Paco Peña revealed flamenco's innovative edge

The artist and his company gave us something as fresh today as in yesteryear, but ever authentic and always true to its roots.

World leading flamenco exponent, producer and performer, Mr. Peña cut through any stilted, archetypal image of the Spanish art form revealing its intrinsic innovative edge with its raw emotion and intoxicating expression in voice, dance and guitar which made for compelling viewing.

Bringing Andalucia to City Hall this year, Mr. Peña’s hand-picked company of artists made their second Bermuda Festival visit. Flamenco Vivo is his latest production and starts an international tour here.

Beginning with the flamenco singer Jesús Corbacho’s loan cry or “cante”, the full richly textured flavour that is flamenco began to emerge with the addition of the lyrical, rhythmic guitar and the percussive feet of the dancers. The viewer is drawn to their exquisitely expressive hands, the lightening speed of their heels and their whip-lash spins.  The pace and intensity is unrelenting.

Flamenco is an improvised artform which uses voice, guitar, handclapping and dance to create an eruption of emotion. No one of these elements takes precedence with each being an essential intrinsic part of the whole. Mr. Peña, the maestro himself and ever true to the genre spent the majority of the performance sitting humbly in the background with his other fellow musicians while the dancers took to the floor.

However, he did present one haunting guitar solo.  He undertook the piece’s intricate fretwork, caressing the instrument as if it were part of his very being.  It was mesmerising.

At the other end of the sound spectrum were full company pieces where voice and guitar were joined by a percussive orchestra of drum, clapping, stamping and castanets, an exhilarating mix of tribal proportions.

A varied combination of dancers and instrumentalists coloured the show with performers appearing in groups, ensemble or solo form.

Taking to the floor dancer Angel Muñoz cut a dramatic and charismatic presence. The speed of those heels was electrifying.  Joined by Charo Espino in duet with her impressive articulation through every joint, they delivered a graphic display of emotion, passion and intensity.

A force to be reckoned with was dancer Ramon Martinez, a sensual artist and compelling to watch with his shuddering heels as rapid as a humming bird’s wing.

Following a company number which opened the second act, Mr. Martinez was joined by Mr. Muñoz in a male duet, always agile, at times working independently and at other points in faultless unison. Dressed all in black like the instrumentalists — never has black looked so colourful.

Bringing the show to its finalé was Mr. Muñoz who works like a coiled spring with feet almost too fast for the naked eye.

The dynamics in range, tone and volume achieved by guitarists Paco Arriaga and Rafael Montilla together with Mr. Peña as well as percussion player Diego Alvarez and singers Mr. Corbacho and Immaculada Rivero was astounding.

Protracted and penetrating applause greeted the artists at curtain where performers dropped formal bows in favour of a bit of artistic discipline swapping. Ms Rivero exchanged her voice for dance shoes which brought the house down. The encore was like a party to which we’d all been invited. May the celebrations continue.