EXODUS ft. Úrsula Moreno

Exodus ... flamenco, rebetiko ... Baghdad, Aleppo

When the world burns, people flee, both yesterday and today. Refugees are of all times and all continents. Stories and music always travel with them. In 'Exodus' refugee stories flow together in music and dance. In this special concept, Greek rebetiko and Spanish flamenco merge with music from Aleppo and Baghdad.
The Greek rebetiko has its own exodus. It arose when a Greek minority was forced to migrate to Greece from Asia Minor. Musical instruments and oriental sounds from Smyrna and Constantinople migrated along. Homesickness and cross-pollination took care of the rest.
Flamenco is a legacy of a people who left Rajasthan in India centuries ago. The “gitano” who settled in Spain mixed their cultural heritage with Christian and Moorish traditions.

And then of course there is the literally burning current affairs from Syria and Iraq. Music also travels from there to here with the refugee flow. Similarities abound and similarities abound in the music from the countries involved. Both flamenco and rebetiko have a lot of oriental influences.

In this special production this flows naturally with the music from Syria & Iraq.

Exodus is not only a musical, but also a social dialogue. All music genres and countries have an exodus history as a common factor.
Violinist Wouter Vandenabeele surrounds himself with a selection of musicians and a great flamenco dancer to show the richness of the fusion, to let unity resound in multiplicity and to dream of a world in which no one has to flee while making music and dancing.

Wouter Vandenabeele : violin and artistic direction
Osama Abdulrasol : qanun
Tarek Al Sayed : ud
François Taillefer : percussion
Carmen Fernandez : flamenco singing
Úrsula Moreno : flamenco dance
Alexander Gavilán : flamenco guitar
Frans De Clercq : vocals and bouzouki
Michel Karakatsanis : vocals and bouzouki
Karsten de Vilder : vocals and guitar
Dimi Dumortier : vocals and percussion

Yuste is an initiative of Alexander Gavilan, De Centrale, Buren van de Abdij and La Barraca, in collaboration with Historische Huizen Gent, De Ingang, DKO Panta Rhei, vzw Tirando and GentsePassages. With the support of the Flemish Community, City of Ghent, Embassy of Spain in Belgium, Spanish Tourist Office & Klara.