POLKA DOT ALLEY
2015 American film
Theatrical release poster
Polka Dot Alley Film Poster. A dancer watching other dancers during Fiesta. Photograph by Christine Mallet, copyright 2024 Windless Chimes Productions
TRILOGY SYNOPSIS
Part One: Dreams and Dedication (runtime: 94 minutes)
The Red and Blue Shoes – Part one of the trilogy focuses on eleven year old Talia, 2009 Jr. Spirit of Fiesta; a young yet experienced performer who becomes a role model to Santa Barbara’s up-and-coming younger dancers: Anais, Jesalyn, Olivia and Talia’s younger sister, Tatum, all striving for the 2010 title. Fulfilling her teacher’s and family’s expectations, Talia’s passion for flamenco is revealed throughout the film. A fine-cut of The Red and Blue Shoes previewed at the Lobero Theatre on July 23, 2014.
Part Two: Hopes and Determination (runtime: 94 minutes)
La Mariposa Blanca “The White Butterfly” – Leading the Children’s Parade, eleven year old Anais is carrying on a strong family tradition by winning the coveted Jr. Spirit of Fiesta title just as her mother did 40 years earlier. Will Anais be passing the sash to her friend and Jr. Spirit runner-up Jesalyn?
Ever Present throughout the film are the community values that shine brightly through the dancers, their families and a network of talented flamenco choreographers collaborating with musicians in the varying traditions of flamenco to make the celebration of Fiesta come alive every summer in the city of Santa Barbara.
Part Three: Struggles and Transformation (runtime: 94 minutes)
En La Noche De La Luna LLena “On the Night of the Full Moon” – Performing a flawless Bulerias on her third and final tryout, Jesalyn’s dreams are shattered by an Old Spanish Days committee decision to allow two over-aged 12 year olds to compete. What ensues is a heart warming story of an outraged dance community and how the girls work it out. A 62 minute version of En La Noche De La Luna LLena re-titled The Third Audition was edited for broadcast television.
Experience the rehearsals, the solo and group performances, stroll along with the dancers from gardens to courtyards to plazas and paseos reminiscent of the city culminating in La Fiesta Pequeña, an unforgettable evening on the steps of Old Santa Barbara Mission.
STORY and PRODUCTION
In a 2010 interview with the Santa Barbara Independent, Linda Vega explained, “The goal is [to dance] live.” “Everything in flamenco is based on that. The goal that I have — even for the three-year-olds — is to eventually dance to live music. For me, as a dancer, what I enjoy is the improvisation, when neither the dancer nor the musicians know what the other is going to do. It’s very exciting.”
Linda’s celebrated versatility as a choreographer and generosity as a teacher are revealed as she tirelessly works to prepare her dancers weeks before performance — shopping for treasured polka dot fabric, designing yet another season of flamboyant costumes, and, in the studio, modeling the subtleties of flirtation and panache so typical of flamenco. Remarkable for its improvisational style, the film takes the viewer behind the scenes as Linda’s choreography and step by step interpretations of the compás (rhythmic beat) eventually transform experimental studio work to evocative on stage eloquence.
The film tracks the dancers at home, backstage and in group and solo performance as each connects to the challenges, frustrations and hopes Linda instills. As red lipstick is applied, curly hair recreated into smooth chignons and colorful flounces added to waistlines, the dancers are transformed physically and spiritually eventually learning to embrace the spirit of flamenco. The dancers gain confidence as they discover how — with sure footwork, quick snaps of a fan and the saucy turns of a Spanish shawl — they can control the tempo and haunting rhythms of the guitar and palmas and, ultimately, the intensity of the audience experience.
Beginning in 2009, Windless Chimes Production’s first feature length work was filmed over a four year period at several historic landmark Santa Barbara locations. And not since Cutter’s Way, a 1981 film by Ivan Passer, has Santa Barbara’s five day Fiesta and the famous El Desfile Histórico Parade been professionally filmed.
Language
English and English with French subtitles
Budget : $260,000
Cast
Featured choreographers include:
Linda Vega
Maria “Chacha” Bermudez (Sonidos Gitanos)
Paloma Rios
Pamela Lourant
Timo Nunez
Daniela Zermeño
Featured musicians include:
Antonio Duran – Guitarist
Jesus Montoya – Singer & Composer
Gabriel Osuna – Guitarist/Vocalist
Luis De La Tota – Singer, Cajon, Palmas, Jaleo
Bobby de Sofia – Guitarist
Kambiz Pakandam – Guitarist
Amanda Lucia Cuevas – Palmas & Jaleo
References
Santa Barbara Independent Interview – Fri Jul 30, 2010
Documenting the Dance – Filmmakers Follow Fiesta Dancers from Linda Vega’s Studio to Create Polka Dot Alley
https://www.independent.com/2010/07/30/documenting-dance/
CASA Magazine Review – August 1, 2014
Polka Dot Alley Screening Fills the House
https://issuu.com/casamagazine/docs/8.1.14.casa/24?e=0/8861358
CASA Magazine Interview May 8, 2015 – Polka Dot Alley: A Flamenco Dance Trilogy by Jeanette Casillas
Polka Dot Alley:A Flamenco Dance Trilogy
https://issuu.com/casamagazine/docs/5.8.15.casa/4?e=0/8861358