Mexico born, Karen Lugo discovered Flamenco at the age of 12, and “fell in love”. At 17, she decided to move to Spain. Today, 11 years later, her name leads the list of dancers credited with both evolving and preserving the Spanish dance form.
Lugo is no stranger to fusion, completely aware of the magical results it can produce. Four years ago, Lugo had collaborated with Rajasthani artistes for Flamenco Roots, a festival organised by CRN Productions. She was also part of the line up last year for the first edition of the JFG festival. This year, she was once again part of the Jodhpur Flamenco and Gypsy Festival, her performances including both solo acts as well as collaborations with Indian musicians and dancers. Lugo feels that there are many clear similarities between Spanish and Indian culture. “It’s so evident that Flamenco comes from here,” she says, adding that gypsies from the world over share a common heritage. “Flamenco is more evolved and comes from one of the last points on the globe that the gypsies reached.”
The highlight, of course, was her fluid and arresting performance with the Kalbeliya dancers. “I could find similarities between our dance forms, especially in the hand and hip movement. So I tried to see what she did and followed her, introducing the movements to my style.” Lugo maintains that she is already a bit of a fusion herself. “I’m not from Spain, I’m from Mexico. So I’m an outsider. I’m open to adapting and evolving my dance and style. I like learning and observing other dances.” She has been especially taken by Odissi.
“I really loved the dance; its eye movements and the mudras. They are perfect.”
Credited today with adding a modern flavour to Flamenco, Lugo keeps herself open to changes. “I love to travel and each place I go, I really look to learn and evolve and understand the culture. Over the years as a whole, I’ve evolved as both an artist and a person.” She began, though, with traditional Flamenco. “You have some Flamenco schools in Mexico. My mother used to dance too. So when I was four, she put me in dance school. I started with ballet and other things, and then, when I was around 12, I discovered Flamenco. Not professional, but proper, traditional Flamenco. And for some time, I kept doing that.” Lugo adds that today, Flamenco has all kinds of practitioners. “There are people who want to keep it pure. And then there are people who look back to the traditional form, take some details and use it with modern elements.” Lugo does add that a dance form continues to evolve anyway. “Flamenco as we know now has been like this for maybe 50 years. Before that, it was different, for maybe 100 years, and then before that it was different again.”
Winner of numerous awards and recognitions, Lugo has performed in several countries across the world. “Flamenco survives now thanks to the world.” Countless festivals and performance in England, Germany, France, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Canada and many other countries ensures that the passion for Flamenco is no longer restricted to its place of origin. Not everywhere though is there a chance or possibility of a collaboration. “You don’t find common threads everywhere. So far, some of the dance forms I’ve collaborated with are hiphop, contemporary and breakdance.”
Flamenco does remain popular in Spain too. Off late, it has also garnered more support from the government. “The Spanish Government is providing more scholarships and support for Flamenco dancers, especially in Andalusia. You have scholarships and support there, but specially for Spanish people from Andalusia. That’s very tight, isn’t it?”
