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Flamenco recap
Dance: Like steel filings to a magnet, flamenco artists gravitated toward Austin during the 1990s. Maria Benitez, Jose Greco and his son, Jose Greco II, along with their troupes, made frequent, lingering visits, helping to promote an amateur company, Flamenco Austin, as well.
Those days are long gone. Yet One World Theatre, as it does with other near-lost art forms — jazz, certain kinds of world music — reminds us of Austin’s flamenco glory days by importing top artists from time to time.
Last night, Noche Flamenca, the Madrid-based touring group in a seven-member configuration, landed at the One World stage. And what a night it was.
Soledad Barrio, photo: Noche Flamenca
The guitarists thrummed their instruments like scented lovers, transporting the audience to distant tiled courtyards, cool under the stars. The singers reached deep into their chests to retrieve razored emotions, competing with each other as if shouting from topless towers.
The troupe’s star attraction is Soledad Barrio, a lithe dancer whose upper body movements and hand gestures form as many arabesques as any classical Indian dancer. She used the kick-stomp with particular effectiveness and swished her restrained dresses with discreet style. Barrio’s energy seemed to rise from an almost animal level of passion, but her moves were never less than refined.
Juan Ogalla — not a core company member — proved the surprise of the evening. Tall-ish, blue-eyed, wet-maned, slightly worn by time, he betrayed only the slightest charisma during his opening moves, but eventually produced a thunderstorm of explosive boot-work and off-balance jumps, eliciting a sustained ovation from the aroused audience.
We may see less flamenco in Austin these days, but who can complain when we are treated to troupes such as Noche Flamenca?
Permalink | | Categories: By Michael Barnes
