Flamenco Quartet Project meets Blues,Jazz and Rap

Clinard Dance, now in it’s 24th season, began their Flamenco Quartet Project in 2014 dedicating the project to artistic excellence and exploration. Led by an open minded spirit of collaboration, The Flamenco Quartet Project, seeks to engage with contemporary culture through vibrant performances that honor traditional flamenco and their shared passion for music and dance discovery.

The roster of performers boasts remarkably diverse talents, including composers, arrangers, improvisers and choreographers who bring a range of cultural influences to the group, from Gypsy jazz to klezmer; flamenco and classical Arabic and Spanish art forms. The unique camaraderie within the group retains the intimacy and spontaneity unique to small ensemble work.

Since 2021 the Flamenco Quartet Project has been dedicated to connecting the flamenco perspective to local artists from jazz, blues, and hip-hop backgrounds. We've learned that flamenco is a foundation for understanding authentic blues, jazz and spoken word styles and traditions. 

Current project artists and collaborators are: Blues Artist Billy Branch, Jazz/Blues vocalist Joan Collaso, Spoken Word/ Rap King Moosa/Brian Harrington, Percussionist Diego Alvarez, flamenco singer Jose Diaz “Cachito”, vocalist Patty Ortega, flamenco guitar Andrea Salcedo, and flamenco dance Wendy Clinard.

Listen to an interview on NPR's Worldview of the Flamenco Quartet Project here

The group has built a strong base of audience members at home in Pilsen and throughout the US.  Recent venue and festival highlights include Dance St.Louis' Spring to Dance, Pilsen’s The National Museum of Mexican Fine Arts, Space in Evanston, Michigan’s Acorn Theater and Colorado's Vail Performing Arts Center.