Siudy Garrido pays tribute to the art of flamenco in her new show. (photo courtesy of Siudy Garrido)

Siudy Garrido last performed in Los Angeles at the Hollywood Bowl in 2019. On June 3 at 8 p.m., she will make her return to the city at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, paired with her Siudy Garrido Company performing “Flamenco Intimo.”

Garrido is known for her association with flamenco dance, an art form that dates back to at least 1774, with Jose Cadalso’s book “Las Cartas Marruecas” having the earliest known mention of the folkloric Spanish dance and music tradition.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines flamenco as “a vigorous rhythmic dance style of the Andalusian Gypsies.” Garrido, though, is not Spanish, and she has worked in her career to bring flamenco to a wider audience, selling out performances and gaining critical adulation for her interpretation of the art form, even earning an award from the king of Spain for her efforts.

“My biggest influence was my mother, who dedicated all her life into bringing and expanding the art of flamenco in America,” Garrido said. “She taught me how to love this art form and also how to dedicate bringing it onto theater stages to share it with all sorts of audiences.”

Raised in Venezuela and now based in Miami, Garrido’s mother was a dance instructor.

“My childhood was between stages and dressing rooms thanks to my mother’s work. My mother was a flamenco dancer with her own company when I was a child and produced recitals in theaters and TV. I have many memories at her rehearsals and became the flamenco musician’s ‘mascot.’ I also recall a dance performance I did on national TV when my mother presented a Spanish-themed production titled, ‘This is How Spain Dances in America.’”

Under her mother’s tutelage, Garrido was sharing the stage with famous dancers like Joaquin Cortes by the age of 9, later working with famed choreographers, including Antonio Canales, Adrian Galia and Domingo Ortega.

But her life’s quest has been to bring flamenco into the modern generation.

“I focus on bringing the art form into the light of theater work, creating productions that can be comparable to other genres such as opera, ballet and classical music,” Garrido said. “Even though flamenco art form is rooted in the ‘Tablao’ (flamenco joints) my work focuses on captivating general audiences by providing different aesthetics on the stage, in the costumes, also by … [infusing] jazz moments in flamenco tempos [and] Latin beats, making it accessible to younger eyes.

“Flamenco is an art form that focuses more on solo dancers, which I do, of course, but I take pride in choreographing a flamenco ballet, which I work on a style of clean lines and symmetric formations, and this is unique, because choreography in flamenco is unusual. It is common to see that style of choreography in the Spain National Ballet, which do clean lines and synchronicity, but don’t incorporate strong footwork in unison as we do in our choreographies.”

The story for this particular production began in 2015, but has evolved over the years based on world events.

“At that time, I wanted to revert to my roots creating a flamenco suite, where music and dance were the protagonists,” Garrido said. “This is how this show came about and became a repertoire piece. However, the same way we change over time, the concept of intimacy, ‘intimo,’ can change too, therefore this piece has change over time. At its core, it takes the audience through a musical journey of different styles of flamenco, such as Alegrías, Bulerias and Seguirillas, but in the artistic expression, the pandemic played a role in modifying it. This flamenco suite had a great opening initially with choreography and the ballet, but today, I edited it and added a sensible beginning, creating a commentary about our times in isolation and the joy reuniting with others.”

Garrido’s dance company has kept busy over the years, appearing on the NBC series “World of Dance” in 2019 and performing in 2021 at the Mexico Iberica Contemporary Festival and a Telemundo Latin Grammy one-hour special.

Garrido is excited to be back in Los Angeles with her troupe, noting that both her company’s performance at the Hollywood Bowl and a 2015 engagement at the Walt Disney Concert Hall were among the best in her career.

“We felt a strong connection with the community in Los Angeles,” Garrido said. “I think that the community in Los Angeles can gain … a different interpretation of flamenco art form, to enrich some of the more traditional offerings that visit the community yearly. We are hoping that everyone with an interest in flamenco or different cultures comes and enjoys this performance.”

Garrido and her company will be joined by guitarist Jose Luis de La Paz, composer and flutist Juan Parilla, percussionist Adolfo Herrera and vocalists Manuel Gago, David El Galli and Ismael Fernandez.

The Wilshire Ebell Theatre is located at 4401 W. Eighth St. For information, visit siudyflamenco.org or ebellofla.com/the-atre/event-calendar.