The Castanet Set
- Finding flamenco in New Orleans -
Story by Mark McGrain, Photos by Cheryl Gerber

Flamenco, the passionate and rhythmic Spanish gypsy dance, first came to New Orleans in 1969 according to Carlos Sanchez, the city’s preeminent world class flamenco guitarist. At that time, Teresa Romero Torkanowsky, New Orleans’ greatest flamenco dancer and mentor, owned a restaurant called The Flamenco Room in the French Quarter. In addition to performing at her club, she also brought many other great dancers from throughout the Hispanic world to the club’s stage. One of these was the renown Spanish dancer Ciro.

Solangel "Lali" Calix

Sanchez has recently recorded a new CD that will be available early this Fall. It is entitled "Luna y Fragua" -- "The Moon and the Forge" reflecting the passion and strength that embodies the very soul of flamenco.

"I keep to the tradition, to the rules of flamenco, pure and with respect to the form," Sanchez explaines.

Her friend turned teacher, Solangel Calix, is another of the city’s most accomplished flamencas. As a child growing up in New Orleans, Calix was passionate about flamenco and, in time, moved to Madrid to study with the masters. She made her professional debut in New Orleans at age 18, performing with Sanchez at the Theater for the Performing Arts. Eventually, with her friend and dance partner Charlene Roger and guitarist Bob Folse, Calix founded her own dance company, Alianza Flamenca, which performs locally every year at the Mensaje Festival in Kenner as well as various night clubs and other events around town. She teaches classes every Friday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. in a studio at the New Orleans School of Ballet.

Recently, Calix and her current accompanist, guitarist John Lawrence, were visiting a bar on Decatur Street called the Matador. In an unannounced display of Latin inspiration, Calix and Lawrence leapt up onto the club’s small stage and began stomping out a spirited Alegria. The crowd at the bar, with shouts of encouragement, joined in by rhythmically clapping hands as is the tradition of palmas in flamenco performance. The Matador, picking up on the popularity of the impromptu session, hopes to soon be able to regularly schedule flamenco events.

Though flamenco has been performed in nearly every night club in the city, performances are often infrequent, requiring a keen eye on the entertainment listings.

One Friday night after flamenco class my girlfriend invited her class back to our small apartment in the French Quarter for drinks. By midnight, beneath the moon’s seductive glow, heels were hammering upon the resonate deck of our balcony. The guitar and castanets had halted three buggy loads of tourists who sat across the street on doorsteps shouting "Ole!" and applauding after each number. Flamenco is a social dance, often the genesis for people to get together and show off their individual prowess of step and style, to laugh and tell stories, and of course drink lots of Rioja. When a flamenco dancer reaches a rapturous state of selflessness, abandon, it’s referred to it as duende, flamenco’s moment of truth. The shared state of duende on our second-floor balcony that night would have rivaled that at even the most spirited tablao (flamenco bar) in Seville. Though there were no visits from the police answering complaints of noise violation, our neighbor’s did complain the next morning of a slight "castanet hangover." mm

Teresa Romero Torkanowsky
by Cheryl Gerber

"The rest of my life starts with this minute,'' Torkanowsky said of her decision to retire from the Flamenco business after more than 50 years. "I now have my whole life to live. I just want to enjoy life and see it.''

Torkanowsky, who made her flamenco dancing debut at Carnegie Hall when she was just 15, built her life around the Spanish dance form. She traveled for about 12 years from then on with a large flamenco dance company that traveled with a full orchestra. It was a conductor of that orchestra, Warner Torkanowsky, who brought her to New Orleans when he became conductor of the Louisiana Philhormonic Orchestra. It was then that Torkanowsky brought flamenco to New Orleans.

During the past year, her company performed every month at the upscale Red Room before sold out crowds. With more shows than ever and the spot closing out Jazz Fest, Torkanowsky explained why now was a good time to retire.

"I'm in my prime. This was the best year we (the company) have ever had,'' she explained. "One day I decided this was the time. I knew it was right. I thank God every day for allowing me to come to this conclusion."

Her immediate plans include traveling to Spain before spending the rest of her summer on her house boat in Washington state.

As for the dancers of her company, Torkanowsky said she believes that her retirement will help them grow as dancers on their own. "I really feel this is an important move for my students because they have been under my tutelege , my contracts and used my costumes. They were too comfortable. Now I'm seeing them develop themselves and they are branching out."

Of the many dancers at the school, she said that the six dancers who often performed at the Red Room could have a career in flamenco. "They all have the technique and if they want to be professional, they can. Do they want to go that far? Some do, but some have families that come first. But they can always indulge in the dance. They can do whatever they want because they now have the vocabulary. I taught them a strong work ethic. I always told them to think as a professional."

Though Torkanowsky will no longer be teaching, one of her prime dancers, Michelle Paule, will be teaching beginning, intermediate and advanced flamenco. "She has inherited my dowry,'' Torkanowsky said.

Other dancers including Solangel Calix and Maricruz DeLage will also be teaching.

As for the rest of her life, Torkanowsky had this to say. "The potential is great but I don't want to attach myself to any one thing. I'm just going to look and listen.'' cg

Visit plunge's Flamenco in New Orleans slideshow.