FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
AT THE
aka
NEW YORK CITY CENTER
https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasirgondal/sets/72157642131701433/
Ever since I had seen the dome from the room in Hilton NY during an APPNA Meeting I had an interest to know about the building and go inside it.
Mecca Temple
It is a fascinating story. Build by the The Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, later simply called Shriners, build it in early 1900. This was an offshoot of Freemasons, who felt inspired by the Middle Eastern and Moorish art and customs.
Two Americans Walter Flemming, a physican, and William Florence, an actor, wanted to create a branch of Masons with more fun and purpose in mind and less of rituals. Florence, on a tour to England was invited to a party arranged by an Arab diplomat. He got inspiration from that and on coming back floated this idea.
Today the most obvious contribution of the Shriners are the Hospitals. They are headquartered in Tempa Florida.
There is a story that they used to have their events in Carnegie Hall but were evicted as they smoked cigars too much. They later bought this piece of land, just south of the Carnegie Hall. The Muslim influence reflected in the Shriner rites and dresses. Fez is their head gear. Similar influence is heavily reflected in the architecture. You see Andalusian horseshoe arches, and various Islamic Motifs in the inside. The auditorium was built to earn extra money for concerts and shows.
The Center Stage
ES SELAM ELEIKUM
اسلام عیلکم
Later during the Depression, they were unable to pay the mortgage and the Bank foreclosed on them. Later the City took over the building as a lot of back taxes were owed.
The rumor is that the building was to be demolished but the mayor, F LaGuardia came up with the plan of converting it into NY City Center. Now it is a major venue for dance performances.
Then came the information in the mail for the Flamenco Festival. This is an annual event, held in this center for the last decade or so.
I watched Flamenco for the first time during our trip to Seville in 2012. More on that at http://ghareebkhana.blogspot.com/2012/10/seville-alshabilah-of-andalucia.html
There I learned about the Roma people. Believed to be originally from Punjab or Rajistan in India they eventually found their way to Spain and rest of Europe. These Gypsies, as they are called, developed this unique form of art which is reminiscent of Indian and Middle Eastern music.
This was a four day event, and Sunday was the last day. It was good to be out on a nice day after a long wintery and snowy spell.
Zoha and I attended the performance by Eva Yerbabuena.
The show was titled Lluvia ie Rain. It is the story of a person born on a gray day of pure melancholy. She explores isolation, loneliness, heartbreak, ignorance and acceptance. It was a Ballet Flamenco, and had all what flamenco has to offer: the long dirges reminding of either aazan or a lonely song of a desert-man, the dance, the guitar, the drums, the hand clapping, the castanets and the quintessential stomping of the feet.
A video clip http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn3hzMx_88Y
As mentioned by Barclay.
Created by Yerbabuena, a choreographer as well as the virtuoso dancer most people know, Lluvia, meaning Rain, is a full-evening flamenco drama featuring a cast of five dancers and an ensemble of superb musicians and singers.
I wished I had known the language; it would have added a lot to the experience. Still the rhythm, the movements and the music made my day. I can now understand why many non-Urdu-knowing people can enjoy the music of Nusrat Fateh Ali
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References:
- http://www.nycago.org/Organs/NYC/html/MeccaTemple.html
- http://www.shrinersinternational.org/Shriners/History/Beginnings
- http://www.thebarclay.org/events-details.asp?n=explore-events&n1=&n2=&refId=466B6716-3029-4479-A839-08C48A399E68
- http://ghareebkhana.blogspot.com/2012/10/seville-alshabilah-of-andalucia.html
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