The Doña Ana Arts Council proudly kicks off its 2015/2016 Performance Season at the Rio Grande Theatre with the return of the international ensemble hailing from El Paso and Juarez, Euterpe. Having wowed audiences with excerpts of their Viva El Flamenco show at this year’s Las Cruces Arts Fair, Euterpe’s four-piece ensemble will perform the entire production on stage, as it was intended. Performing with the ensemble, and guaranteed to delight the audience, will be invited guest from the “Amor de Dios” flamenco school in Madrid, Spain, dancer Aly Almanza “La Catalana”. Euterpe will bring the flavors of the Borderlands to the Rio Grande Theatre, Saturday, October 3, 2015, at 7:30 pm.
Euterpe is the first of five shows that make up the new and unique “New Mexico Heritage Series” that reflects the Native American, Hispanic and Western influences of our culture in southern New Mexico. The series is sponsored by Heritage Hotels and Resorts, and the Rio Grande Theatre’s cultural partner, Hotel Encanto de Las Cruces. In addition to Euterpe, the series includes Feliz Navidad! Christmas in Song and Dance, co-produced by the Arts Council and Bellas Artes, Native American Singer/Dancer Robert Mirabal, Country Western singer Josh Grider, and a revival of the one-woman show by Irene Oliver Lewis, Dichos de Mi Madre.
Euterpe began in 1996 as a guitar duo in Ciudad Juarez, and is now a full-fledged ensemble made up of guitarists Alvaro Najera, Hiram Acosta and Luis Felipe “Timmy” Garcia along with percussionist Francisco Ortega. An avid Greek mythology enthusiast, Alvaro chose the muse of music, “Euterpe”, to exemplify the wide range of genres that make up the group’s musical journey. Included in those musical influences are Classical, Flamenco, Jazz, Contemporary, Baroque and Middle Eastern stylings. Today, Euterpe has become a beacon for musical fusion with Flamenco as the pivotal point of the concept, thus creating a peculiar musical craftsmanship all their own, which they refer to as “Kairos” style guitar.
The Rio Grande Theatre is located at 211 N. Main Street, in Las Cruces. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the performance begins at 7:30 p.m. Reserved seat tickets are $10 balcony and $20 main floor. Reserved seat tickets may be purchased on line via the website at www.RioGrandeTheatre.com, at the Rio Grande Theatre box office, on the second floor of the theater, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or by phone 575-523-6403. For more information visit the website or call (575) 523-6403.