Flamenco, piano and magic lead the tableside entertainment in Beaver Creek
Special to the Daily
Dominique Taylor/Beaver Creek Magazine
When we talk about “a dining experience,” we refer to the scrumptious savoir-faire of eating, drinking, ambiance and so on. But sometimes we are up for stimulation beyond our sense of taste, something that takes a great dinner to a whole new, multi-sensory level of entertainment. Here are three one-of-a-kind options around Beaver Creek that do exactly that, where dinner is the show.
Flamenco Fridays at Aritza
While it’s already a special treat to find an authentic Basque tapas restaurant in Beaver Creek Village, nothing seals Aritza’s Spanish authenticity like its world-class flamenco trio.
“It brings an incredible energy to the restaurant,” said Doris Schoenfelder, who along with her husband, Dan, is a long-time local restaurateur and opened Aritza last winter. “It’s not just dinner, but a total entertainment experience.”
Performing on Fridays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., dancer/singer Jessica Pinto, guitarist Diego Espinoza and percussionist Santiago Doglione have become a sensation, booking the place up every week.
“When I stomp, I’m stomping with everything I’ve got.” Jessica Pinto, flamenco dancer
“It’s a traditional Spanish show, very interactive,” said Pinto, who hails from Venezuela but studied Flamenco for 20 years in Spain. “There’s great feedback and energy. As we perform, we explain a little bit about what Flamenco is, what the styles are. We encourage people to join in with their ‘¡Olé!’ They get really excited about it. We always spend time chatting with people afterward. I recognize the same people coming back, bringing family and friends or new visitors in to see us again. It’s so fun. We love it.”
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Word of the trio’s talent has traveled and they now perform throughout the valley. Pinto has aspirations to open a Flamenco dance academy, but will need a space with a sturdy floor, as she has already broken through her wooden dancing tablao with her traditional Flamenco shoes (equipped with metal nails on the soles) while performing at Aritza.
“When I stomp, I’m stomping with everything I’ve got,” she said with a laugh. “Flamenco is a passionate, energetic type of dance.”
Pinto says one of the most gratifying aspects of Flamenco Fridays is when young girls approach her and ask for selfies and if she teaches classes somewhere. However, one of the most memorable moments to date was when an older member of the audience got on her feet to dance.
“There was this 92-year-old lady who came with her son and daughter. She started dancing and clapping. She seemed so happy,” Pinto recalled. “Her son came up to me almost teary-eyed saying, ‘I haven’t seen my mom dance in the last 30 years.’ They had Cuban roots. She felt the connection. She was all about it.”
Magic at the Beaver Creek Chophouse
Performing tableside magic at the Beaver Creek Chophouse for more than 17 years, Dan Fleshman has built quite a fan base.
At the thought of a magician, your imagination might conjure up visuals of a top hat-wearing joker coming up to your table and whipping up a handful of plastic flowers. But Fleshman’s tricks run a broad gamut of wonders and amusements that reach well beyond kiddie entertainment — although there’s no question that kids love them.
Strolling through the restaurant in a suit jacket, patrons often mistake him for the manager. He might start things off by inconspicuously placing a wallet under a table full of male patrons. He’ll stroll by and look down at the floor as if he’s just noticed it.
“I’ll say, gentlemen, I found this wallet on the floor. They’ll start patting themselves down,” Fleshman said.
When nobody appears to be missing a wallet, a server might look over and claim that the wallet is his. Fleshman will open it and flames will shoot out. Everyone will laugh. Some crack jokes about their wallets catching fire on vacation.
“Every table is a stage. It’s like Broadway,” Fleshman said. “Even if it’s five or 10 minutes, the reaction is always going to be different. You incite a lot of excitement. I couldn’t do it without the servers, the entire staff. I don’t like to make it about me. It’s about all of us working together as a team.”
Although Fleshman has what he calls “a go-to set for newbies,” he is constantly changing the bit and working on new material.
“The real work once you learn it, is getting it into the act, going into the restaurant and presenting it. Nothing beats the presentation part of it,” he said.
Growing up in Missouri, Fleshman was shooting baskets one day at age 15 when a younger kid came up and asked if he’d like to see some magic. He was impressed. Then hooked. He started working in a magic shop, then doing performances and leading seminars for magicians.
In his 17th year at the Chophouse, Fleshman has become an institution. People come back time and time again specifically to see him. One group of returning patrons is the Clemson Tigers coaching staff, who invited him to perform at a two-day football camp this summer.
One of the most rewarding moments at the Chophouse was what he refers to as “the biggest tip” he’s ever received.
“I was performing at a table. Out of the corner of my eye, I see this little girl standing next to me. She’s 5 or 6 years old. She opened up her little purse and took a dollar out and said, ‘this is for you.'”
After 51 years as a professional magician, Fleshman said it “never gets old.”
“That for me is the payoff, the human connection,” he said. “People might be in a sour mood, but what I do takes their mind off it for that little bit of time. I do bring a little joy. It’s not about the magic. It’s about the connection.”
Find Fleshman at the Beaver Creek Chophouse during the season, Wednesdays through Sundays from 6 to 9 p.m.
The Vista at Arrowhead piano man
The namesake of Micky’s, a small piano lounge that drew a solid late-night crowd throughout its 35-year existence inside the Lodge at Vail, Micky Poage has displayed his talent for striking keys at Vista at Arrowhead for the past 13 years.
Much of his long-standing clientele followed him to the downvalley fine dining haunt, where he started performing by the bar. But when the restaurant was remodeled in 2021, they relocated his sleek grand piano to the middle of the restaurant.
“He’s a fixture in the dining room,” said Vista Owner Daryl DeYoung. “It’s not as intimate a draw as he’s had in the past, with three or four people around him. Now he’s the centerpiece.”
Starting out performing at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs when he was a teenager, Poage’s repertoire has expanded considerably throughout the decades. He might just as easily drop into an elaborate rendition of “Phantom of the Opera” as he does a Billy Joel classic or “Let it Go” from Disney’s “Frozen.” His steadfast local following is now multi-generational.
“I’ve noticed over the time he’s been here that it’s now the kids who come listen to him – the people who were kids when their parents came to listen to him in Vail,” DeYoung said. “There are still a lot of original listeners. They are the grandparents. Their kids now have families and are bringing their kids in to listen. The grandkids stand around him and dance.”
Performing from 6 to 9 p.m. Monday to Friday, Poage ends up fielding numerous requests.
“He can play almost anything. It’s amazing,” DeYoung said. “There’s a whole other side of the restaurant that’s members-only. They’ll come over all the time to listen to him. On the whole, he has a good strong following, but there are a lot of visitors and people who come in for dinner and are pleasantly surprised to find him playing.”
While he does not sing as part of his performance, his piano certainly does.
“You can see that people dining are really moved by his playing,” DeYoung said. “Based on the reviews I see constantly, people love it. Nobody says it’s too loud. For the most part, reviews mention him and say, the food and service were great, but the piano was fantastic.”
