| Flamenco sets the stage on fire |
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| Written by Lucille Davie | |
| Thursday, 15 May 2008 | |
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A simple set, three flamenco guitars, a percussionist, two singers and three terrific flamenco dancers - and magic is created. 
Flamenco guitar maestro Paco Peňa
NO fancy stage backdrops, no fancy lighting, no fancy costume changes - but plenty of fancy footwork and supreme guitar playing. This is what is happening on stage at the Nelson Mandela Theatre, and it goes by the name of Paco Peňa: A Compás, the creation of Paco Peňa, one of the world's great flamenco guitarists. A Compás is Spanish for "to the rhythm" and from the moment the curtain goes up it's easy to get into the rhythm, with the pulsating beat of three flamenco guitars, a percussionist, two singers and three terrific flamenco dancers. Says Peňa: "The evolution of flamenco is bound up with the history of Andalusia, where, over the centuries, Europe has mingled with Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas. Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Celts, Moors, Jews and Gypsies made their home in the region, whose unique melting pot of cultures found expression in diverse forms: the brilliance of Arabic and Moorish art; the works of great literary figures like Seneca, Maimŏnides and Lorcas, and the music and dance of flamenco." 
Angel Muňoz and Charo Espino in full flamenco flow
You can hear and see all these influences in the show, at times taking you to the fireside of a Gypsy camp and at others to a Spanish town square, where it's easy to imagine someone picking up a guitar and strumming in glorious style, while men and women step forward to dance in passionate movements. Peňa, born in the Andalucian city of Córdoba, has been playing guitar since the age of six, making his first professional appearance at 12. His flamenco dance company has toured the world, and he was judged best flamenco guitarist of the year by Guitar magazine for five consecutive years. This show premiered at London's famous Sadler's Wells in 2006 and was a huge success. The bold, single-colour backdrops, several chairs moved around the stage, and wonderfully subtle lighting serve to enhance the magic happening on the stage. The dancers perform individually and together, their sensuous bodies moving in hypnotic rhythms. Their feet are like another instrument on stage, always moving, always exploring another space in an almost impromptu exactness. Angel Muňoz in particular was captivating, dancing with an almost incomprehensible mix of spontaneity, precision, finesse and grace while remaining absolutely masculine. This is how men are meant to dance. Is it the primal beats and spellbinding dance that leave one with a feeling of extreme wellbeing, or is it just the pure musicality that flows from the performers on stage? Whichever, this is a flamenco show you shouldn't miss. Paco Peňa: A Compás is on at the Nelson Mandela Theatre, in the Civic Theatre complex in Braamfontein, until Sunday, 18 May; then it tours to Australia. Related stories: |
