Furia Flamenca: Footwork Without Flair

Flamenco dance is a genre characterized by bold, explosive expression with no shortage of passion and drama. Unfortunately, in its performance at Dance Place Saturday night, the D.C.-based company Furia Flamenca mostly lacked that spirit. Many of the performers seemed coy and uncertain, wearing forced grins or, worse, blank stares. The steps were executed without the bravado and abandon that make flamenco so exhilarating to watch.

A clear exception was Estela Velez, the company's artistic director and also a performer. From the first click of her heel, Velez danced with authority and enthusiasm.

She was particularly enticing in "Guiajiras," a duet with Daniel Paredez that brimmed with believable chemistry.

The most effective piece was "Martinete," in which the dancers cast off traditional costumes in favor of plain black leotards and pants. Each dancer carried a cane and banged it against the floor in time with the music.

This added to the complex rhythms the dancers were churning out with their feet. Later in the piece, they skillfully wielded the canes over their heads, around their torsos, and clicked them against other dancers' canes.

Timing problems seemed to plague the company throughout the evening.

While the difficult footwork was usually on point, occasionally a dancer would lose the rhythm, resulting in a mistimed arm movement or a flawed end pose. In a style of dance where rhythm is so critical, these moments were noticeable and distracting.

-- Sarah Halzack