A step up

Martín Gaxiola shows audiences this is not your parents' flamenco

You may as well practice shouting "¡Ole!" and "¡Hechale!" in anticipation of attending Levanto, the two-part performance by Calo Flamenco at the Chandler Center for the Arts.

If past shows are any indication, the audience is moved to respond to the sound of zapateado (rhythmic footwork) and syncopated palmas (clapping) as founder Martín Gaxiola and company perform.

But Gaxiola's company is known for more than traditional flamenco, as his choreography puts a dramatically different spin on the art form.

"Everyone has a unique interpretation of flamenco and I guess that's one of the beauties of it," Gaxiola explains. "Each person brings something different to the art form. It's not all necessarily uniform. The Calo Flamenco esthetic is unique in that we try bringing a little more theatricality than what people are used to. So it takes the core flamenco into more of a theatrical realm."

In Levanto (to "raise" or "lift up"), the company explores the deepest aspects of flamenco as a raw expression of emotion and movement. A peek behind the scenes of this well-regarded company reveals much more.

Those beautiful costumes, for example, are not bought off the rack at the dancewear store in the mall. Both Martín and his sister, Bernadette, sew the outfits for company dancers.

"We're pretty much a self-contained company," Martin says.

Brother and sister each have day jobs, as do the rest of the company members, practicing when they are off the office clock.

"Right now, my studio's a shambles," Gaxiola says, with fabrics and costumes strewn across the room. He'd like to hire help, but such companies are on shoestring budgets.
The two are representative of the legacy of two early flamenco leaders in the Valley, Laura Moya and Lydia Torea.

Moya, who died last month at the age of 92, began teaching in the early 1960s off Central Avenue and Glendale in Phoenix. Bernadette Gaxiola, who was a mere 6 years old, was among her first pupils. Moya and her students often performed in Valley elementary schools and local theaters, country clubs and resorts.

Torea also established a flamenco school in Phoenix, through which many flamenco professionals found their passion for the art form. Torea had danced with Jose Greco's troupe, enjoying wider fame after appearing in the movie Ship of Fools. Many of today's local flamenco artists were trained by Torea.

Years later, Martin was finishing a degree in accountancy at ASU in 1992 when he enrolled in a class – and was hooked. He made plans to study in Madrid and Seville, Spain, and his journey was recalled in the Emmy-winning Flamenco, which is seen periodically on PBS; later he starred in Flamenco: The Passion of Flamenco Dance for Mississippi Public Broadcasting.
 
As she matured, Bernadette danced with well-known performers such as Oscar Nieto, Luis Montero, Julia Lopez, Yolanda Heredia and Isabel Bayon, among others. Now, besides dancing with Calo Flamenco, she also teaches classes for both adults and children.

Martin gained experience as well, dancing with Maria Benitez's troupe in Santa Fe, N.M., Torea's Artes Bellas in Phoenix, as well as Spanish dance companies in New York and Tucson. He also performed as a principal dancer two major stage productions, Dallas Opera's La Traviata and Arizona Opera's Carmen, as well as touring as a featured artist with the National Theater of the Performing Arts. Along the way, he formed his own ideas about choreography.

All this while working as a financial analyst and consultant.

There are currently 19 members of the company. Music Director Chris Burton Jácome is the master of flamenco guitar who accompanies Calo's dancers along with guitarist Ray Gamboa, musician/percussionist Kristopher Hill and bassist Adrian Goldenthal. Several singers and a few other musicians round out the group.

Reading the Gaxiolas' background might lead one to believe that tradition is what you'll see onstage.

You would be wrong. While tradition forms a solid foundation, it is Martin's choreography that sets Calo Flamenco's dancing apart from other flamenco troupes. Contemporary dance moves as well as a firm sense of ensemble transform what is traditionally a "solo"-style dance form into something bigger. That is what audiences will discover at the Chandler show.