Arboles (Trees)

Description - English

Arboles is a triptych of solos that revolve around the concept of the memories. It uses the metaphor of trees to represent how we must honor our roots and gather strength from our past to reach new heights so that we can share our lived experiences with our community and spread the seeds of empathy and compassion. The project is a personal reflection of changes in our urban spaces, loss of a loved one and connection to ancestral struggles which are topics that many can relate to. It showcases three different flamenco song forms interpreted and/or choreographed by Vancouver flamenco dance artist Jhoely Triana.

“Cambian Los Tiempos” is a traditional flamenco song form of Solea por Buleria danced on a tree stump to symbolize the connection to my roots and to flamenco tradition while focusing on contemporary issues of environment and deforestation. As urbanspaces continue to develop, more and more trees are cut down or become sick and die. Flamenco dancers have a strong connection with wood through our rhythmic footwork on a wooden dance floor. Solea por Buleria is a song form that has force and strength like wood as well as moments of softness and flow like leaves blowing in the wind. Through this dance I honor the trees that have died by connecting my feet and legs to their roots and using my arms and hands as branches and leaves. This choreography was made possible with a Canada Council professional development grant to work with choreographer Jose Carmona from Madrid, Spain via Zoom over the winter of 2020.

The other two pieces are my own original choreography and are contemporary flamenco. Both of these were developed at the Dance Centre through the 12 minutes max program and reboot grant program in Spring 2021. “Mi Piel” is about memories that the body holds, like the rings of a tree, the body tells a story. Even though we may have overcome a loss, the memories still bring us back to the sadness. It is a contrast between grief over losing a loved one and the joy and happiness in my own marriage. I dance in my wedding dress which represents my skin - my memories and my hopes. This piece is guajira and buleria.

The second piece, a seguiriya, “Perseverancia”, is about perseverance and overcoming injuries, setbacks, isolation and hardship and connecting with my ancestors’ struggles. Reaching through my roots to find the strength to reach new heights. Using my dance as a way to share my lived experiences with my community allows me to spread empathy and compassion. We all struggle and we all can persevere. We may struggle in different ways but I hope to show others they are not alone, planting the seed of compassion.

These pieces can be performed separately or as a collection and can be performed live to recorded music or can be adapted to have live flamenco musicians. There is flexibility to adapt these pieces to outdoor site specific formats or to a stage setting. This program is 30 minutes long as a solo performance but can be adapted to present a 45-60 minute long flamenco ensemble showcase that includes these three pieces along with additional dance and music numbers with live musicians.