After extensive correspondence, Neely was able to convince the dancer to make the trip, perform and conduct classes. Film star Rita Hayworth's father, Eduardo Cansino, and his sister, Elisa, had top billing as Spanish dancers on the vaudeville circuit. The neo-classical dances choreographed today draw from the rituals of flamenco, classical footwork from escuela bolero and from ballet, modern and jazz dance. Easily interpreted by modern audiences they are gaining visibility as a new genre. As times have changed the role of women, the flamenco dances have also evolved.
Women are now as percussive and independent as their male counterparts.
The dresses, once long and trained allowing for dancing only about the waist, have given way to lighter frothier models allowing for much more aggressive movement. Bermudez has performed in fiestas throughout southern Spain, is the artistic director of the flamenco group Arte y Compas, which performs in he San Francisco area, and is an instructor at the San Francisco Dance Center. For more information, contact Neely at 788-2117, ex. Express Publishing Inc. All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited.