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The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. Presents The Premiere Of Juan Siddi Santa Fe

March 22-27

The Joyce Theater (175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street)

The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc. (Linda Shelton, Executive Director) is proud to present the New York City premiere of Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe, an exceptional company founded by the dynamic young dancer, Juan Siddi, in 2007. This exciting engagement will take place from March 22-27 at The Joyce Theater. Tickets range in price from $10-$50 and can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212-242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe, making its New York and Joyce debuts, melds European based flamenco with the Southwestern influence of the company’s New Mexico home to create a vibrant, new and unexpected approach. Juan Siddi, the lead dancer and artistic director, also incorporates the influence of his background in Barcelona and Granada. The company, which includes 14 dancers and musicians, creates theatrical and thrilling that will please flamenco fans and the uninitiated.

Juan Siddi challenges the traditional concept of flamenco by incorporating new sounds and rhythms, such as those of a piano and cello, while still remaining true to the form. His also differs from the typical flamenco style in his use of a variety of cultural accents. His piece Nataraj, named after the Indian God of Dance, highlights the power and beauty of its subcontinent culture, while also reflecting the routes of flamenco.

In Siddi’s works, the musician, the singer, and the dancer play equally crucial roles. The significance of this equality between the performers is especially evident in Siddi’s piece, Sabor Havana, which portrays a love story between the male singer and female dancer through their dialogue of romance. She expresses her love for him through her dance and he, through his song.

A creative musical score played live at each performance accompanies Siddi’s innovative pieces. The works featured in the program are as follows:

Sabor Havana by Juan Siddi Music by Jose “Chuscales” Valle Fajardo Accompanied by Michael Kott, Alex Conde, Alejandro Pais and Alejandro Valle Vocals by Jose Cortes Chorus by Kina Mendez and Coral de los Reyes

Re-Encuentro by Carola Zertuche and Juan Siddi Music by Jose “Chuscales” Valle Fajardo Accompanied by Michael Kott, Alejandro Pais and Alejandro Valle Vocals by Kina Mendez and Coral de los Reyes

Segiriya by Carola Zertuche and Juan Siddi Music by Jose “Chuscales” Valle Fajardo Accompanied by Michael Kott, Alejandro Pais and Alejandro Valle Vocals performed by Jose Cortes

Fiesta Flamenca by Juan Siddi Music by Jose “Chuscales” Valle Fajardo Accompanied by Michael Kott, Alex Conde, Alejandro Pais and Alejandro Valle Vocals by Kina Mendez and Coral de los Reyes Chorus by Jose Cortes

Angel de La Guarda by Carola Zertuche and Juan Siddi Fandangos de Huelva Intro, Piano by Alex Conde Music by Jose “Chuscales” Valle Fajardo Accompanied by Michael Kott, Alex Conde, Alejandro Pais and Alejandro Valle Vocals by Kina Mendez and Coral de los Reyes

Reborn guitar solo by Jose “Chuscales” Valle Fajardo Guitar solo and musical composition by Jose “Chuscales” Valle Fajardo

Solea by Juan Siddi Music by Jose “Chuscales” Valle Fajardo and Alex Conde Accompanied by Michael Kott, Alejandro Pais, Radha Garcia and Alejandro Valle Vocals and Chorus by Jose Cortes, Kina Mendez and Coral de los Reyes

Son by Juan Siddi Music by Jose “Chuscales” Valle Fajardo Accompanied by Michael Kott, Alex Conde, Alejandro Pais and Alejandro Valle Vocals Chorus by Jose Cortes, Kina Mendez and Coral de los Reyes

Performances of Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe will take place from March 22-27 at The JoyceTheater (175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street) according to the following schedule: Tuesday- Wednesday 7:30pm; Thursday-Friday 8pm; Saturday 2pm & 8pm; Sunday 2pm. Curtain Chat, a free post-performance talkback with the artists, will take place on Wednesday, March 23. This enlightening discussion is open to all patrons attending that evening’s performance. Tickets range in price from $10-$50 and can be purchased at www.Joyce.org, or by calling JoyceCharge at 212- 242-0800. Please note: ticket prices are subject to change. The Joyce Theater is located at 175 Eighth Avenue at 19th Street. For more information, please visit www.Joyce.org.

A Master Class with Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe at The Joyce’s DANY Studios (305 West 38th Street) will take place on Friday, March 25 at 11am. This unique opportunity allows patrons to train with some of today’s most celebrated choreographers and dancers. Admission price is $15 per person. A credit card is required to hold your reservation. Call 212-564-3808 with questions or to RSVP. Please bring character shoes (or shoes with a heel) and a skirt. ABOUT THE ARTISTS Juan Siddi (Artistic Director & Choreographer). Flamenco master Juan Siddi, described in the Santa Fe New Mexican as “a bundle of beautiful energy tempered by technique and taste,” perpetuates an authentic version of a centuries-old art form. He has forged his memorable brand both as a solo artist and as artistic director of Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe. His high-profile presence in Santa Fe, where he teaches, choreographs and performs, garnered him the Mayor’s Award for Excellence in the Arts in 2011. Born and raised in Frankfurt, Germany, Siddi was immersed in flamenco culture at a young age. At age nine, he began his flameno career, and six years later, he was a soloist in tablaos, memorably at Al Andalus, Frankfurt’s important flamenco center. By age 18, he was dancing and choreographing for Compañia Flamenca Alhama and Noches de Amor. He has performed in Vienna, Berlin and Zurich; at the prestigious Bienal de Flamenco in Sevilla; and in a command performance attended by His Majesty Juan Carlos King of Spain. He became principal dancer with Rafael Cortés, for five years, performing throughout Europe. At the invitation of Santa Fe’s renowned flamenco dancer and choreographer, Maria Benitez, Siddi joined her troupe in 2002. Extensive U.S. touring was capped by performances at New York City’s Joyce Theater. Siddi was principal dancer/choreographer for a farewell production: “Maria Benitez: Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow.” In 2007, Siddi launched his own company, performing in summer seasons in Santa Fe and completing two national tours, as well as overseas, to Quatar. Broadcast performances include NBC, Telemundo and Al Jazeera. In 2014, Juan Siddi accepted the invitation to join the management team of Aspen Santa Fe .

ABOUT JUAN SIDDI FLAMENCO SANTA FE Infusing old-world tradition with new attitude, Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe perpetuates the rich heritage of a centuries-old art form. The remarkable ensemble of fourteen flamenco dancers, musicians, and singers is hand selected, with careful curation guided by the distinct aesthetic of artistic director/choreographer, Juan Siddi. The internationally renowned Siddi, an award-winning dancer, instructor, choreographer and performer, trained in Germany with strong artistic roots in Barcelona and Granada. The troupe arises out of Santa Fe’s flamenco mecca, where the transient gypsy tradition found a hospitable nesting ground. In 2008, Maria Benitez, the flamenco legend, passed the artistic torch to Siddi. Subsequently, furious footwork has become a familiar Santa Fe sound, aligning JSFSF with the city’s top performing arts offerings. The company received strong community recognition when Juan Siddi was granted the Mayor's Award for Excellence in the Arts. From its base in the American Southwest, the company has spread its wings, touring nationwide from Atlanta, Wisconsin, Ft. Lauderdale, and Brooklyn, and overseas, to Germany and Qatar. JSFSF has been featured in television broadcasts of NBC, Telemundo, and Al Jazeera. Over the years some of flamenco's biggest names made guest appearances with JSFSF: singers Jose Cortes from France, Silverio Heredia and Coral de Los Reyes from Spain, pianist Alex Conde from Valencia as well as dancer Carola Zertuche have performed with the company. JSFSF musical director Jose Valle Fajardo “Chuscales”, a native of Antequera, Spain, grew up in the tradition of the Gypsies as a protégé of Joaquin Fajardo and ardent admirer of Paco de Lucia. A trained dancer as well as a guitarist, Chuscale collaborated with some of Spain’s most outstanding flamenco artists before joining JSFSF, now, for five seasons. It is with great pride that Juan Siddi Flamenco Santa Fe announced, in January 2014, its joining the management structure of the esteemed . By operating under ASFB's established arts umbrella, JSFSF stands to benefit from economies of scale and other business synergies, as well as a simpatico artistic alliance.

ABOUT THE JOYCE THEATER FOUNDATION The Joyce Theater Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization, has proudly served the dance community and its audiences for three decades. The founders, Cora Cahan and , acquired and renovated the Elgin Theater in Chelsea, which opened as The Joyce Theater in 1982. The Joyce Theater is named in honor of Joyce Mertz, beloved daughter of LuEsther T. Mertz. It was LuEsther’s clear, undaunted vision and abundant generosity that made it imaginable and ultimately possible to build the theater. One of the only theaters built by dancers for dance, The Joyce Theater has provided an intimate and elegant home for more than 320 domestic and international companies. The Joyce has also commissioned more than 130 new dances since 1992. In 2009, The Joyce opened Dance Art New York (DANY) Studios to provide affordable studios for rehearsals, auditions, classes, and workshops for independent choreographers, non-profit dance companies, and the dance/theater communities. New York City public school students and teachers annually benefit from The Joyce’s Dance Education Program, and adult audiences get closer to dance through informative post-performance Curtain Chats. The Joyce Theater now features an annual season of approximately 48 weeks with over 340 performances for audiences in excess of 135,000.

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Lead support for The Joyce Theater Foundation has been received from Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.

The Joyce Theater’s Dance Presentation Program is supported by a grant award from the National Endowment for the Arts; and made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature; as well as supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with the City Council with special thanks to Council Member Corey Johnson. Additional support has been provided by the Lila Wallace-Reader’s Digest Endowment Fund to encourage the performances of out-of-town companies at The Joyce Theater.

Major support has been provided by the Ford Foundation, the Howard Gilman Foundation, The Harkness Foundation for Dance, the Mertz Gilmore Foundation, The Pasculano Foundation, The Fan Fox and Leslie R. Samuels Foundation, The SHS Foundation, and The Shubert Foundation. Key support has been provided by the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, First Republic Bank, The Hearst Foundations, the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, and The Jerome Robbins Foundation.

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