(entrevista) Mood, expression are heart of Spanish dance

By Jennifer Modenessi

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Spend an hour with Carolina Lugo and you will be transported to another place.

Lugo's graceful hands rise in the air and slowly start to swirl. Like a siren, her motions and soft voice pull you in as she talks about Spain, Gypsies and the allure of flamenco and classical Spanish dance.

The Pleasant Hill resident is the founder of Carolina Lugo's Brisas de Espana Flamenco Dance Company, which bears the distinction of being the only company in Contra Costa County to perform both flamenco and classical Spanish dance.

Lugo, who choreographs and shares principal dance duties with her daughter, is passionate about the dance form. Sit her down and she will talk at length about its history and roots and how the rhythms of her country and people inform her approach to life. A master of the castanets, those palm-sized percussive instruments that in the right hands can sound like the rattling of leaves or the beating of a heart, Lugo has performed with symphonies and operas and most recently choreographed the dance sequences in Golden Gate Opera's production of "Carmen."

The fourth-generation dancer is intent on carrying the torch of what she fears may be a dying art, especially when it comes to lesser-known forms of Spanish dance. In addition to her duties as dancer and choreographer, she also teaches, passing on a wealth of knowledge that spans cultures and generations.

Q: Tell me a bit about your background. Where were you born?

A I'm first-generation American. My parents and grandparents are from Galicia, which is the north part of Spain. Galicia sits in the middle between the borders of Portugal and the Basque region. My family name comes from the Ciudad de Lugo -- that's where my ancestors are from.


(leer +) [vía contracostatimes]