Sovereignty out and Dettori (kind of?) out; a life-changing dance.
PLUS: Housing Not Handcuffs protest update and a buzzy café is looking to hire.
Today’s Dispatch is brought to you by Opera Saratoga’s Dec. 5 performance of La bohème.
Celebrate the holidays at UPH with the original “RENT” — a story of young artists in love, from first blush to dying breath. Be swept away by the romance, laughter and heartbreak of Puccini’s timeless masterpiece, La bohème.
High stakes, high emotion: How one dance can change the game.
Performers from Spain, Ecuador, Mexico, Taiwan and all over the U.S. wowed Saratoga before heading to NYC for a pressure-packed competition.
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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — The modest-sized audience inside SPAC School of the Arts sat spellbound, before breaking out into roaring applause and a standing ovation. It was a sunny afternoon, and we’d been invited to watch a dozen or so finalists from around the world perform the finished flamenco dance routines they would bring to NYC for the 2025 Certamen USA competition for scholarships and career opportunities of a lifetime.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” said one audience member, shaking his head in wonder after the performance.
Describing the power of the centuries-old Spanish art form could never do it justice. As some of the competitors themselves had learned more deeply during their five-day residency here, it’s more than the steps — which are indeed incredible, a mesmerizing beat of lightning-fast and powerful stomps, plus the grace and strength that mark dancers of all genres.
The competitors were in Saratoga to level up their work via an intense five days with NYC’s Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, one of the country’s premier flamenco companies that Saratoga last saw in March when it performed at Spa Little Theater. Before we saw them perform, the competitors had worked with the company’s mentors to improve their routines and marry the dances they created themselves to the accompaniment of Flamenco Vivo’s live musician and singer, with his hauntingly beautiful voice.
“We think that we come with an already finished piece, but it’s nothing like that,” says finalist Camila Valdiviezo, 38, a gerontologist and literature student from Ecuador. “It [turns out] I had a little piece of brownie, and now I have a full cake.”
“It’s definitely an adventure,” says mentor Rebeca Tomás, who performed with Flamenco Vivo here in the spring. “You get a video that they submitted of their dance so you have an idea. But you don’t know how they conceived the choreography or what they’ll be like when they first dance it with the [live] music.”
There were three big winners at the NYC competition: Amaia Villegas, Luis Beltra Ureña and Isabella Alderete.
“This week is centered around the competition, and there are prizes,” Tomás says. “But it’s really about helping them to push through to the next level of their performing.”
Keep reading!
SPAC brings global spotlight to Saratoga with new flamenco residency
Saturday’s Housing Not Handcuffs activists will appear in court Nov. 13
More than a dozen people from the Housing Not Handcuffs coalition gathered in front of City Hall on Saturday, Oct. 25 for a pop-up demonstration. Two of the activists, Jacob Feinland and Dio Kaufman, were ticketed and will appear in court on Nov. 13 at 9 a.m.
The group passed out flyers against the “camping” ban downtown between noon and 6 p.m. Saturday, as well as snacks, candy, dog biscuits, water, juice and other provisions. They said in a statement that public response was “overwhelmingly positive, with many signing a petition to repeal the ban.”
At approximately 3:30 p.m., Sgt. Lamkins approached the members of the demonstration to warn Feinland and Kaufman, whom he ticketed less than an hour later for allegedly violating the ban they were protesting. (The protesters sat in tents during their demonstration.)
“No camping” has been in effect since July 25. According to the Oct. 9 mayoral debate, 31 warnings and 20 tickets had been given out at that time.
“We demand the ban be repealed and that the city adopt actual solutions to create accessible housing that low-income people can afford,” the group said in a statement. “We also demand the city take measures to prevent homelessness by passing legislation that strengthens tenants’ rights.”
Sovereignty’s officially scratched, Dettori (mostly) retiring
It certainly seemed inevitable yesterday, but today it’s official: The 6-5 Breeders’ Cup favorite is officially scratched from this weekend’s race. After a terrific final workout in Del Mar on Monday — after leaving Saratoga Oct. 22 — the great Sovereignty spiked a fever. It seemed perhaps under control yesterday, but trainer Bill Mott said it’d be “over” if the horse didn’t fully bounce back. “We’re going to scratch,” he told Daily Racing Form today. “He developed a fever yesterday afternoon, his temp shot up again, we retreated him. That basically made our decision.” The Iron Mischief colt was hoping to go for a fifth straight triumph after the Kentucky Derby, Belmont, Jim Dandy and Travers, the final three of which were won right here at Saratoga Race Course.
It also broke today that Italian jockey (and Netflix star, thanks to Race for the Crown, which prominently featured Saratoga) Frankie Dettori is (mostly) retiring after this weekend. He’s leaving the U.S. to finish up his career with “a few rides” in South America.
“It has been an honour to compete at the highest level of this sport for over four decades,” he shared. “From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”
Popular bakery hiring ahead of Broadway opening
Bear’s Cup Bakehouse — the popular bakery/cafe whose Bolton Landing outpost is currently “hibernating” for the season — is soon opening up its second location on Broadway and is looking for help. It announced on Facebook earlier today that it was looking to hire some “amazing humans” for flexible morning/daytime hours. Offering “competitive” pay, growth opportunities and free coffee, it asks interested workers to reach out via email at bearscupsaratoga@gmail.com.
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I'm glad the trainer, Mott, is thinking of the horse. There will be other races or still a lucrative retirement for Sovereignty. As for the flamenco, I hope to get a chance to see/feel the show in the future!!!