Sofi Gudiño is the choreographer of Ricardo en el Parque. They will perform alongside live musicians, Ana Lía Arias Garrido, Nicolás Hernández at Exhibition Park Friday May 30 at 7PM, Saturday May 31 at 12noon, or Sunday June 1 at 12noon! Don’t miss your chance to experience the exceptional flamenco dancing Drag King, Ricardo, in action!
What motivated the creation of Ricardo en el Parque?
Sofi: Ricardo en el Parque was created as a love letter to Latin masculinity and a celebration of trans and nonbinary joy. Flamenco as an art form can involve so much personality on stage, and I have always wanted to take that to the next level by performing something so traditional as a drag king. The point of Ricardo is to entertain and delight, to woo the audiences into laughter and tears while taking in high quality flamenco performance.
How have collaborators informed the process and/or the experience of this live work?
Sofi: My collaborators Ximena Huizi and Heath V. Salazar have helped bring Ricardo to life by contributing their expertise in theatre, writing and drag. I want this piece to reach beyond what traditional dance presentations offer so that it can be understood by my communities, and feel that theatre is the best way to do that. For creative inspiration, I have also invited the Latin men in my life to share love letters they have written, or to write new love letters, to involve as wide of a possible lens on how our men love. These friends, peers, family members and lovers have infused Ricardo with deeply human, personal characteristics through their own words.
What does it mean to you to share this work now?
Sofi: Originally supported by the National Ballet of Canada’s Open Space programme, Ricardo first stepped on stage in Citadel + Compagnie’s Spring Mix as a work-in-progress in April 2024. I think that the Guelph Dance Festival is a fantastic place for us to test drive some new material as we continue to create the work! We want to keep the momentum going in our creative process while he feels juicy and present. We also want to make sure that audiences are involved in creation because we hope that the final offering is something that will resonate more deeply than dance works that are so often artistically exclusionary.