Flamenco dancer and choreographer Veronica Maguire is feeling extremely happy these days, notwithstanding a pandemic that has delivered a devastating blow to live entertainment during the past 19 months.

That’s because her Victoria-based company, Alma de España Flamenco, is getting ready for its first full-length theatrical production since COVID-19 emerged in Canada. It’s called Familia, which seems appropriate, given that her son, Gareth Owen, plays guitar and his wife, Denise Yeo, will be dancing with her.

Other than a very small show in a seniors residence in Victoria, this upcoming performance at the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival is the first time that Alma de España Flamenco will be in front of an audience since March of 2020. It will also be available through a livestream for those still uncomfortable about attending theatres.

“This will be a real treat for us,” Maguire told the Straight by phone from Victoria. “Preparing for this show has been a godsend for us, really.”

Maguire has been operating the Alma de España Flamenco school in Victoria for nearly 30 years. One of its faculty members, Amity Skala, will be dancing in the show, which will also feature legendary Vancouver flamenco singer Oscar Nieto.

“I’ve got a full cast,” Maguire said with satisfaction. “Oscar is doing some wonderful things with the show. He’s going to be singing a special piece that I’ve done with him in the past.”

She readily acknowledged that the pandemic has been really rough on her, and not only because it has deprived her of opportunities to choreograph and dance in front of audiences. It’s also had an impact on her as a flamenco instructor.

This folkloric music and dance, which blossomed in southern Spain in the 19th century, is highly interactive. The “cuadro” form involves hand-clapping (also known as palmas), dancing, guitar work, and singing all coming together in a communal atmosphere.

“Flamenco is so people-oriented; it’s totally interactive,” Maguire said.

She resorted to teaching flamenco on Zoom, and she’s pleased that a handful of very dedicated students stuck with her.

“I didn’t know what I would have done without them,” Maguire said. “It kept me going. But it was hard to actually get the flamenco going on Zoom.

“Now we’re in class, it feels so much better,” she continued. “I taught a couple of classes today. Everyone is so happy. So happy.”

Maguire never knew that she would become so enamoured with flamenco when she was studying dance at Ryerson University. It was only after she attended York University that she began embracing this art form, in part because she could pick up the choreography very quickly. She joined the Paula Moreno Spanish Dance Company in Toronto and has maintained her love of flamenco ever since.

In 1985, Maguire met her husband, guitarist Harry Owen, who was from Vancouver. Their son Gareth was born in Toronto, and the family moved to Victoria in 1990, where they founded Alma de España Flamenco.

Harry Owen was an outstanding flamenco guitarist and devoted instructor who died in 2010. His passion for this music lives on through his son Gareth, who now has several students, including 24-year-old flamenco guitar sensation Iminah Kani. She performed at the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival earlier this month.

Maguire said that she’s very proud of her son, who also plays traditional flamenco music, like his dad.

“Some of the stuff he’s done is his own interpretation as well,” she stated. “A lot of it is based on traditional melodies and he has also put in his own flair.”

Her daughter-in-law, Yeo, is no slouch either. Not only is she on the faculty of the family’s dance company and school, but she has also trained with many international flamenco artists. In 2017, Yeo cofounded Palabra Flamenco, which integrates traditional flamenco with English-language poetry and storytelling. Her show, La Palabra en el Tiempo, appeared at several fringe festivals, including Vancouver’s. At the school, she teaches choreography and palmas.

According to Maguire, flamenco is an art form that attracts a wide variety of people—and they’re no longer just the Roma people and Spaniards living in Andalusia, where it became so popular more than a century ago.

“We are the foreigners of flamenco,” Maguire quipped. “And we are the ones who keep flamenco alive!”