What most people envision when they think of flamenco (maybe: the emoji image of a woman in a red dress dancing) doesn’t fully capture the soulful art form that originated in Andalusia, Spain. Alice Blumenfeld, the artistic and executive director of Abrepaso Flamenco, aims to change that.
The dancer, who came to Northeast Ohio from her hometown of Albuquerque, New Mexico, first started her lessons and performances in 2016. When she relocated to Northeast Ohio, she saw a space for the art in her new home.
“There was really not a lot of flamenco in Cleveland, but there was a great arts scene, so it seemed like a great place to continue to build Abrepaso,” Blumenfeld says.
(Photo courtesy Ken Blaze)
The Spanish term “abrepaso” means to forge a new pathway forward, and Blumenfeld’s work exemplifies that. She says her take on flamenco is contemporary, but authentic. (“Authentic flamenco means you speak the language of flamenco, you can improvise in the form, you know all the code,” she says.)
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Her performances incorporate all the traditional elements of flamenco, like dance, singing and rhythm — but with occasional twists. For example, a past performance titled A. Periplum featured Blumenfeld’s dancing, coupled with a custom piece of jazz music by trumpet player Dominick Farinacci and a film by Joshua Lawhorn.
This interpretive, improvisational element is encouraged in Abrepaso’s dance lessons.
“What really makes our classes different is we're really about creating new movement,” Blumenfeld says. “I'm not just copying and pasting steps, or arranging traditional steps, but really starting from scratch and building movement around a concept.”
(Photo courtesy Alice Blumenfeld)
Her flamenco dance work extends back to her childhood. At 12 years old, she was first drawn to the rebellious, emotion-driven art form by a ballet teacher. Later, she took classes at the National Institute of Flamenco in Albuquerque and sought out flamenco performances in town.
Attending one of Albuquerque’s Festival Flamenco events, Blumenfeld witnessed a skilled flamenco dancer have “duende,” a moment of passionate abandon that flamenco is specifically known for. Blumenfeld was struck with inspiration during the artist’s performance — and from then on, she was hooked.
“For me, it was like this out-of-body experience,” Blumenfeld says, “and I just knew that flamenco was what I was going to do with my life.”
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In recent years, she’s brought the art form to venues around Cleveland like Bop Stop and Music Box, and she just started her next session of flamenco classes, with her next future session starting in 2025. She plans on hosting a traditionally set flamenco performance in February and will host an Abrepaso fundraiser at Mallorca on Oct. 23.
Though Blumenfeld has spread the word of Abrepaso's performances, she says it can be a challenge to find new audiences in Ohio.
“I think there is a small group of people that are really into flamenco and really appreciate it. I think there would be more people, but they just don't know what it is,” she says. “Here in Cleveland, little by little, we’re getting the word out that we’re here.”
Find more details about Abrepaso Flamenco at the organization’s website.
(Photo courtesy W. Elliott; Lead photo courtesy Rebecca Aslanis)
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