Noche Flamenca @ Seahorse Tavern

Thursday, May 26, 8pm our Flamenco Nights Performance series kicks off with NOCHE FLAMENCA

After a 2 year hiatus, Flamenco will fire up Halifax’s iconic Seahorse Tavern once again.

Join us for a Spanish themed night that will take you on a journey through the different regions of Spain.  Lively Seville with it's folk dances and ferias, the rugged coast of Galicia with it's celtic roots and bittersweet songs.  The port of sunny Cadiz and its playful dances and more! 

Experience an enjoyable glimpse of the vast and meaningful world of Flamenco.

The Artists:

Dancers Ellen Gibling, Karen Staples, Kiriam Thompson, Linda Palmer and Rachel James will be joined by guitarist Christopher Robinson along with the amazing voices of Lisa Myers, and Joyce Saunders. 

About the Noche Flamenca Ensemble

The Noche Flamenca Ensemble was formed in 2018 by flamenco dancers Karen Staples, Kiriam Thompson, Linda Palmer and Rachel James. These talented dancers all met while studying at Maria Osende's flamenco dance school. They have since shared the stage in shows by Maria Osende Flamenco Co. in various occasions. Looking to expand their performance experience and creative juices, the ensemble enjoys working together in collaborative projects and finding their own artistic voice.

They first performed at the Flamenco Nights Performance Series in 2019 along with guitarists Christopher Robinson, Bob Sutherby and singer Lisa Myers. The pandemic put a dent in their plans in the last couple of years, but they continued to practice and train throughout the lockdowns and restrictions (in their homes and online) and are very happy to be back on the Seahorse stage this year!

The Flamenco Nights Performance Series is made possible thanks to the support of Arts Nova Scotia. It is produced by Atlantic Flamenco Productions Society.

This is a 19+ years old event.  ID may be requested for entry to the venue.

What's new at the Seahorse? 

It's been a while since we were all there together! 

We've made some changes.  To help you feel more comfortable, seating is now assigned, to allow a greater degree of choice and peace of mind.

About the Venue

The Seahorse Tavern claims the title of Nova Scotia’s oldest existing bar; it opened its doors on Argyle Street in 1948 and has been a nightlife staple of Halifax ever since.  Located on the backside of the The Local Restaurant and Marquee Ballroom on Gottingen Street, the Seahorse is the quintessential Nova Scotian bar, featuring live music, friendly crowds and an unpretentious, kitchen-party vibe. The Seahorse has four non-binary bathroom stalls, is wheelchair accessible and the bar recently installed a ramp to the back entrance. 

Food and Beverages

The kitchen has moved upstairs and is now coming from The Local Restaurant. A sibling of The Seahorse and Marquee dynasty, this pub—and it's rad patio—serves delicious pizza, burgers and salads, amongst others. This means table service for food is no longer available and drinks are to be ordered at the bar and taken to your table.

There will be a takeout counter next to the bar, where items such as pizza slices can be purchased on the night of the show.

 

Noche Flamenca Ensemble Bios

 

KAREN STAPLES - DANCER

Dance was a big part of Karen’s life growing up in Cape Breton and she has dabbled in most dance forms at some point.  Before starting to learn flamenco dance, Karen enjoyed belly dancing for many years. Ten years ago she tried flamenco and hasn’t looked back. Karen has danced regularly at the Flamenco Nights shows for the past several years and more recently for the Maria Osende Flamenco Company.

 

KIRIAM THOMPSON - DANCER

Kiriam began her flamenco studies at the age of 16 in Toronto, where she danced with the Arte Flamenco Spanish Dance Company, she also studied with Maria Bermudez in Jerez De La Frontera, Spain. Since her arrival to Halifax in 2017, she has regularly performed in events organized by Maria Osende Flamenco Company and For the Love of Flamenco.

 

LINDA PALMER - DANCER

Linda began studying flamenco under Maria Osende in 2008.  She has also taken classes with many famous flamenco dancers such as Immaculada Ortega, Miguel Tellez, David Romero, Rafael Campello, Manuel Reyes. She has traveled to Seville, Spain a number of times to immerse herself in flamenco culture and to train with Felipe Mato and Lourdes Recio. Over the years Linda has enjoyed teaching many workshops and classes in flamenco tangos, alegrias, and Sevillanas.

ELLEN GIBLING - DANCER

Ellen began dancing flamenco in K’jipuktuk/Halifax as a teenager with Eveline Benais, and continued her studies in Quebec with Sarah Vincent at the Académie Flamenca de Montréal. Since returning to the east coast, Ellen has been studying with Maria Osende, and she is delighted to be performing again after a long hiatus!

RACHEL JAMES - DANCER

Originally from Wales, Rachel moved to Nova Scotia in 2018 and has been a regular part of the Flamenco Nights Series and the Maria Osende Flamenco Company ever since. She has trained in flamenco dance for many years in both Canada and Spain. Rachel is an experienced Flamenco dancer and has performed in a variety of venues across Canada.  She also teaches at Flamenco School Maria Osende.

 

JOYCE SAUNDERS - VOCALS

Joyce is a versatile singer of multiple genres. A chance meeting through mutual friends brought Joyce into our flamenco fold. Now over a decade later, Joyce is a mainstay of the Maria Osende Flamenco Company and has established herself as a talented flamenco singer (cantaora). Her journey has taken her from Nova Scotia to Spain to study flamenco in-depth. Joyce has a wealth of experience performing different types of music, including original songs, music for family audiences, and church gatherings.

 

LISA MYERS  - VOCALS

Lisa has been involved in the world of Flamenco through dance on and off for 15 years, and started on her Flamenco singing journey in 2016. Performing with Megan ‘La Azulita” Matheson Hamilton and CompanIa Azul inspired Lisa to take on vocal studies with Laura Roman in Seville, in the fall of 2016. Since then, Lisa has performed at the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival with La Azulita, as well as for Maria Osende Flamenco Co. along with numerous shows at the Seahorse Tavern and other venues in Halifax. Lisa draws on the traditional vocal style of Flamenco singers of old, particularly ‘cante jondo’ or ‘deep song’; The most serious and deeply moving forms of Flamenco.

CHRISTOPHER ROBINSON - GUITAR

Chris pursued his musical studies at Acadia University in guitar performance and began his flamenco career in 2004, performing with local groups Alma Flamenca and Viva Flamenco. He became musical director of Flamenco en Rouge in 2011, performing, composing and arranging for the group. Chris has trained most notably with San Roque (Spain) guitarist  Antonio El Kuko and with Jesus Alvarez of Jerez de la Frontera, and in Canada with Garrett Owen. Chris joined the ensemble 2019.