Flamenco artist La Tania and the Presidio Theatre present the world premiere of Solaz, a new multimedia flamenco work July 21-23, inspired by the extraordinary history of the Egyptian Temple of Debod.
Built in the second century BCE, the Temple was rescued in the 1960s during the flooding of Nubia, when Egypt was constructing the Aswan Dam.
The ancient Temple was cut into pieces and transported to Madrid, where it was reconstructed and now serves as a beacon of cultural survival in the face of global displacement. Solaz combines dance and music, intertwined with poetic visual imagery, creating a sensory journey evoking personal and universal messages of hope, renewal and impermanence. Three performances will be given Friday and Saturday, July 21 and 22, at 7 pm and Sunday, July 23, at 4 pm at the Presidio Theatre, 99 Moraga Avenue, San Francisco.
Tickets, priced $15-$45 may be purchased at www.presidiotheatre.org .
The creation of Solaz is rooted in La Tania’s own lived experiences with displacement, her empathy for others and the humanity and solace of origin and place. As a child, La Tania travelled and moved frequently. As a mature artist, she relocated halfway around the world to San Francisco, which would be her home and creative base for three decades. More recently she was displaced, like many artists, by the escalating costs of living and working in the Bay Area. Having lost her San Francisco home and studio to gentrification, she returned to Spain, where she is currenlty living in Seville.
“Dance has often allowed me to speak the unspeakable, and the emotional realm of displacement is very real for me, so this project is particularly poignant,” says La Tania. “Traveling and moving often throughout my life, I grew up with the idea that it was normal to be in constant flux. But dance has always been with me, it’s my home, where I find solace. It’s been magical working on this new choreography in Sevilla, but I look forward to returning to San Francisco soon to finish creating this beautiful show with my friends from throughout the Bay Area arts community, with gratitude for life’s gifts and the kindness all around me.”