London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre opens its yearly flamenco festival with a lavish montage by the Spanish National Ballet. Guillermo Nazara shares his views on the show, to let us know if its romantic tribute to the country’s folklore turns out to be an ole-mpic triumph.
“To burn with desire and keep quiet about it is the greatest punishment we can bring on ourselves”. Lorca’s haunting words seemed to have, in some sort of strange, time-absent way, set up the cadence that forges the mystique of flamenco art. That flaming passion that keeps fascinating an entire world – sweeping audiences through the luscious enchantment of its treacherous lore.
Last night, the Sadler’s Wells theatre ruffled up as it welcomed the second performance of Invocación, a new piece arranged by the Spanish National Ballet, bringing out the piquant flavour of the country’s folklore – in a lavish showcase of classicism and tradition blended altogether, and concocting a colourful rhapsody of dark, earthy tones.
Choreographed by Rubén Olmo and featuring music by Manuel Busto, the piece take us through different scenarios of calé-shaped fantasias, where matadors and bailaoras raise up through a virtuous mix of tap and hand wrist twirls in an ever-flowing stream of precision, technique and some gentle specks of theatrical ardour.
Visually impressive and, all in all, executed with sufficient flawlessness, the few problems the montage presents stem from its supposed intention of telling a story without really managing to deliver one – offering us small snippets and hints of a narrative which, sadly, do not completely craft a gripping recount even within each number; thus, failing to preserve our full interest interest as the performance advances and, most wistfully, gets slightly repetitive.
A similar blemish could be pointed out when it comes to the company’s interpretation. Though jaw-drapping at quite a few moments due to the cast’s incredible synchronisation (turning into such a perfectly homogenised mass that, in some parts, it’s almost impossible to spot the smallest detail in their movement being out of place), their extreme obsession with exactness compromises (and occasionally, erases) every opportunity for their artistry to fully soar – restraining the fervour that should be both fuel and guidance to a genre where vehement freedom is all that matters.
Whimsically eye-catching and inexhaustibly emotional, Invocación successfully summons and encapsulates the spirit of the Spanish gypsy mythos, but still needs to weave its charms into a more solidified pattern that allows its spell to carry on. It flaunts beguilement and it is able to entice, but it must release the sentimental zest that’s still lying dormant in order to pour out the passion that gives it path and meaning. “At the heart of all great art is an essential melancholy”.
All pictures credit to Javier Fergo.
Sadler’s Wells’s Flamenco Festival plays until 22 June. Tickets are available on the following link.