Three 'prairie flamenco dance fighters' to present new show at DJD Dance Centre

Calgary Herald

4 days ago

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Quiet, introverted and vulnerable are not the first words that spring to mind when describing the fiery world of flamenco dance.
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But Calgary dancer, choreographer, filmmaker and general flamenco-booster Rosanna Terracciano has established a body of work that emphasizes these attributes, dubbing it 'quiet flamenco.'
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'For me, quiet flamenco is always going to be in everything that I do,' she says. 'Because it's really a whole approach in how I see flamenco. It's really important to be able to give voice to the quieter side of the art form. I'm going to be on the stage, stomping feet and making noise like everyone else. But it's a very different way of approaching it.'
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So, while working on her solo piece that will become part of Flamenco at the DJD Dance Centre, Terracciano has incorporated her take on a quieter, more feminine side of the dance.
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'It does exist, it is in the flamenco world, but it's not what we typically associate with it,' she says. 'It's in the nuances and the silences. If you start to look for it, you can find it.'
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The dancer has always been interested in challenging the spicy, macho stereotypes of flamenco and presenting it as more multi-layered than many assume. On Friday, she will be joined at the DJD Dance Centre by Winnipeg's Claire Marchand and Edmonton-based Jane Ogilvie, whom Terracciano calls her 'fellow flamenco dance fighters' from the prairies. They have known each other for years, ever since they were emerging dancers. But they had never worked together until 2024, when they collaborated on Flamenco at the Yardbird in Edmonton to a sold-out audience.
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For this version of the show, the group will be performing in Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg. It will also feature Spanish flamenco singer and percussionist Francisco Orozco and guitarist Peter Mole.
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'It was kind of an experiment to see how we would work together,' Terracciano says. 'It turned out really well. It was a great experience, so we decided, 'Let's bring it back and bring it to more cities.' '
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The three dancers take different approaches to flamenco. Terracciano is more experimental. Ogilvie is also a pianist and music teacher, so she brings more rhythmic moves and incorporates more complicated footwork. Marchand is more old-school, bringing back a style 'you don't really see anymore.'
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Terracciano had a relatively late start in dance, as a late teen when she was already in university. She was studying engineering at the University of Calgary, but began taking contemporary dance. Her parents came from the Naples region of southern Italy. There are a lot of cultural similarities between the Neapolitan culture and the area of southern Spain where flamenco comes from. Terracciano's mother was a dressmaker who was fascinated by the flamenco costumes.