BWW Reviews: THE SOUL OF FLAMENCO Stuns at Walt Whitman Theatre

Before anyone spoke, before song and the invention of instruments, there was movement. From the ground up, the human form awoke to the sound of the heart. From that moment until today, performance arts have flourished.

In this way, The Soul of Flamenco began, a diversely brilliant program of the company, Flamenco Vivo. Ángel Muñoz, also a choreographer, kicked the floor underneath a spotlight before a teeming crowd at the Walt Whitman Theatre stage of the Brooklyn Center for the Performing Arts.

The flamenco dance is not an exhibition of lovers. It is an act of defiance in the face of authority. There are also comic touches, and characterful exuberance. The dancers, such as the breathtaking Charo Espino, flaunted the wholeness of the human form as dignified and inspired.

Roma culture, wherefrom the flamenco arts are rooted, has endured hateful stereotypes in Spain, and across Europe. Americans alike stigmatize the roving gypsy as a bohemian thief. The reality is contrary to such myths, and each stamp of mesmerizing footwork choreographed by Carlota Santana exhibited this struggle for space, as for artistic freedom.

Dance Magazine named Santana "The Keeper of Flamenco". Clearly, she has not gone without due recognition for her humanizing artistry, having also received La Cruz de la Orden al Merito Civil from the King and Government of Spain for her lifelong dedication to flamenco.

The virtuosity of Santana spoke through her ability to harmonize contemporary dance with the informal, family-oriented traditions of authentic Roma culture. As such, the highly choreographed Mujeres, unraveled with improvisatory lightness in Las Fiestas. Further, Música Flamenca and Fin De Fiesta showcased the power of the music alone.

At the core of the performances, Flamenco Vivo, New York's most beloved, and longstanding flamenco company, presented eight-year-old Maria López center stage as the entire company clapped to encourage the future of flamenco, alive and fresh as ever.

Photo Credit: Anjelica Escoto

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