Above: dancer Gabriel Matias
~ Author: Oberon
Saturday January 7th matinee – Noche Flamenca has been at The Joyce all week, presenting the world premiere performances of Irrationalities, inspired by Goya’s Human Follies (Los Disparates) and choreographed by Martín Santangelo.
The evening-length work features original music, performed live by singers Emilio Florido, Carmina Cortés, and Salva Cortés, and guitarists Salva de María and Eugenio Iglesias. Masks by visual artist Mary Frank made an impact as the afternoon unfolded, and a huge contribution to the production’s success came from lighting designer Mark London.
The dancers listed were Paula Bolaños, María de la O, Stella Goldin García, Alexa Ratini, Juan Ogalla, Jesús Helmo, David Nieto, and Brazil-born Gabriel Matias. The playbill contained bios of these dancers, but no photos; it was therefore impossible, during the show, to put a name to a face.
The performance opened with the entire cast lounging on a low platform; one gentleman was speaking to the group but as I forgot most of my Spanish years ago, it was unclear what he was saying. One fellow danced briefly, and there was some clapping and a bit of singing.
The group breaks up and the dancing begins in earnest; the guitarists are fantastic, the singers superb. Señora Cortés has an uncanny voice: earthy, throaty, and full of passion and power…her soul seemed to communicate directly with mine: truly mesmerizing. The male vocalists are likewise impressive, and thoroughly engaging.
The program lists ten scenes – or stories – each seemingly related to one of the Goya artworks that have inspired the narrative. Since these images are not depicted in the playbill, one must have some fore-knowledge in order to appreciate the connection between art and dance. In some of the numbers, Ms. Frank’s mythic masks refer to the Goya visuals; these were especially telling. As the program evolved, it became less imperative to try to connect what we were hearing and watching to the artwork that inspired the creators: it was a performance of music and dance that was visually stunning, rhythmically entrancing, and musically magical.
A quartet for the male dancers had a competitive air; the footwork bedazzled us, the pride and passion of each dancer filling the music with meaning. This was followed by an equally vivid trio for the three women, clad in ruffled skirts. There was a poignant duet for the seated Señora Cortés and one of the female dancers, bound together by a long swathe of white fabric. Siguiriya, a long solo danced by Señor Ogalla, was the only segment in which the dancer (or dancers) was named. Ogalla’s dancing was a textbook in musicality and deeply-rooted knowledge of the style.
There was so much to absorb, and so much to savor, in this production. The audience seemed enthralled by it all; there was nary of whisper or a cough to be heard, though frequent olés! spurred the dancers and the players on to surpass themselves as the afternoon flowed by.
My first introduction to the world of flamenco came from watching Fanny Ara dancing some solos in a mixed bill a few seasons ago; I was so hoping Fanny would be dancing at The Joyce this afternoon. But there was a captivating new presence today to further enhance my interest in these dances: the young Brazilian danseur Gabriel Matias. With his silken black hair swept back into a top-knot, Gabriel’s noble bearing and impeccable footwork held the audience under a spell. What a gift to the world of dance!
~ Oberon
Oberon's Glade 