« Femmenco »
On 24 April at 9:00 pm, as part of the Flamenco Nómada Festival and in partnership with the jazz club One More Time (AGMJ), Melodie Gimard presents Femmenco, a concert that brings together flamenco, jazz and female creativity. The French-Spanish pianist unveils her compositions in a universe where improvisation plays a central role, accompanied by double bassist Gal Maestro, singer Anna Colom and percussionist Nasrine Rahmani.
On this occasion, guest artist Karen Lugo, internationally renowned dancer and co-artistic director of the 2026 edition of the festival, will join the group for a vibrant performance that blends power, freedom and dialogue between music and dance.
Femmenco celebrates the strength of women in contemporary flamenco and offers a unique musical encounter.
Piano Mélodie Gimard
Double Bass Gal Maestro
Vocals Anna Colom
Percussion Nasrine Rahmani
Dance Karen Lugo
Location Centre de Musiques Actuelles (CHAUDRON)
Date vendredi 24 avril
Time 9:00 PM
Address Passage de Marie-Claude Leburgue 2, 1205 Genève
Full price: 23.-
Concert in partnership with AGMJ
Laura Gabay (Geneva, 1987) is a Swiss-Andalusian-Uruguayan director, screenwriter and producer. Since 2018, she has been producing within the collective Ecran Mobile and leading film workshops that foster creation and the transmission of audiovisual practices. Her first feature-length film Para No Olvidar (2023, documentary), which explores family history and exile through analogue archives, had its world premiere at Visions du Réel. In 2019, her short film Viento dulce salado (2019) was selected at Visions du Réel and at IDFA, among others. Her short film Enquête 62 (2016, short film) received the Audience Award at the Filmets Festival in Badalona. Laura Gabay’s work is characterised by an intimate and poetic approach to documentary, blending archives with contemporary creation.
Paloma Zapata (Murcia, 1979) is a Spanish director, screenwriter and producer, specialising in musical documentaries and hybrid languages that blend fiction and reality. A graduate in Fine Arts and holder of a Master’s degree in Creative Documentary, she founded the production company La Fábrica Naranja in 2008, distinguishing herself in the creation of music videos and audiovisual projects.
Among her films: Casamance, la banda sonora de un viaje (2017), Peret: yo soy la rumba (2019), and her most international work, «La Singla» (2023), which tells the story of the deaf bailaora Antonia Singla. This film, acclaimed by critics and awarded the Feroz Arrebato Prize for Non-Fiction, highlights the resilience and strength of women in flamenco.
Puchero is a flamenco guitarist and composer with an international career. He has performed on numerous stages across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, in countries such as China, Germany, Croatia, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Italy and Switzerland. He has also taken part in several prestigious festivals, including the Festival Off de Jerez, the Festival Flora at the Mosque of Córdoba, the Festival de Cajón in Barcelona, the Ciutat Flamenca Festival and the Mediterránea Festival in Switzerland.
He currently leads the project Gloria Bendita, bringing together singers Miguel Lavi and David el Galli, percussionist Perico Navarro and dancer Dani Navarro. The entire repertoire of the group is composed by Puchero, reflecting his personal vision of contemporary flamenco. He is also the author of the album Bordón Flamenco, featuring collaborations with Israel Fernández, La Fabi, Juaneque and Manuel Zambullo.
Anna Colom was born in Barcelona in 1985. She is a musician, cantaora (flamenco singer), composer and arranger. She holds a degree in Flamenco Singing from the Escola Superior de Música de Catalunya (ESMUC) and trained at the Fundación Cristina Heeren de Arte Flamenco in Seville.
Colom has performed widely on stages including tablaos and theatres in Barcelona, Madrid and across Andalusia. She has also toured in more than ten countries, among them the United States, China, New Zealand, Mexico, Argentina and Switzerland.
Her project Cayana explores the intersections between flamenco and diverse rhythms and folk traditions from around the world — Brazilian samba, Uruguayan candombe, Mexican fandango, Argentine zamba — offering an inventive and sensitive vision of flamenco singing.
She has collaborated with a range of artists and projects, and was a backing vocalist on Rosalía’s El Mal Querer tour.
Beatriz Morales is a bailaora and choreographer born in Jerez de la Frontera (province of Cádiz) in 1984. She began dancing at the age of four and went on to train in flamenco, ballet and Spanish classical dance. She graduated from the Sociedad de Baile and later refined her skills in Seville under masters such as Manuel Betanzos (a former student of Manolo Marín), while also undertaking intensive courses with leading figures of flamenco.
Professionally, she started performing in renowned tablaos early in her career — for example at El Cortijo in Stuttgart with Antonio Amador in 2004. She has also appeared in emblematic venues in Jerez and Seville such as Laga del Tío Parrilla and Los Gallos. In 2010 she founded her own company. Morales is equally recognised as a teacher and trainer, having begun to teach at the age of 13. Her style is described as distinctly personal, imbued with the flamencura of Jerez, with critics highlighting her “personality” and “unique flamencura”.
Among her notable productions are: Flamenca, Flamenca, Flamenca (2012), Hembra Alpha (2019), and Flamenco Sin Sulfitos in collaboration with Agujetas Chico (2022).
José Ruiz “Bandolero” is a flamenco percussionist who began his career at a very young age, accompanying major dance figures such as Antonio Canales, Joaquín Cortés, Joaquín Grilo, Javier Barón, Manuela Vargas, Merche Esmeralda, Sara Baras, Farru, and José Maya.
He was part of Joaquín Cortés’s company in several shows, touring the world’s most prestigious stages, including Radio City Music Hall (New York), Royal Albert Hall (London), and the Opera House (Sydney). In 2002, he founded, together with Ramón Porrinas, the group “Echegaray”, the first flamenco percussion ensemble, which released the album *Calle Echegaray*.
Throughout his career, Bandolero has played with renowned flamenco artists such as Enrique Morente, Tomatito, Vicente Amigo, and Pepe Habichuela. He has also collaborated with musicians blending other styles with flamenco, including Antonio Serrano, Chano Domínguez, Jorge Pardo, Tino di Geraldo, Larry Coryell, Carles Benavent, Rubem Dantas, Dave Holland, Pat Metheny, La Barbería del Sur, Ketama, and Niña Pastori.
Josemi Carmona is a versatile musician and a key figure in understanding the fusion of flamenco with world music. The son of master guitarist Pepe Habichuela, he began his career at a young age, standing out for the delicacy of his melodies and his blending of flamenco with jazz, salsa, bossa nova, and even Mandinka music.
At the age of 14, he joined Ketama, a group that became a benchmark in flamenco fusion, acclaimed by both critics and audiences. After 20 years with Ketama, Josemi Carmona sought his essence as a solo guitarist. He recorded “Sumando” with Carles Benavent, “Hands” with Pepe Habichuela and Dave Holland, and later released “Las Pequeñas Cosas”, nominated for the 2011 Latin Grammy Award for Best Flamenco Album. In 2016, with Javier Colina and Bandolero, he presented “De Cerca”, followed by “De Cerca en Directo” in 2017. In 2022, he released “VIDA”.
Karime Amaya, est une danseuse flamenco née au Mexique, et la petite-nièce de la légendaire danseuse Carmen Amaya. Elle fait ses débuts à l’âge de neuf ans avec ses parents, la danseuse Mercedes Amaya “La Winy” et le guitariste Santiago Aguilar.
Elle remporte le Prix de la Révélation au Festival de Jerez et est la protagoniste du documentaire “Bajarí”, nominé aux prix Gaudí et Goya. Karime a participé à de grands festivals internationaux, notamment Mont-de-Marsan, Jerez et Albuquerque.
Elle a collaboré avec des artistes flamenco de renom tels qu’Antonio Canales, Juan de Juan et Farruquito. En 2012, elle présente son spectacle “Desde la Orilla” au Festival de Jerez et se produit ensuite en Europe et au Japon. Karime a également dansé dans des tablaos prestigieux tels que El Cordobés, Casa Patas, Las Carboneras et Gitanerías au Mexique.
Aujourd’hui, elle continue de tourner à l’international, mettant en avant sa danse flamenco puissante.
Antonio Serrano is a harmonica virtuoso and a pioneer in introducing the harmonica into flamenco. His collaboration with Paco de Lucía’s group (2004–2014) marked a major turning point in his career. Beyond flamenco, he explores many other musical genres, such as jazz, classical music, tango, and pop, collaborating with internationally renowned artists.
Among his accolades are a Latin Grammy (2015), the Masters of Mediterranean Music in Flamenco Jazz from Berklee (2014), the Bernie Bray Award from SPAH (2020), and the San Javier International Jazz Festival Prize (2024). As a soloist, he has performed with orchestras around the world and has notably created original works for harmonica.
He is also a passionate teacher, giving lessons at European conservatoires and at Berklee College of Music. His albums, such as *Harmonious*, *Tootsology*, and *Bach & ‘Bach’*, have been widely praised by critics. In 2021, he was acclaimed by music critic Luis Gago of *El País* as one of the great geniuses of Spanish music.
José Carmona “Rapico”, a dancer born in Palma de Mallorca, believes that dance is his truest form of expression. From childhood, his grandmother would sing him Soleás, sparking his love for flamenco. He began dancing at the age of 3. His mentors have included renowned artists such as Antonio Canales, Farruquito, José Maya, and Alfonso Losa. His dynamic personality has led him to create several original shows. His most recent works, “Rapikeando” and “Errante”, were successfully presented at the Teatro Real and the prestigious Flamenco Festival of Torrelodones, along with his latest piece “Tabernero”, performed at Madrid’s Suma Flamenca.
