theater for Dance,

including four seasons at the Metropolitan Opera. With support from the NYFA and LMCC, Maya directed her own company, Flamenco Revolucion for ten years, producing four NYC seasons, regional tours and a performance at Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival. Maya is dedicated to living as a Teaching Artist, and has worked for over 20 years at Flamenco Vivo, NYCC, at Rutger's University and in hundreds of NYC Public Schools.

PEPELE MENDEZ - born in Jerez de La

Frontera, Spain into the legendary Mendez

Flamenco clan, a dynasty of singers from

La Plazuela. The charismatic Pepele is a

direct descendant of La Paquera de Jerez

and festero El Pili. He grew up in the art of

flamenco listening to great artists such as

“el Torta”, Manuel Moneo, his cousins Paca

a n d M a n u e l a a m o n g o t h e r s . I n

the presence of these amazing artists,

Pepele absorbed the signature vocal quality

and essence of his family line. Pepele

continued to forge himself as a singer in

Andalusian tablaos in different cities.

Throughout his professional career he has

also participated in shows with great artists

such as Antonio Rey (Latin Grammy 2022)

among many others.

TINA LOVE performed ballet and tap as a child and competed in high school gymnastics. In her 20s, she reignited her passion for dance, training in ballet and modern dance at Broadway Dance Center in NYC, while pursuing her degree in English Literature. Tina worked in Austria as an ESL teacher and took a long hiatus from dance. Relocating to Santa Barbara, she attended Brooks Institute’s Film School, which led to work in film production. Since 2005, Tina has worked as an editor and showcased her talents as a writer/director at numerous film festivals, winning some awards. She discovered flamenco at age 34 while attending a flamenco for fun and fitness class taught by Ana Galindo, her first teacher. Since 2001, Tina has participated in Santa Barbara’s Fiestas as a flamenco dancer and studied with many different flamenco instructors. In 2009, she founded LOVE FLAMENCO as a way to share her love of flamenco with adult women. Tina has produced various private and public flamenco events. She is looking forward to someday going to Spain to take flamenco classes.