posted by
Helen Kelley on September 22, 2011 08:16
By day, Eastwood resident Lonnie Chu can be found teaching Spanish to students at Onondaga Community College, but at night, she is sharing a part of Spain that she loves with audiences across Central New York.
Chu is the manager of Puente Flamenco, a local musical group that performs Spain’s unique and challenging flamenco style of song and dance to delighted crowds at Laci’s Tapas Bar, Zabroso Restaurant in Oneida, and other local venues.
“You never get bored singing, dancing or playing flamenco,” Chu said. “It is very complicated, and takes years upon years to really master. Part of the joy of flamenco is that we’re always learning.”
The area’s only flamenco group looks forward to performing at VOICES, a fundraising event for the Hiscock Legal Aid Society and Everson Museum of Art that celebrates the act of finding one’s voice, whether through art or legal advocacy.
The event will be held on October 6, 2011 at the Everson Museum of Art, 401 Harrison Street, Syracuse, from 5:30-8:30p.m.
“Performing at VOICES is one of those dream come true moments for us,” Chu said. “It is an opportunity to be at an event that benefits our community, and to play our music in the museum’s challenging acoustic surroundings. We look forward to sharing our music with people who perhaps haven’t had a chance to hear us play yet, and help them learn more about another culture.”
Puente Flamenco has been together now for two years. Chu’s husband, David Chu, is the guitarist of the group and played jazz and pop for nearly 20 years before switching to flamenco over ten years ago. He is self-employed as a web developer.
Marisa Guzman performs as a flamenco dancer and has been a part of the Central New York dance community for many years. Her husband, David Colegrove, is the group’s percussionist, with a special talent for the cajón. The group also includes two of Guzman's advanced students, Joan Dear-Houseman and Anna Rupert.
“These are the nicest people I have ever worked with,” said Chu who sings and plays “palmas” which is a type of rhythmic clapping. “The people in this troupe are of the highest caliber and a joy to work with.”
While Chu originally studied music in college, she later switched to Spanish. She holds a master’s degree in linguistics from Syracuse University and a bachelor’s degree in Spanish from LeMoyne, and has been teaching Spanish at Onondaga Community College and previously Syracuse University for over 20 years. She has lived in Spain at various times in her life.
One of the joys Chu has in teaching is the opportunity to share her passion for flamenco with her students. It would not be surprising to see her teaching a flamenco 12-beat rhythm or showing them how to use the castanets.
To learn more about Puente Flamenco, visit www.spainsyracuse.com.
VOICES offers an opportunity for guests to support two organizations that encourage and promote expression. Admission is $125 per person. Reservations are required. For more information and to purchase tickets visit www.everson.org/visit/tickets.php.