Flamenco and Fate Collide in ‘Songs From a Sinking Ship’ at Irvine Barclay

Lillian Dunn
46 minutes ago
5 min read

A siren’s call sends a ship into supernatural danger in Flamenco Arts International’s theatrical dance production.

A scene rom "Songs from a Sinking Ship." From left, Juan José Amador, Carlos Menchaca, Marina Elana and El Torombo. Photo courtesy of FAI/Fred Aube

Flamenco Arts International (FAI) is a San Fransisco-based nonprofit organization with the goal of spreading the art of flamenco dance to the world. They construct mesmerizing experiences that represent traditional roots and a step toward the future of flamenco with the help of designers, multimedia artists and filmmakers.

“Songs From a Sinking Ship,” FAI’s newest endeavor, is an original, full-length production that will make its Southern California debut at the Irvine Barclay Theatre March 13.

Directed by Jose Maldonado, “Songs From a Sinking Ship” originally debuted last March at Z Space in San Francisco as a work in progress. A more developed version of the show will arrive in Southern California, featuring live music and projection design by David Murakami. The show is studded with respected flamenco performers, some from the United States and many from Spain, including singer Juan José Amador, singer and guitarist Teresa Hernández, singer Reyes Martín, guitarist Eugenio Iglesias, dancer Carlos Menchaca, musician David Chupete, guitarist José “El Torombo” Suárez and dancer and co-director of FAI Marina Elana.

FAI’s two directors, Elana and Isabel del Día, met nearly two decades ago and immediately clicked. While working for the same touring company, they became fast friends with an instant connection.

Elana trained extensively in Seville, Spain and has performed internationally. Her choreography tests the bounds of traditional flamenco technique and delves into emotional storytelling. Though del Día is also a flamenco performer, her strengths lie in creative direction, leadership and community programming. She focuses on educational outreach, organization and bringing flamenco to diverse communities. FAI began in 2023 after del Día approached Elana about starting a company. Elana was afraid to embark on something so new, but del Día insisted they had their own stories to tell.

From left, Carlos Menchaca, Marina Elana and El Torombo. Photo courtesy of FAI/Planet Froth Productions

“I knew (del Día) was brilliant,” Elana said. “I trusted her. She somehow believed in me. And so we started the company together.”

Priding itself on being a women-founded company, FAI follows Elana and del Día’s tendencies to lead with sensibility and intuition. They consider themselves a team, and consistently collaborate to tackle any problem that arises.

“We are both very caring people in general, and so we care about the artists, and we care about treating everybody well and making sure things are fair and just,” del Día said. “There’s something very solution-based to both of us, not that we don’t get stressed, but it’s just different with each other.”

Del Día describes FAI as blending traditional flamenco vocabulary with theatrical elements and immersive theater. Marina’s history in film studies at Stanford also influences their elaborate and visually intricate productions.

“Songs from a Sinking Ship” begins with a siren song that transforms an ordinary trip into a supernatural battle on the sea. The siren call triggers a dangerous chain reaction in which a ship becomes lost in a thunderstorm, and the ship's crew must face its demons through flamenco dance. The production asks the audience to wonder if the crew will prevail against darkness or succumb to it.

Though flamenco artists don’t usually work with a set, scenic designer Catalina Niño created one for the show, and Murakami’s animations and projections add to the visual landscape of the performance. The goal is to make the audience feel as though it is in the sinking ship, taking the voyage itself. Marina and del Día want audience members to feel as though they are all experiencing the same situation, so they must consider what they will do about it.

“We think it’s a really beautiful metaphor or analogy for the state of things,” del Día said. “To think about this really simple concept of: We’re in this together, how are we going to face things?”

When selecting dancers for the show, Elana and del Día needed to fill a list of roles. To cast a crew, a ship mechanic, a wise sailor and a young sprite cadet, they needed big personalities to make the show larger than life. Though FAI is based in San Francisco, it also has roots in New York City and Spain, where rehearsals often take place. Dancer and choreographer Carlos Menchaca was just one of those personalities.

Eugenio Iglesias, left, and Carlos Menchaca. Photos courtesy of FAI/Planet Froth Productions

Menchaca considers Elana and del Día two of his dearest friends.

“It is no small feat to found a company, and their uncompromising commitment to the highest quality possible of not only the artists they choose to work with but also production level in general is awe inspiring.”

Menchaca considers performing “Songs from a Sinking Ship” demanding because there is so much acting and all of the performers are on stage for the entire production. No one can drop character. However, he hopes the audience feels stimulated by the idea of the sinking ship representing “our burning planet.”

He has a high level of respect for his fellow showmates as well, whom he considers legends of flamenco.

“Rehearsing with them and watching how they develop and interpret their characters within the parameters of flamenco has been very inspirational and highly influential to me as an artist and performer,” Menchaca said.

The show contains many surprises, so Elana and del Día were hesitant to share details that might give anything away.

“What’s exciting about this show is that we didn’t want anyone to expect what happens next, although we do know that the ship goes down, that’s what we wanted the audience to walk into,” Elana said. “Besides that, we didn’t want to reveal any of our cards.”

Watching flamenco live is an energetic and emotional experience to begin with. Though these dancers attend rehearsals and follow a storyline on stage, no two performances are identical. The singer, dancer and guitarist come together and feed off of one another.

“When Marina gets on stage, (she) does not know what the singers are going to sing for her, and so she has to adapt in the moment to what they’re singing,” del Día said. “It creates this really dynamic interplay of the singers expressing their emotions, and Marina is then responding and expressing through the dance.”

The goal is to translate emotions from the stage to the audience, whether that be excitement, happiness, anger or sadness. Though she knows many audience members may not be provoked into immediate action by “Songs From a Sinking Ship,” she feels that sharing this story will spark conversations and make people reflect on our world.

“Art has a responsibility to comment on things,” del Día said.

Elana has committed her life to flamenco for its captivating and exciting nature. It is never just one thing.

“It’s a temperament,” she said. “That’s the beauty of flamenco.”