Agustin Gurza. Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, Calif.: Apr 8, 2004.
Copyright (c) 2004 Los Angeles Times)

MORE than three decades ago, Latino entertainment in Los Angeles started a steady march out of its cultural ghetto. Mariachi stars moved from the Million Dollar Theater on scruffy downtown Broadway to the Universal Amphitheatre. Top salsa bands graduated from dances in hotel ballrooms to showcases at the Hollywood Bowl.

For music lovers with sufficient drive and gasoline, it's possible in a single week in Southern California to hear flamenco in Riverside, Spanish rock in Anaheim, norteno music in Pico Rivera, a female mariachi near Universal City and a great New York salsa band in Alhambra.

So come along, and bring your dancing shoes.

Ferrari of flamenco

In Spain, the so-called tablaos that feature flamenco dinner shows are often packed with American tourists. After those from Southern California come home, many head to Riverside's Cafe Sevilla for a nostalgic reminder of carefree nights of passion and sangria.

This is one of the happening nightspots in the Inland Empire, with a Lamborghini, Ferrari and yellow Humvee in the parking lot testifying to the affluence of the clientele. The tab for the show and a three-course paella dinner topped $200 on a recent Saturday.

"We're so glad you're here this evening to experience flamenco -- not flamingo!" says dancer Linda Andrade, director of the house ensemble named Sakai Flamenco (Flamenco Eyes). "Feel free to shout out if anyone does anything to excite you."



The crowd did just that for a powerful young dancer named Artoro Nazarri sporting a ponytail, a goatee and an earring. But don't let the gypsy look fool you. He's Persian. Women swoon when he soon sheds his coat to reveal a muscular torso in a sleeveless tank top. But the sexy gimmick also allows viewers to appreciate how much control this dance requires, even when moves are soft and slow.

From their table next to the stage, Sam Zawahra, 32, and his date, Yara Alves, 24, appreciated the subtleties of a dance known for its flashy footwork and dramatic poses.

"I'm amazed there's so much physical ability involved," says Alves, a high school PE instructor. "They're so quick with their legs and their upper bodies are so calm."

Zawahra, who works on race cars in Rancho Cucamonga, is most impressed by the location of the club, which he considers perfect for a romantic date.

"Nothing against Riverside," he says, "but it's a surprise."

This night, guest performers include Juan Talavera, one of the busiest and best-known flamenco instructors in Southern California. Talavera, with his curly graying hair, doesn't have the sheer power of his younger counterpart. But with his long, lean profile, he makes up for it in grace and elegance.

Talavera has so much quiet command that he's able to win the attention of the house even after a break to celebrate various birthdays, anniversaries, engagements and graduations, with sparklers instead of candles brought to the tables. He quieted the buzz in the 120-seat room, not with loud and flashy footwork, but with concentration and feeling.

The club, which also features tango and salsa shows on different nights, has coved ceilings, arches and one wall covered with surreal imitations of Dali and Picasso, all done in good fun and fluorescent paint that glows in the dark. The attached restaurant and tapas bar occupy a restored part of a train station.

The Sevilla has two other locations, in San Diego and Carlsbad, and plans to open a fourth this year on Pine Street in Long Beach, across from Alegria, another, much more cramped flamenco nightspot.

"We love the place," said Sevilla regular Gary Gies of Redlands, a retired Air Force officer who spent four years based in Spain and dared to get up on stage to dance. "It's like going to Spain all over again."

For comments or questions, please email us at sevilla@cafesevilla.com

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