Founded in 1983, New York’s Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana dance company has performed in more than 71 venues in 26 states over the past 5 seasons. This week, the company is at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, where it's in the midst of a six-night run that features two programs and three world premieres.
After seeing the show last night, I would recommend it to anyone interested in flamenco; specifically, where it’s been, where it stands, and where it’s going. It’s a long show – Program A includes six pieces and Program B includes nine – and many, if not all, are successful.
I didn’t care for the Argentine-inspired De Milonga– tango’s unique technical requirements make it almost impossible for dancers of other disciplines to properly execute it; unfortunately, this was no exception – and I found the inclusion of the flute and the saxophone distracting despite the best efforts of the obviously capable musician playing them.
What I loved were three standout pieces that underscore the breadth, joy, and history of flamenco.
Martinete-Seguiriya
The first of two world premieres in Program A, Martinete-Seguiriya is not only beautiful – see photo, above – it is thoughtfully designed. Flamenco Vivo’s dancers find strength in numbers and are at their best when performing powerful, uniform movements in tight formation. Choreographers Enrique Vicent and Antonio Lopez put these devices to use throughout the piece. Along with a gorgeous lighting design, rich but understated costumes, and crisp fan work, it makes Martinete-Seguiriya one of the program’s finest works.
Angeles
An inspired look at the human condition through the lens of solo, duet, and ensemble dances, Angeles bursts with vitality thanks to rousing performances by Charo Espino, Antonio Hidalgo, Isaac Tovar, and Angel Muñoz, Angeles’ choreographer. Muñoz dances solos that are, by turns, seductive, nuanced, and in–your-face powerful. Espino, Hidalgo, and Tovar further elevate the piece with vignettes that combine traditional flamenco with ballet and modern elements. The result is an engaging piece whose story is perfectly narrated through the dancers’ physical forms.
Fin de Fiesta/Bulerías
What axel jumps and triple lutzes are to ice skating, bulerías are to flamenco. A mutation of the word burlar (to poke fun), bulerías are a hybrid jam session/final fiesta that close every flamenco show and give the company a chance to show off the moves they love without the limitations of choreography. They are typically one of, if not the, most entertaining parts of a flamenco show. This is due both to their spontaneity and their glee.
In the case of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, it’s due to percussionist Jose Moreno. The spontaneity and glee are there, too, as are the well-displayed talents of both the musicians and the dancers. But it’s Moreno whose light shines brightest. A substantial man with long, curly hair knotted in a tight, low pony tail, he is the show’s unassuming rhythmic guide who, when it’s his turn to dance, does so with shocking and brilliant aplomb. Athletic, graceful, and exuberant, he is a delight to watch and a wonderful reminder of the joy of dance.
One final note (and a testament to the dancers’ ability): the venue’s floor provides a challenge. Flamenco Vivo’s run marks the first time flamenco has been danced at Bam’s Fishman space, and its marley (PVC) floor occasionally gobbled up the dancers’ sounds. Slides were often muffled and taps and stomps didn’t resonate in the classic flamenco style. It’s a frequency issue that affected the show’s variation. (In flamenco, sounds range from buoyant and crisp to heavy and flat, and movements toggle between retreat and attack.) The dancers at Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana were unable to render this breadth, not because of their deficiencies, but because the floor did not allow it. Still, thanks to tenacity and showmanship, they endured and even overcame, thus proving that the flamenco spirit, wherein hope wins out over struggle and desperation, is still alive.
For tickets to Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana at BAM, click here.