Tag archives: flamenco

Firing up for, and Figuring out, Fiesta
By Steven Libowitz   |   August 4, 2026

Time was that many Montecitans were among those notorious for avoiding downtown during the first week of August, eschewing Fiesta altogether, which maybe happened once the celebration stopped having events in Montecito back in the 1980s. Now, Fiesta is making a foray directly back into the village, with a pre-festival event on Coast Village Road […]

The Sound of Flamenco
By Richard Mineards   |   December 19, 2023

Fiesta may be long over, but flamenco enthusiasts thronged to the Lobero for dancer Maria Bermudez’ Sonidos Gitanos, a 90-minute show showcasing the art of flamenco. Santa Barbara-based Bermudez, who was named an official Flamenco Ambassador by her hometown of Jerez de La Frontera in 2022, has promoted the dance art for more than 30 […]

The Flamenco Flair
By Steven Libowitz   |   November 28, 2023

Maria Bermudez has a metaphor she likes to employ to describe flamenco – what for her has been a lifelong passion and something hard to describe. “The beauty of flamenco is that it’s like a very big fan,” she said. “When you open a fan, it’s got all those ridges that are all equal. And […]

The Grand Return of Opera SB
By Steven Libowitz   |   June 7, 2022

Grand opera is returning to the Granada Theatre. After Opera Santa Barbara’s (OSB) two-plus years filled with ways to creatively cope with the COVID pandemic that ranged from virtual performances, to two Concerts in Your Car outdoor staged adaptations (that included, appropriately, a version of Carmen) and a season of smaller, shorter one-acts, reworkings, and […]

Full Fiesta in 2022
By Lynda Millner   |   May 10, 2022

Old Spanish Days (OSD) is in its 98th year, and this year after the pandemic OSD is back in all its glory – flamenco, flowers, mercados, horses, and a parade with a new route. It will run the length of Cabrillo Boulevard from the traditional parade start at Castillo Street to the Hilton Hotel. Participants […]

Ministry of Culture
By Lynda Millner   |   April 12, 2022

Spain’s Ministry of Culture department paid a visit to Santa Barbara recently headed up by the Counsel General of Spain Juan Carlos Sanchez Alonso. They were here by the Mission steps along with our Fiesta Spirit Ysabella Yturralde and a tapas truck with loads of Spanish ham. Spirit Ysabella just returned from Jerez, Spain. The […]

Catching Some Fiesta Fever
By Richard Mineards   |   August 12, 2021

Fiesta fever was palpable at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum when Tablao Museo, an energized flamenco show for 230 guests, took place under the stars. The pulsating event on a sultry summer night was organized by museum director Dacia Harwood and featured musicians and dancers from our Eden by the Beach to Spain who shared […]

Juggling Fest
By Steven Libowitz   |   May 9, 2019

For more than four decades, the Isla Vista Juggling Festival has had to – pardon the expression – keep a lot of balls in the air in order to produce the annual event that began in 1977. Rumor has it that the IV weekend extravaganza is the longest running jugglers festival held at a single […]