Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca

Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca, concluding its run today at Time Square's New Victory Theater, has long been one of my favorite troupes of any discipline, offering an unvarnished, powerful brand of flamenco dance, guitar and song. But that doesn't mean that Martin Santangelo's world-renowned company is above making a few missteps.

Despite New Victory's own modest size, the theater managed to dwarf Santangelo's production, and S. Benjamin Farrar's tenebristic lighting scheme nearly obscured much of it. I wanted to liberate the company from its setting, scrape the awkward darkness away from these familiar faces. I longed for Theatre 80, the teeny-tiny East Village hall where Barrio and her colleagues usually make their Manhattan stand, proximity and lighting invoke an intimate tablao, and audiences feel the passion in every cell.

Even at Theatre 80, I would have found this show wanting. The program notes for the opener --Camino, a world premiere by Santangelo--allude to the struggles of refugee children and to the work of a UN agency that provides protection and aid. One could say that much of flamenco expresses human pain and, often, a proud, stubborn heroism in the face of life's unpredictable challenges. Although the allusion is sincere, any connection between flamenco and refugee children is not clearly reflected in this presentation. And, though New Victory specializes in family-oriented, kids-friendly companies, I wonder just how much the small children attending this show could grasp of either the culture of flamenco or Santangelo's stated inspiration.

Noche Flamenca still packs great value. The blending of guitarists Salva de Maria and Eugenio Iglesias is as rich, warm and dreamy as ever; Manuel Gago and Emilio Florido, royal lions of flamenco song, continue to go from strength to strength. Dancer Manuela Vargas--earthy in form and manner, sometimes a Fury--turns the simplest pivot into a matter of gathering focus and contemplation. And, most of all, Barrio's dancing seems to become more pliant with every performance, transcending technique to infuse every solo or duet with character, drama, color, life. Heart's blood is in everything she does.

Since Noche Flamenca devotes itself to a pared-back purity, the reliability of each artist becomes paramount. The troupe would not be able to hide weaknesses behind a glitzy, pumped-up theatrical production. Which, uncomfortably, brings me to guest artist Manuel Reyes, ideal for a flamenco Riverdance.

Reyes--wiry, intense, dramatically bald-headed--has absolutely drop-dead perfect technique. Sad to say, he's not a good fit for Noche Flamenco. He is like a piece of steel dropped down in a field of wildflowers. While admiring his sharp line, his crisp attack, even the choreographic sass of his farruca--De Aquí, de alli, de hoy, de ayer--I was alienated by the fact that he fails to radiate genuine feeling. (And Reyes's De Aquí is a very, very long dance to watch if you're not having a good time.) Watch him dancing beside Barrio in their alegrías duet and see who is just delivering the steps and who is the more giving, creative interpreter of choreography.

In past seasons, the company has benefited from great male dancers like Antonio Jimenez "El Chupete" and Alejandro Granados, each, in his own way, a rivetting soloist and a worthy match for powerhouse Barrio. This loyal fan hopes Santangelo will bring them back.

Read my July 2008 review of Noche Flamenca's El Mar at Theatre 80.