Juanfe Pérez: Prohibido el toque x Karen Lugo
Saturday, December 28th, 2024, at 20:00
Club of Cankarjev dom
Juanfe Pérez, electric bass
Karen Lugo, dance
Alicia Morales, vocals
Kike Terrón, percussion
This final event of the year’s cycle features a project by Juanfe Pérez, a flamenco bassist, guitarist, composer, and producer nominated for a 2023 Latin Grammy. Prohibido el toque unveils stunning soundscapes that take listeners from subtle, gentle melodies to the ecstasy of avant-garde contemporary flamenco. Juanfe Pérez combines heartfelt creation with deliberate craftsmanship — his music leaves nothing to chance. He respects tradition while passionately advancing into modernity, seeking authenticity and natural artistry through masterful improvisation. At Cankarjev dom, his stellar team, including vocalist Alicia Morales and percussionist Kike Terrón, will be joined by Karen Lugo, one of the world’s most renowned contemporary flamenco dancers.
Juanfe Pérez studied classical guitar at the Javier Perianes Conservatory in Huelva, flamenco guitar at the Superior Conservatory Rafael Orozco in Córdoba, and world music at Codarts DMWC in Rotterdam. His curiosity led him from guitar to bass to deepen his exploration of this instrument within flamenco. He developed his own language and technique, which he encapsulated in his first album, Prohibido el Toque, where he composed, arranged, and produced all tracks.
As a producer and arranger, Pérez has also worked on award-winning albums such as Mar de Cobre by singer Cristine Soler and Ser de Luz by flutist Sergio de Lope. He has composed music for numerous dance performances by companies like Cía Olga Pericet, Cía Rafaela Carrasco, Cía Sara Calero, and Cía Ana Pastrana.
His artistic journey unfolds on stages worldwide with renowned performers such as Farruquito, Diego Amador, Duquende, Rosario la Tremendita, Jorge Pardo, Montse Cortés, Olga Pericet, Belén López, José Manuel León, Raul Rodríguez, Çenc Erdogan, Jose Antonio Rodríguez, Javier Ruibal, Antílopez, Diego Guerrero, Canteca de Macao, Antonio Mesa, Juan Pérez, Sergio de Lope, Alfonso Aroca, Antonio Lizana, Karen Lugo, Robertinho Silva, Daniel Navarro, El Junco, Eduardo Trassierra, Mario Díaz, Manuel Malou, and others.
Karen Lugo is a Mexican dancer known for her creative restlessness and innovation. She has performed as a soloist at the Festival de Jerez, the Sangre Nueva Jóvenes Flamencos Festival at Teatro Español in Madrid, the Flamencos y Mestizos series by the SGAE Foundation, the Flamenco Ibérica Contemporánea Festival, the Concierta Independencia series at Lunario del Auditorio Nacional in Mexico City, the Flamenco Festival in Vancouver, the Flamenco Festival in Montreal, the Flamenco Festival Ciudad de Jaén, the Flamenco Madrid Festival, and the Flamenco de Saintes Festival, among many others. In collaboration with the Casa Patas Flamenco Foundation, she premiered three performances: Flamencura, Flamenco Territorio DeMente and Flamenco Frequencies, with tours in the Middle East and the United States. As a choreographer, she has received several awards, including Best Choreography at the Spring Film Festival in Barcelona, First Prize for Flamenco Dance at the International Festival in Almería, First Prize for Choreography at the Contemporary Flamenco Festival in Finland, and Third Prize for Choreography at the XVII Certamen de Danza Española y Flamenco in Madrid. Under the direction of Javier Latorre, she participated in Carlos Saura’s film Flamenco Flamenco and in the performances FLAMENCONAUTAS and Lorca x Bach. Her latest performance, titled Golpe de Tierra, was nominated for the Premis de la Crítica d’Arts Escèniques award for Best Solo Performance. She is currently collaborating as a choreographer and performer in the productions Caminos by Juana Gómez Chicuela, Cant Espiritual by Carlos Denia, CAYANA by Anna Colom, El Amir Ensemble by Amir Haddad, and Por Bach (GEMA 2020 Innovation Award) with the Hippocampus group featuring Jorge Pardo.
The Noches de Tablao series is supported by the City Municipality of Ljubljana and Riko. The event is supported by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain.
