Passion for flamenco
The Grupo Nuevo Flamenco’s presentation at Barcino, Greenbelt 2, was a defining moment for Emma Estrada, the founder and teacher of Fundacion Centro Flamenco.
Estrada raised the bar of her art once again when she created a new genre of flamenco dance by employing cutting-edge modern techniques to the classics. She trained a new batch of talented dancers demanding nothing short of the passion and dedication that she feels for flamenco.
The Grupo Nuevo Flamenco performers were Katsie Llave, Nina Prats, Maritzi Aquino, Belen Co, Audrey General, Nestle Tinoco, Susan Feltalvero Roces, Nina Glorioso, and its newest bright star, 18-year-old Russell Wisden. While sticking to the basic principles and grace of classic flamenco, Estrada’s group of dancers performed her modern version of the old dances with a lot of artistry and grace. Their synchronization showed evidence of long hours of practice.
For those not familiar with flamenco, definitions are in order. Flamenco is a style of music and dance that is considered part of the culture of Spain, although it is actually native to only one region — Andalusia. Along with the Andalusian origins, Gypsy, Byzantine, Sephardic and Moorish elements have always been cited as influenced in the development of flamenco. The dance is a highly expressive dance form. It was originally a solo dance (but has now evolved into group dances), which is characterized by handclapping, rhythmic feet stomping, and intricate hand, arm and body movements. Dancers must follow a strict framework of rhythmic patterns. Guitarists provide the music for flamenco, sometimes accompanied by a singer. The greatest joy of flamenco dancing is watching the personal expression and emotions of the dancers, which change many times during the performance.
Flamenco dancers, known as bailaores, are serious and passionate. Typical of flamenco dance, a dancer will often stand motionless and free of expression for the first moments of a song. Then as the emotion builds, the dancer will begin a passionate dance. Katsie Llave’s solo number had all these elements. An excellent flamenco dancer, she choreographed her own solea (solitude) where she showed the pathos of life, love and death. Her interpretation of solea had forceful zapateados (a rhythmic combination of sounds made by stepping with the toe, sole, and heel of the foot). Her choreography, aside from the strong zapateados and pateos (hard stepping movements), had a femininity factor as she showed graceful hand and arm movements, undulating hips and swerving waistlines. The expressions on her face varied with the different emotions she exuded. Estrada’s solo dance number Alegrias only showed her mastery of her art. Her passion was so palpable that the crowd could not help but break into intermittent applause all throughout her performance. Alegrias is a happy dance characterized by its dynamism, grace and fluency. The difference from other styles is that apart from the steps that are typical of flamenco dancing, it also introduces the silencio, the part, that is reserved for melodic guitar playing. During the silencio portion, Estrada showed her expertise of zapateados, very intricate footwork, which she executed with masterful steps. Estrada’s dance met international standards judging from the applause of the Spanish group of flamenco aficiona-dos present. Her movements were so fluid, her steps distinct and sharp. The 18-year-old Russel Wisden added luster to the all-ladies ensemble with his commanding presence. Dancing solo in Martinete and with Katsie Llave in the Bulerias number, Russel already shows promise of being a dynamic flamenco dancer.
Bulerias is a boisterous, festive and happy dance distinguished for its fast rhythm, which makes it suited for the jaleos (loud expressions of admirations through shouting, interjections and gestures from onlookers.) Bulerias tends to be the dance that finishes off any flamenco get-together. When this is the case, the entire company gets together in a semi circle and one-by-one the performers come out to do their solo numbers. The Grupo Nuevo Flamenco dancers came out with their own short solo numbers in the Bulerias, Tangos, the Martinete and Sevillanas. Judging from their excellent performances, they could be on their way to being world-class dancers if they continue to study with the passion and commitment of their teacher.
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For interested parties, call Fundacion Centro Flamenco 359-8761 or 9949925, or visit SJG Center, 5th floor, 8463 Kakayaan Ave., Makati City.
