Features Editor:
Lisa Toth
lisatoth@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, November 8,2001
Seven nights of fun
A list of the week’s music, theater and
film events is availble online at
www. dailyemerald. com
Low-income housing
to displace John Henry’s
■ I he local bar is one of many
downtown businesses that will
move to accommodate St. Vincent
DePaul’s housing plans
By Mason West
Oregon Daily Emerald
St. Vincent DePaul has secured plans
to build a five-story, low-income hous
ing building at 110 E. 11th Ave., the loca
tion of its downtown Eugene retail store.
But the new homes created in this $7
million project will oust current busi
nesses — John Henry’s, Wild Thyme
Cafe and Catering and Northwest Rental
Services — from their homes.
St. Vincent’s plans to renovate the
building were no secret. The organiza
tion’s development director, Amanda
Saul, said tenants knew renovation was
a possibility since St. Vincent applied
for $665,000 in city home funds in
1997. Saul said the St. Vincent store has
been in that location since the 1970s,
and the organization bought the re
maining parts of the building in 1999
specifically for the housing project.
Tom Tracey, co-owner of John Hen
ry’s, said he received a letter in 1999
alerting him to the possible renovation.
About a month ago, he received another
letter saying the development was ap
proved. Since then, Tracey has been
keeping an eye out for suitable places to
relocate.
“We need places where we can make
noise (and) park,” he said.
John Henry’s has been at its current
location since 1992. Tracey said the
“funky” building has provided more
than enough space in an appropriate lo
cation while remaining “pretty cheap.”
He said it is doubtful that he can find
another location so fitting for John Hen
ry’s and said the new space will likely
be smaller.
“I’d like to be in Springfield so we
can smoke cigarettes,” he said jokingly.
Tracey is responsible for finding John
Henry’s a new home, as are the owners
of the other businesses in the building.
But once locations are chosen, part of
the city funds St. Vincent received are
available to help the businesses resettle.
Eugene development analyst Sunna
Murray said the city home funds are al
Turn to John Henry’s, page 7
Thomas Patterson Emerald
The curtain is closing on the current John Henry’s location, so fans of music and brew must look elsewhere.
SPANISH SIZZLE
m 'DASH OF DEUTSCfl
German flamenco dance troupe Noche
De Luna Y Flor will perform at Wow Hall Friday
By Jen West
Oregon Daily Emerald
Several hundred years ago, music styles
from around the world melded togeth
er in southern Spain, and the rhythmic
staccato beat of flamenco dance was
born. In the 21st century, flamenco dancing
has grown into a worldwide phenomenon.
This Friday, WOW Hall will host a per
formance by Noche De Luna Y Flor, a fla
menco dance troupe from Germany. The
name translates to English as “Night of the
Moon and Flowers. ”
The troupe features dancer, soprano vocal
ist and castanet musician Rachel Lynn Bow
man, guitarist/percussionist Andreas Maria
Germek, cellist Jakob Schmidt and Cante Fla
menco performer Joaquin Escudero.
Flamenco has three forms: “cante,” the
song, “baile,” the dance and “guitarra,” gui
tar playing. Traditionally, Gypsies have
been given credit to the creation of this
Spanish art form, though other influences
have also had an impact on the evolution of
flamenco.
Noche de Luna y Flor will combine all
three forms into one ensemble with dance,
vocals, guitar, cello and castanets. Castanets
are hollow pieces of wood or ivory clicked
in the hand to the beat of the music.
Friday’s performance will blend various
styles of classical Spanish music, Spanish
folklore and flamenco. Noche de Luna y
Flor will include works by composers Fe
lipe Pedrell, Issac Albeniz, Enrique Grana
dos, Joaquin Turina and Manuel de Falla.
“Flamenco is a big classic dance category,”
said Gary Hammond, a flamenco and classi
cal Spanish dancer since 1980. "There are so
many different types of dance that fall in it.”
The common belief, according to Ham
mond, is that flamenco evolved from the
mixing of the Gypsy culture that came from
India and settled in Spain with the Jewish
culture in Spain. Both groups were often
marginalized in Spain, and in some ways
still are, he said.
“(Flamenco) is about dealing with life’s
pains, and joys of people who have been
marginalized,” he said.
He said flamenco is to Spain as blues is to
the United States. Hammond also said he is
looking forward to Friday’s performance to
see the latest European trends in flamenco
dancing on the West Coast.
“Flamenco is a mish-mash of a lot of dif
ferent elements,” said Elena Villa, a student,
teacher and performer of flamenco for 10
years.
She said flamenco had been influenced
by Spanish, Castillian, Arab, South Ameri
can, Caribbean, Folk and Sephardic (Jew
ish-Spanish) styles of music.
The music draws out emotions from the
dancer, musician or performer and reveals
what’s inside the soul, she said.
Martita Mardares owns a flamenco dance
company in Eugene and has been dancing
for more than 50 years. She said she will be
attending Friday’s performance.
“(Flamenco) is a very passionate inter
soul dance,” she said.
Before choreography became popular, she
said, “you didn’t dance the same step twice.”
Mardares said she expects Friday’s per
formance to be a cross-breeding of different
types of flamenco using different instru
ments as well as musical influences.
Tickets are available in advance for $12
and at the door for $14. Doors open at 8
p.m., and showtime is at 8:30 p.m.
Jen West is a Pulse reporter for the Oregon
Daily Emerald. She can be reached
at jenwest@dailyemerald.com.
Courtesy Photo
Noche De Luna Y Flor will bring its rhythmic staccato of its flamenco dance troupe to Wow Hall on Friday.
Flamenco dancing evolved in Spain by combining aspects of the Gypsy and Jewish cultures.