BENISE Returns to the Van Wezel With The Spanish Guitar 11/9

Benise's The Spanish Guitar will light up the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall stage on Wednesday, November 9, at 8 p.m.

Benise (Buh-ness-say), hailed as "The Prince of Spanish Guitar," and his Emmy Award-winning cast return after last year's near sell out to take us on another epic adventure through Spanish Flamenco, Cuban Salsa, Argentinean Tango, Indian Bollywood, Waltz, and exotic drumming, in a spectacle that has been called "The Latin Riverdance".

The Spanish Guitar transports the audience to exotic places with video, song, and an ever changing set, featuring Benise's enchanted Spanish Guitar as it becomes the keeper of the stories of glory and tragedy through times gone by. Brilliantly choreographed dance numbers and orchestral pieces accompany the stories that were sealed inside this magical instrument. Follow Benise's passionate journey through the cobblestone streets of Old Havanna, an Arabian Desert, the romantic canals of Venice, the oldest Bullring in Spain, a Paris Café, and a 2000 year old sacred Buddhest Temple in India. "This is a great show for the whole family; I really think we have something for everyone," Benise says. "I hope that people will be inspired--by our story, the music, the production--and have the passion to follow their own dreams."

A self-taught guitar master, Benise redefined the ordinary--mixing and mastering a variety of styles to create his own unique sound. With his powerful original works he went from street musician to PBS phenomenon (after the airing of his show "Nights of Fire") to Emmy Award winner. Nights of Fire Soundtrack went to #1 on the Billboard New Age Chart and who can forget his critically acclaimed performance on Dancing with the Stars. With the help of an ever-changing multi-media set, incredible costumes and yes, Benise's infamous seductive charm, The Spanish Guitar will take you to the far ends of the earth on a quest with a handsome gypsy guitar-maker, in search of love and passion.

Ticket prices range from $10 to $50. For more information and to buy tickets, contact the Van Wezel Box office at (941) 953-3368 or log onto www.vanwezel.org.

Sponsored by Wilde Lexus of Sarasota & Bright House Networks

Date of Show: Wednesday, November 9, 2011- 8 p.m.
Ticket Prices: $10-$50