Ashley Jones’ Artist-in-Residence Showcase at the Muck Features Tap and Flamenco Excellence
- Lillian Dunn
- Oct 22
- 6 min read
Updated: Oct 28
Dance educator and choreographer – along with a handful of others – bring Spanish flair to the Fullerton outdoor stage.
Fullerton’s Muckenthaler Cultural Center’s artist-in-residence, Ashley Jones, held a Spanish-inspired tap and flamenco dance concert, entitled “TAP-AS: An Evening of Spanish Sabor,” on Friday, Oct. 17.
The Muck seeks to encourage community and connection through art exhibits, music, outreach, education and dance. Since the artist-in-residency program began in 2019 with choreographer Lara Wilson, there have been no other dancers or choreographers until Jones.
Working in the nonprofit space for the past year and a half, Jones has been teaching numerous styles to dancers of all levels and abilities. At Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Jones helped establish Studio D: Arts School for All Abilities, where differently-abled individuals can take dance classes at no cost. These classes aim to boost self-confidence, socialization, coordination and creative exploration.
Thanks to the power of social media, Jones stumbled across the artist-in-residence position on Instagram. In her proposal, she argued that a performance artist would be a nice change of pace for the Muck’s centennial. The Muck seemed to agree.
“The cool thing about the Muck is that they kind of say, ‘If you want to do something, do it,’” Jones said. “You have no limitations with what you can do there. It’s just a matter of is there space? Is there time?”
Jones began a First Fridays program for dancers in the community, where she has been teaching classes through the decades. For the ‘40s, she taught swing, and for the ‘70s, she taught disco.
Jones also proposed her culminating showcase, highlighting tap and flamenco dance styles specifically. After visiting Spain for a month in 2024, Jones was inspired to create a performance that put Spanish culture and dance center stage. The title of the show is a play on the word “tapas,” which refers to savory Spanish dishes typically made to share.
The show opened with a Spanish guitar performance by Fabian Fernandez, setting the tone for the first act of the show. The musical selections began slowly and were stripped down, and were gradually joined by an upbeat backtrack. Fernandez tapped his foot, while audience members nodded their heads, sipping on wine that many brought from home.
Jones compared the Muck’s venue to a miniature Hollywood Bowl because of its outdoor nature and tiered seating setup. Patrons are allowed to bring in their own food and drinks, and many took advantage of this, snacking on charcuterie boards and pizza during the performance.
The Nannette Brodie Dance Theatre brought a group piece entitled “Vientos de Andalucia,” where the dancers were disciplined and stoic, bathed in warm, yellow light. Their movements were sharp and full of passion, reflecting an authentic love for the craft. Because of the intimacy of the venue, the breathwork and squeaking of dancers’ feet on the floor could be heard through the first couple of rows.
Jones’ four-part “Via España,” funded by the Arts Council of Long Beach, demonstrated her dedication to fusing her talent for choreography and musicianship. The first section, “Communidad,” featured high-energy movement and striking red and white costumes, lifting the audience’s spirits after a solemn duet and solo. The group hit the floor with sticks in time with the music, while dancer Amy Twisselmann showed off her ballet training with beautiful feet and leaps across the floor. The final section of the piece, “Ritmo de España,” was like a party. Dancers in whites, reds and yellows roused the audience with percussion-heavy music, claps and sticks on the floor. All of the dancers from the first section returned for this grand coda, which closed out the first section of the show.
The 20-minute intermission was used to set up the interlocking wooden tap floor, specially designed by Tony Hernandez and owned by Huntington Beach High School’s Academy for the Performing Arts.
Although Jones is trained in a multitude of dance styles, she often brings tap dance into spaces not usually associated with it. Tap is not a casual dance style, and it is difficult to find dancers who are technically trained and dedicated. However, Orange County does have a thriving pocket of tap dancers, and Jones used this show to shed light on tap’s unique ability to capture an audience.
Steve Zee, a tap dancer and lecturer at Cal State Long Beach, opened the second act with a solo called “Pandeiro.” Zee’s incredible stage presence was undeniable as he entered with a tambourine for an a cappella piece. The audience called out to him and giggled at his impressively laid-back and captivating performance.
“Now, I’m gonna play something, and you do what I do,” Zee instructed the audience, making people clap after him.
When Zee returned later in the show for a duet with Jones entitled “Percussion para Dos,” their long-standing teacher-student relationship became apparent. As they tapped and took turns playing auxiliary percussion equipment, including a small snare drum, cowbell and woodblock, all standing on a cymbal stand, Zee’s quiet “here we go” before the more difficult sections was audible and charming. Jones even played hand-crafted castanets from Madrid. The duet served as a conversation between tap and instrumentation, as well as Jones and Zee themselves, receiving possibly the loudest applause of the night. Jones and Zee seemed to have the most fun during the piece, laughing with each other as though they were just friends playing around in rehearsal.
Dancers and singers of the Mestizaje Dance Ensemble perform. PHOTO 1: Rosa Garcia, left, and Karina Leiro perform "Madre." PHOTO 2: Soloist Karina Leiro dances to the live guitar of Bobby de Sophía and live vocals of Cristina M. López de Victoria during their piece, "El Mar." Phots courtesy of Powell Browne. PHOTO 3: Cristina M. López de Victoria sings "El Mar," while Bobby de Sofía plays guitar and other Mestizaje Dance Ensemble dancers keep time. Photo by Lillian Dunn, Culture OC
Mestizaje Dance Ensemble performed two flamenco pieces titled “Madre” and “El Mar.” The duet, “Madre,” was haunting in black lace and tassels, an offering to the life force of the mother, who holds both tenderness and power. Both dancers, Rosa Garcia and Karina Leiro, were full of feeling and grace, anger and passion as the music rose and fell.
Mestizaje’s second piece, “El Mar,” featured live music by a guitarist, Bobby de Sofía, and vocalist, Cristina M. López de Victoria. López de Victoria’s voice was professional and clear, nearly hypnotic in the way that the audience fell silent to her tune. She called out to Leiro, who returned as a soloist for this piece, encouraging the audience to clap along and cheer for her.
Closing out the night was Jones’ original choreography in “Djobi Djoba,” where each dancer wore different-colored tap shoes and polka dots. Each of the dancers was striking in red lipstick, stealing the show with a joyfully upbeat finale.
Jones herself, in a polka dot jumpsuit, along with the rest of the “TAP-AS” cast, came out on stage for one final bow, as Muck patrons gave a standing ovation. Jones hopes that her residency at the Muck encourages more dance shows in the future. In comparison to gallery shows that are viewable multiple times, dance shows are more fleeting, something that can only be experienced as many times as a show is performed.
“The show is live. It’s not staying on a wall,” Jones said. “You can’t come see it whenever. So there’s this spontaneity. Performing arts are different in the sense that you got to come see it. When you see things on film, it’s never as good as seeing it live. It’s an energy and an experience that you have when you attend live performances.”
Knowing that she is not a household name, Jones expected to surprise many people with her showcase, and she certainly did. She explores themes of hybridity in her work, never settling on a single style or medium. Her versatility is what makes her such a special and sophisticated artist in Orange County.
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