Ventanas

Tamar Ilana & Ventanas play The Seahorse Tavern on Friday August 7, as part of a night presented by Atlantic Flamenco and FabCollab's Women in Song. The two organisations are bringing together ten of Canada's leading flamenco and global music singers, dancers and musicians sharing the stage for the first time, and Tamar Ilana & Ventanas sit at the heart of it.

Ventanas is a six-piece flamenco fusion ensemble, and they describe their sound as reaching beyond flamenco to weave in Balkan rhythms, Mediterranean melodies, Middle Eastern textures and global folk traditions. It's a wide net to cast, and the night is built around that crossing of styles. Joining them are dancers Lia Grainger and Maria Osende, and vocalist and cellist Blanche Israël, with special surprise guests added to the mix.

There's a good bit of ground covered in that line-up. Lia Grainger is a Toronto-based flamenco dancer, artistic director of Flamencolía Dance Company and a lead dancer with the touring ensemble Fin de Fiesta Flamenco. Maria Osende is a celebrated dancer and a pillar of Halifax's local flamenco community. Between them, you've got the dance side of the night coming from both a national touring context and right here in the city. Blanche Israël brings the vocals and the cello, and the surprise guests mean the bill isn't quite finished.

The show starts at 8:00 PM, with doors opening at 7:30 PM at The Seahorse Tavern, 2037 Gottingen Street. Tickets are C$45 for the first two rows, C$35 for general admission seated, and C$20 for standing.