A Review
I never want to see a piano, a cello, men in skirts, women in pants, or dancers without shoes at another flamenco performance.
While studying Spanish dance styles in college, I grew a passion for flamenco dance. It's raw-ness and passion latched on to me in a way that has forced me to attend every flamenco performance that comes to town. The flamenco style is a loud and intense dance that develops from emotions within and surfaces on the body. It is a very piercing and passionate dance that excudes masculinity from los bailaores (male performers) and grace from las bailaoras (the females). There's nothing weak about the music or the singing. The man's las palmas (hand claps) and characteristic strong choreograpy where the taconeo (footwork) are concerned, and the women's mastery of the large flamenco falda (skirt) and traditional Andalusian dress and manton (silk shawl with fringes) make flamenco what it is.
With that said, I was very disappointed in the fact that the choreographer directed her cast to wear clothes that were directly in contrast to the tradition. There is no doubt that she was making an artistic statement, however I felt that seeing los bailaores take on the challenge of the dress's train by wearing the custom skirt was a mockery of the dance style. It was like seeing Matthew Bourne's swan lake all over again. (For all the non-dancers, that's the all man version of swan lake.) I also do not care for las bailaoras to wear the pants in the relationship. The men of flamenco are the warriors, the heros, the powerful bullfighter...not the other way around.
Incorporating a classic instruments into a normally very rough and powerful musical style somewhat hurt my feelings. The piano and cello stripped away at the core of the dance. The instruments put out the fire that consumes flamenco dancing and it's dancers.
What I did love however where the transitions between dancers and the lighting. The transitions were so seemless that it was as if one dancer flowed into another. The light man did an excellent job portraying the mood of the choreographer.
Vamó Ya!
(I haven't written a review since college. Man I miss this stuff.)
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