Photos - James MorganFlamenco is, arguably, flavour of the month. In these pages, for example, I've documented the laudable musical adventures of progressive ensemble, Arrebato, and the visceral jazz-crossover of The Translators (who, coincidentally, launched their new CD, at The Basement, last night), both of which I admire and adore. I've also had the distinct & memorable privilege of reviewing the balletic invocations of Eva Yerbabuena. But for sheer earthy authenticity and the true spirit of the form, it's hard to imagine any surpassing Noche Flamenca.
From the pitch black of Sydney Theatre after the house lights have faded, an overhead spot illuminated a chattering group, gathered around a table, upon which they began rapping out those rhythms so familiar & characteristic of this theatre of tragedy. The table was then cast aside and the assembled, with the usual murmured Spanish encouragements, taunts, or challenges (regrettably, I don't speak or understand the language, especially in its idiomatic blur of utterance), took turns in strutting their stuff, tapping & kicking us out of our emotional stasis; lighting a match and taking it to our Anglo reserve. The task of inventing spontaneity is a necessary one to bring a tapas of flamenco to the touring stage: NF effects it convincingly and with good humour. Indeed, it's this sense of fun which pervades the company and engages so rewardingly, for those on and off stage. The camaraderie seems genuine, palpable & contagious. This opening, too, serves to introduce us. The piece is clearly communal and, in fact, is called Camino A La Plaza, inspired by refugee literature emanating from the UNHCR.
The unseen force, of course, is company founder, Martin Santangelo, an artistic director of well-documented integrity, determined to remain faithful to the quintessence of flamenco. With his wife and principal dancer, Soledad Barrio (the NY Times chief dance critic, as I recall, rated her more highly than any living ballerina), they have taken the art to the world: Greece, Egypt, Argentina, North America and, thankfully, Australia. Among other notables, Santangelo studied with the rightly-revered Ciro. Like Ciro, Barrio hails from Madrid, and has featured as soloist with a string of eminent ensembles.
For a complete change of pace, we were seduced by the gentle virtuosity of a solo guitarist; one of two guitaristas in the troupe. Juan Antonio Suarez 'Cano' is a Gypsy, from Barcelona. That heritage can be heard in his delicate evocations of brooding, but never self-indulgent or pitying melody; beautiful paintings for your ears only.
Farruca, performed by Juan Fernandez, accompanied by Cano and counterpart, Salva De Maria, was the final piece before intermission. In clobber redolent of a toreador in civvies, Fernandez is the embodiment of the seasoned dancer; still lithe and athletic in middle-age, he cuts a dashing, elegant figure.
Next, unless my memory fails me, was Alegrias, bringing together singers, guitarists and the main act, Jose Suarez 'El Torombo'. Jose, while not having the line of Juan, is like a flamenco 'fiddler on the roof', the Spanish Tevia; a large, charismatic Topolic figure, full of vitality and fun. As such, he was born to perform Alegrias, a lively (to say the least) dance from Cadiz, with origins in jotas, the folk music of Aragon. El Torombo takes his technique, energy and daring to the limit and well beyond, enthralling with every dynamic move, leaving himself panting & perspiring. He gives everything he has, physically & emotionally. (He's a gentle giant, too: with his wife, he is taking flamenco to the streets where it was born, teaching it to underprivileged and imprisoned children. Could one offer greater liberation from oppression?)
One is liable to undersing the praises of Manuel Gago & Emilio Florido, who very much carry the momentum of the whole evening, weaving songs into a substantial cultural and historical fabric. Both born in Cadiz, they complement and contrast: Florido's warm timbre epitome of classic vocal aspiration; Gago with a brighter, more modern take on same. They are storytellers and cue every emotion every bit as vibrantly as the dancers and instrumentalists. And the handclaps and finger-snaps are an art in themselves.
The penultimate highlight of the evening is the burning presence of Barrio, in her Solea, pregnant with basic instincts and primal power, transporting us as she (herself, it seems) evolves, from reflective melancholy, through enduring intensity, to an animalistic catharsis. She demands attention: it's hard to know whether or not I remembered to breathe.
The clicks, clacks, claps and stomps of heels tap the deep roots of a tradition that reaches back and down, through fertile cultural soil, to a lone, tormented Andalusian singer, pouring out his injured heart in a cante jondo (literally, deep song). Though purveyors of cante might live much better, these days, the pain is still embodied in song, a living memorial to the very real suffering of those expelled and otherwise persecuted, by reason of monocultural myopia, reaching way back into the drama of Spanish history. This is, doubtless, the source of the passion and power so easily felt, still, by performers and audiences alike.
A tour de force. Ole'!
Arts Projects Australia and Maggie Gerrand present
Noche Flamenca
Adelaide
Her Majesty’s Theatre
16-20 June
Bookings: BASS 131 246 or www.bass.net.au
Sydney
Sydney Theatre
23-27 June
Bookings: 02 9250 1999 or www.sydneytheatre.org.au
Frankston
Arts Centre
30 June
Bookings: 03 9784 1060 or www.artscentre.frankston.vic.gov.au
Geelong
Performing Arts Centre
1 July
Bookings: 03 5225 1200 or www.gpac.org.au
Canberra
Canberra Theatre
3 July
Bookings: 02 62752700 or www.canberratheatre.com.au
Gold Coast
Arts Centre
4 July
Bookings: 07 5588 4000 or www.gcac.com.au
Melbourne
Playhouse Victorian Arts Centre
7-11 July
Bookings: Ticketmaster 1 300 136 166 or www.ticketmaster.com.au
Perth
Perth Concert Hall
16-18 July
Bookings: BOCS 08 9484 1133 or www.bocsticketing.com.au
