“Why flamenco?!”

That’s a fair question to ask an Italian-born dancer and performer who’s dedicated her life to teaching Spanish Dance in Chicago…

The simple and truthful answer to that question is that life has a way of surprising you: I never forgot the first time I heard the sound of flamenco guitar, and after many years and countless trips to Seville to find out what this Andalusian art form was all about, I opened Studio Mangiameli as a way to process and pass on everything I’d learned.

This year my dance studio turns five, a small but significant milestone that marks our tremendous growth and recognition in Logan Square’s thriving neighborhood; an anniversary that we are celebrating with Love Song, our biggest dance concert to date. 

A Través Del Espejo, Through The Mirror – Show Montage from Studio Mangiameli on Vimeo.

In our upcoming show, inspired by the poetry of T.S Eliot, we see a woman reminiscing and confronting various emotional stages in her life through the dances and songs, interpreted by the fifty plus student dancers that make up Studio Mangiameli’s ensemble, from the newest beginner to the most advanced.

Love Song is ultimately a celebration of dance as an instrument that brings us closer to our own humanity and vulnerability. It is about allowing music and poetry to change the way we look at ourselves and the world around us; it is also, perhaps, a reminder to remain open to the possibilities so that life can once again, surprise us.

Love Song runs May 13th and 14th at 7:30pm, and May 15th at 3:30pm at the Vittum Theater. More info and tickets here: http://www.studiomangiameli.com/#!love-song/c1lf0