2007 marks the year Spanish
guitarist BENISE unveils his Emmy award winning
electrifying multi-cultural stage show NIGHTS
OF FIRE- CUBA!. PBS airs the concert in August.
Backed by a stage full of musicians and elaborately
choreographed dancers, NIGHTS OF FIRE! captures
world music at its best, with a show that
appeals to the hearts and souls of people
of all ages, cultures and musical backgrounds.
NIGHTS OF FIRE – CUBA!
is a hot and Spicy musical journey through
the charming cobblestone streets of Old Havana.
Nuevo Flamenco blends with tropical Afro-Cuban
rhythms, salsa piano, and Havana Horn as we
discover the romanticism of paradise lost…
Cuba!
NIGHTS OF FIRE - CUBA!
an unprecedented and spectacular adventure
through Spanish Flamenco, Cuban Salsa, African
Tribal Rhythms, Argentinean Tango,
and Brazilian Samba, brings a new level of
originality to live performance. As composer,
guitarist and creative force behind the event,
RONI BENISE (pronounced Buh-nes-say) says
the show’s ambition is “to take
people on a musical journey. I wanted to push
the boundaries of traditional Flamenco/Spanish
guitar while combining the elements of dance
and theater. This show is a celebration of
culture--the culmination of all the shows
we’ve done over the last five years.”
Launching nationally on PBS, NIGHTS OF FIRE!
blends BENISE’s innovative vision with
the creative minds of director Amy Tinkham
(Paul McCartney, Dixie Chicks, Madonna, Britney
Spears), Brazilian-born choreographer Alex
Magno (Madonna, Ballet Hispanico, Academy
Awards), and costume designer Erin “Topaz”
Laurue (Blossom, Grounded for Life and The
Tonight Show with Jay Leno), whose breathtaking,
couture costume design for NIGHTS OF FIRE!
won a 2006 Emmy Award® for Outstanding
Costumes for a Variety or Music Program, above
fellow-nominee Dancing with the Stars. BENISE
reports that “the response from people
all over the country has been overwhelming.”
Throughout NIGHTS OF FIRE - CUBA!, the traditions
of music and dance are reinvented by BENISE’s
25 performers on a lavishly decorated stage.
Backing BENISE as he visits Spanish Flamenco,
Cuban Salsa and Brazilian Samba are world-class
musicians, a Havana Horn section and a 10-piece
orchestra that supports the bold and beautifully
arranged ballads.
The 12 dancers in NIGHTS OF FIRE -CUBA! were
carefully handpicked from a global pool of
some of the most brilliantly diverse talent
to be found. Traditional Flamenco dancers,
De La Guarda performers, Broadway performers,
and soloists previously featured with the
likes of Madonna, Gloria Estefan, and Ricky
Martin have all joined forces to make up BENISE’s
female dancers, “The Gitanas.”
Breathtaking couture fashion and innovative
staging and choreography give Spanish dance
a fresh and luminous makeover.
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Since the age of eleven (when
he received his first guitar), BENISE practiced
relentlessly, completely self-taught, mastering
a variety of different styles that were eventually
to become his own unique sound. Though unable
to read a single note, he began composing original
works with powerfully emotional arrangements
that are both wild and refined, producing a
sound that is as edgy and exotic as it is romantic
and sensual. “I’m always inspired
by places I’ve traveled,” says BENISE,
“so I’ll try to capture the essence
and beauty of the different places in my melodies.
It’s truly like painting on air--creating
colors and lush soundscapes that take people
(and me) away to a safe place with no prejudice
and no boundaries.”
Leaving his family and friends to move 1500
hundred miles away from home to Los Angeles
with nothing more than his guitar, he held in
his heart the encouragement from his parents
to “work hard and have faith.”
After being turned down by almost every club
in Los Angeles, BENISE started performing on
the streets. It was not uncommon for BENISE
to put on over 200 shows a year, sometimes playing
2 to 3 events in a single day. Tourists from
around the world and native Angelinos alike
took to BENISE like the “Pied Piper”
of Spanish guitar. From there, the path of his
music took on a life of its own, effortlessly
opening doors along the way to attract musicians,
dancers and cirque performers, eventually creating
the extended family that is now known simply
as his namesake, “BENISE.”
BENISE started to promote his own concerts,
selling out 2,000 seat theaters through Southern
California. A natural performer, BENISE held
audiences captive with exotic drums, Gypsy violin,
Flamenco dancers, Cirque performers, Brazilian
Samba dancers and percussionists, African tribal
drummers, Havana horns, and brilliant theatrical
lighting work together to create and unforgettable
experience.
“This is a great show for the whole family;
I really think we have something for everyone,”
comments BENISE. “I hope people will be
inspired--by our story, by the music, by the
production--and have the passion to follow their
own dreams.” Looking ahead to future tour
dates, BENISE adds, “I can’t wait
to travel to new cities, meet new people, and
play every night--it’s what I live for.”
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