Sergio Mendoza Y La Orkesta is not just about the music. There is dancing, too. At least for now. Mendoza has added guest dancers to his lineup in recent months as part of his ongoing tinkering of the show's format. Dressed in sultry costumes with even sultrier moves, these women, Sophie Everatt, Malonie Nicols and Lauren Malanga, add a new dimension to the band's already exhilarating stage presence.
London-born Everatt made her first appearance at Y La Orkesta's headlining Rialto performance on March 14.
A yoga instructor and flamenco dancer at Casa Vicente, Everatt, 36, had never heard of Pérez Prado, or even mambo for that matter, when Sergio pitched the idea to her.
"I asked him why he wouldn't just hire one of the plethora of professional salsa dancers in town, and he said this was more about theater, not professional salsa dancers," Everatt said.
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Nicols and Malanga are new to the group. Their first performance was at Club Congress on May 29 and they are still getting the hang of things.
Nicols, 29, was born in Canada and moved to Tucson from Northern California in 2002.
She is the least-trained dancer of the three. She took classes at Humboldt State University, but most of her experience in Tucson comes from moving and shaking at various salsa nights held around town.
Nicols said the trio of women put in plenty of research, even if the end result isn't exactly mambo dancing.
"We spent a lot of time on YouTube," Nicols said. "We would look at performance stuff like burlesque, belly-dancing, flamenco. It isn't traditional mambo, but more of a show."
Mendoza said the dancers are not a permanent fixture. He may or may not want to keep them on in the future.
Whatever the outcome, Everatt has enjoyed her time with the band.
"This group blows my mind," she said. "Sergio is the undisputed bandleader. He makes the decisions and nobody questions him. We are willing to work really hard because it is so much fun and rewarding."
