Flamenco dancer Jose Barrios returned Thursday to the GALA Hispanic Theatre’s annual flamenco festival with a new program,“Flamenco Algarabia,” and dancer, Ana Gonzalez, making her first appearance in Washington. Gonzalez was a spitfire, but it was Barrios and the musicians who carried the show beyond being a mere concert and into moments that made one’s heart leap with joy.
The show opened in darkness with lights attached to Barrios’s feet and arms. The lights seemed to move by themselves in the darkness. It was novel and promising. But then the main lights came and the concert began. There was no link between the add-on prelude and the program that followed.
Toward the end of the program, there was an intense solo (tango “Mother’s Madness”) by talented young singer Gema Caballero. Artifice fell away and the music became pure and electrifying. This was followed by Barrios, whose solo (balada tango “Crazy Man Games”) shot into the same unearthly realm. These were magical moments.
“Flamenco Algarabia,” was an overall label for a grab bag of excursions into different styles and genres, including bulerias, fandangos, alegrias and tangos. There also were children’s songs, a popular Arabic tune, and some playacting. At one point, Barrios pulled a skirt from a trunk and dressed Gonzalez, who was standing still pretending to be a doll. It had the random feel of, “Oh, this is a good idea. Let’s throw it in.”
Kitschy moments aside (and they were, thankfully, occasional), Gonzalez and Barrios proved to be a power couple. Both excelled in footwork. Gonzalez’s footwork was equal in intensity to that of her male partner. She is an angular dancer, more concerned with acceleration than grace. While she revs like a race car at the starting line, Barrios uses his powerful engine to race recklessly forward, following his heart, his imagination and the music.
Squires is a freelance writer.
The Seventh International Flamenco Festival continues Friday and Saturday; it resumes Nov. 26 with a family program and Dec. 2-4 with the Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company.
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