Chris Jacome

Approval Type

Community Based

Artistic Discipline

Music

Program Type

Performances, Workshops, Residencies, Lecture/Demonstation

Populations/Areas of Interest

Grades 7-12, In School, After-School / Out-of-School, Young Adults, Adults, Older Adults, Intergenerational, Persons with disabilities, At-Risk, Underserved

Artistic Approach

Flamenco is an art form from the gypsies of Andalucia, Spain who, as a nomadic, marginalized culture express their pride, sadness, happiness and everything in between through dance, music and songs that have been influenced by cultures ranging from India to Romania to Morocco.

My unique flamenco experience allows me to present the knowledge of the gypsies of Andalucia through a perspective that engages American audiences by means of both live flamenco performance and captivating explanation.

I am a flamenco guitarist. I have lived and studied flamenco in Sevilla, Spain return to Spain frequently for extended stays in order to continue my education and professional growth while making my living with this incredible art form since 1999. My concerts are unique in flamenco because I interact with the audience during the show. I have bridged the gap between what American audiences are accustomed to at a concert and what is normally expected of a flamenco performance in Spain. Interaction with the audience is paramount for me as it provides the audience with an understanding of what they are listening to and viewing. They are educated on the dynamics of a flamenco performance and this translates to a much deeper appreciation of the culture and the art form. At each of my concerts my goals are to: 1) Provide an evening of entertainment where everyone in attendance says, "I am so glad I came to this performance tonight" and 2) That I can pique their interest and curiosity about flamenco.

Teaching Artist Approach

I would have to say my biggest philosophy of teaching is inspiration. The concept sounds so general, idealistic and impractical but it truly encompasses what I believe the role of the teacher to be. When I teach a private student it is both my job to guide them on their path of learning the art form, but most importantly keep them motivated, interested and inspired to learn. This might mean that on a day where he/she shows up in a bad mood, ill-prepared or complacent that I, the teacher, must first, not take it personally and second, quite possible abandon the planned lesson in favor of another option (such as active music listening/discussion).

Within a group setting, a teacher doesn't have the liberty to provide such personal, one-on-one curriculum as to be able to completely change a days' lesson plan for the sake of one student's needs. Knowing that my goal is inspiration, I always defer to that end. I believe that within every human lies the desire to improve, to add to their knowledge-base. With a well-planned lesson, I can offset challenging theoretical material with physical, movement-based rhythm learning or discuss why a historical event may or may not have influenced a musical piece of the same time.

At the end of the day, what I enjoy is inspiring students of any age to learn, grow, and develop and to leave my class with a sense of excitement and courage to seek out more information on their own.

Program Management Strategies

I primarily work as a guest in all of my teaching roles except for with my private students so I usually have to improvise with the learning settings I am hired to enter into. With a little imagination and good communication with the faculty at the facility, it is pretty easy to work within any environment.

Most of my residency requests are very similar in nature..."Introduction to Flamenco Music/Dance" in some capacity or another. The biggest factor in the success of a residency is the quality of communication with the on-site teacher/staff. As a guest I want to make sure to know what their overall goal is, what their expectations are as far as what their responsibilities will be while I am teaching, if they've had an artist in residency prior and what they enjoyed or didn't care for (why reinvent the wheel?), and many other questions that I like to get feedback on before I enter the classroom for the first time.

Generally with one meeting, we both can get all of the answers we need and discuss what other items need to be worked on prior to my arrival. One of the main organizational aspects that must be determined is whether there will be a final performance piece set and if so, where will it be held? If not in the classroom during school hours, this opens up a long list of different contacts that will have to be made and special permissions granted by parents, etc. etc...I prefer to have a final performance during school hours usually a lunch time program. Much easier!

Because I'm a specialist and because of the length of time in my field, it's not the material or development of a curriculum that is the challenge posed by a potential residency, it is program management that is of utmost importance in creating an ultimately successful residency experience.

Program Description

How do you build a relationship with an audience? Honesty, transparency, confidence in your art form, your knowledge and your ability to communicate what it is you do with whoever might be listening to you.

Program relevance is usually taken care of before my arrival to my performance, lec/dem or residency. I know what the focus of the event will be, whether it be the general music of flamenco, the guitar technique of flamenco, the communication between the musicians and dancers in flamenco, the cultures of Spain and how they contributed to the art of flamenco. Program relevance will be determined before I arrive and then may be "tweaked" after assessing the true nature of the audience on the given day of event.

Age-appropriate activities: I am fortunate to derive my living from an art form that most people I have encountered find exciting, interesting and not at all offensive. I can fairly easily translate every activity to engage most groups, ages and populations. I might use different language to explain a subject or activity and I might spend much less or much more time and be easier or harder on the participants depending on all of the above factors.

Technical Requirements

I can adjust and accommodate to any facility's technical abilities. I certainly can make use of A/V equipment by bringing in DVDs of performances or CDs of artists, but I can also just bring my guitar and play and sing examples.

Space Requirements

My only requirement is that the space be safe and that it be comfortable for the students.

Supply Requirements

I can adjust and accommodate to any facility's/classroom's budget for supplies. I'm self-contained. However, good communication is of utmost importance because if the school would like a finishing concert and would like costumes or flamenco dance shoes, there will need to be a budget for these items.

Special Considerations

Please See above Technical, Space and Supply Requirements...

References

Mary Robert (Arizona State University): 480-965-1208
Nia Maxwell (Fiddler's Dream Coffeehouse): 623-974-8692
Casey Blake (Arizona Commission on the Arts): 602-771-6536

Fees

Please Contact Artist (Negotiable Fee range from $175-$2,500 depending on number of artists, days of residency/performance, and travel)

Educator/Staff Training

I ask for a face-to-face residency discovery session of 1 hour with the participating/primary teacher(s) with further planning session meetings if they are deemed necessary by teacher. I require the teacher/group leader to be present and participate in all of the activities I present. I have also implemented a 5-30 minute daily session with all teachers/leaders involved to discuss the upcoming curricula and provide more in-depth learning opportunities if desired.