Experience the dynamic artistry of flamenco in two captivating performances that celebrate the soulful fusion of dance, guitar, and song. Lindsey Bourassa, Executive & Artistic Director of Maine’s newly founded nonprofit FLOR (Flamenco and its Origins), will take the stage alongside captivating dancer Laura Sánchez of Spain. Accompanying them is the masterful guitarist Behzad Habibzai, whose melodies will intertwine with the stirring vocals of DC-based flamenco singer Carlton Ashton. Immerse yourself in the passion, precision, and raw emotion of this timeless art form.
While in Portland, Laura will also conduct a free two-day flamenco workshop for caregivers with mixed levels of movement experience. This workshop will be two sessions - Saturday, April 12 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and Sunday, April 13 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, with an option to join the 2:00 PM performance on Sunday.
This concert and workshop is co-presented in collaboration with Mayo Street Arts
Laura Sánchez
is an award-winning flamenco artist, creator, choreographer and educator originally from Cádiz, Spain. She began her flamenco education as a child and received professional training from the Dance Conservatory of Madrid. Laura holds a Professional Certificate in Expressive Arts Therapies from Lesley University where she developed an emerging therapeutic dance practice, Expressive Flamenco©. She presents this work internationally and continues to serve annually as Guest Professor for the Lesley University Expressive Therapies Master’s Program. Her most recent research work was published at the Journal of the American Dance Therapy Association in 2021.
Laura actively performs as a soloist in flamenco venues in the Eastern U.S., and placed 3rd at the 2016 Flamenco Certamen USA, an international competition that takes place in NYC annually. She has worked as an independent choreographer and producer and has presented several flamenco shows over the past ten years in Massachusetts.
During the pandemic she created an award-winning short film, AFTER DARK, She has received funding from the prestigious Live Arts Boston grant led by the Boston Foundation, in 2021 and 2024, the Next Steps to Dance and NEFA’s dance fund. She has been a recipient of the Mass Cultural Council Choreography Award in 2021 and was honored to be a member of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Professional Consórcio Flamenco, a group dedicated to growing flamenco on the national stage, in 2020.
Lindsey Bourassa
Based in Maine, Lindsey Bourassa is a flamenco artist, choreographer, and teacher. She is the founding-director of FLOR, a flamenco nonprofit based in Maine and the driving force behind Maine’s first prominent and growing flamenco community.
Behzad Habibzai
is a music composer and flamenco guitarist. He began playing drums and classical percussion at 10, maintaining a busy schedule performing orchestral, jazz, punk rock, at rock clubs and symphony halls. At 14 he discovered flamenco guitar, going on to portray flamenco forms in performances with several international artists.
Having worked regularly as a drummer, percussionist, and flamenco guitarist, he set his sights on the world of orchestration – entering the world of film music. Habibzai has already lent his voice to several films and documentaries, helping film makers tell stories.
Behzad's flamenco album ‘Bosquejos’ (2020), and released singles can be found on most digital streaming platforms. Behzad often collaborates with his wife, Meghan Pilar Habibzai.
Carlton Ashton
Flamenco found Carlton Ashton in early 2000. Carlton studied Flamenco dance in Seville, Spain with Rocío Albeniz and dancer Marcos de Ana. Upon his return to Washington, he continued his studies in the Washington area with close friend and trusted guitarist Behzad Habibzai. He began to sing some 20 years ago at small parties for friends and teachers and later to perform at Washington area tablaos. He was later an invited guest of Flamenco fusion group Martires del Compás here at the Kennedy Center 's Millennium Stage. His voice is heavily influenced by those of Rafael de Utrera, El Potito and Montse Cortes. Carlton was featured as part of Washington DC's Flamenco Night at Cafe Bonaparte and has accompanied many of the Washington area’s leading flamenco artists. Since 2010 he has accompanied Flamenco Aparicio at the DC Feria of Seville and on the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. This is Carlton's first appearance with Flor Flamenco.