Flamenco Festival, Sadler’s Wells, London
June 12, 2024
If you have a taste for Spanish dance in all its various forms, then Invocación is the show for you.
Saving the flamenco for the second half of the show, the Ballet Nacional de España, a company of over 35 young dancers, initially offered styles including escuela bolera, contemporary dance with a Spanish twist, and danza estilizada.
The opening bolero number, Bolera, was performed to a newly commissioned contemporary musical composition. Given that the orchestration was reminiscent of the soundtrack to an Alfred Hitchcock thriller, it hardly seemed to serve the cheeriness and blithe spirit of escuela bolero, where ballet meets castanets. The dancers joyfully flitted and flew, performed the traditional bolero steps with joy and zest, in contradiction to the menacing musical tones.
Photo Ana Palma
Jauleña, was a female solo contemporary dance number, powerful and driven, matching the modern musical accompaniment. Muscular twists and contortions, flaying arms and relentless flow featured in this busy choreography.
The third section of the first half was Eterna Iberia, featuring danza estilizada that is athletic and bold when danced in masculine style, and sinuous and coquettish when danced feminine. Several delightful numbers ensued in quick succession, tapas-style. In one, five males stalked the stage in a tight pack and swirled their capes in glorious unison. Another highlight was when four couples, slinky women with castanets and macho men with sombreros, intertwined saucily. It all conjured up the archetypal image of Spanish dance couples, as featured in many an Andalusian picture postcard and embodied by many a souvenir doll. Kitsch, maybe, but performed here with wit, supreme style and maybe a bit tongue-in-cheek.
Photo Ana Palma
At half time, it felt like we had already been fed a feast, and yet there was more to come.
The second half, entitled Lo Flamenco, opened with a bare flamenco dance number accompanied by bare percussion… Then lights came up at the back revealing three guitarists, a percussionist and five singers. Oh joy, at last some live music and song!
The theatre came truly alive as the live accompaniment fed into a series of short flamenco dance numbers. Highlights included a male solo that was all fire and soul, danced to a musical adaptation of Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca’s verse. In ‘Nana de Colores,’ pastel-coloured batas de cola (tail dresses) flounced and flew in perfect unison. A feisty female tangos plus a fast and furious male bulerías followed, then a witty percussive choreography for nine men performed entirely while sat on swivel stools.
Photo Ana Palma
The singers often sang together (including a beautiful interpretation of ‘Catalina Mía’) which is unusual in flamenco but suited the nature of this show where swathes of dancers skated across the stage to form and reform, to challenge, to divide and to reunite like shoals of fish. Finally, a full company bulerías brought the evening to a climax, in which the precision of the group dancing still allowed individual dancers’ personalities to shine through.
If you only ever see one Spanish dance show, make sure you see Ballet Nacional de España’s Invocación!