Thank God for Noche Flamenca. Or rather thank Martin Santangelo, Noche’s artistic director, and Soledad Barrio, the company’s leading lady, who have been conferring a yearly miracle on New York since 1998: an exceptional flamenco ensemble that blends traditional material with a contemporary gestalt and profound mastery of the form.
The company’s six-day run at Joe’s Pub, from Dec. 30 through Jan. 6, was nothing short of heaven sent. From cheery to despairing, heartrending to hilarious, the program comprised a well-designed spectrum of musical forms, or palos—martinete, alegrias, solea (Barrio’s signature), bulerias—that highlighted the ensemble’s full emotional palette, as well as the broad scope of flamenco itself. Audiences shot to their feet at show’s end, begging for more.
The company’s work is animated by the intelligence of its star players—Barrio, Santangelo and singer Manuel Gago. Barrio’s dancing, feeling made flesh, subsumes, so that you’re not watching but living what she’s dancing. In truth, she makes you weep, but only a fool wouldn’t recognize the consummate technical abilities behind her achievement. She also has a remarkable capacity for developing a dance phrase into a comprehensive existential statement—de rigueur for flamenco singing, but exceptionally rare in the dance.
Santangelo’s genius for theater focuses on unique staging and keeping the performance fresh. “I throw in a monkey wrench to surprise them; that way they have to stay on their toes, because the big thing is being completely present in every show,” he says. “Some things are mounted. There’s a lot of improvisation, but I fight for it.”
Cadiz-born Gago is fast becoming one of the best singers of his generation. With a pure, high tone favored in modern flamenco circles, extraordinary discipline and vast knowledge of the repertoire, his deep exploration of the old language of flamenco brings forth new experiments in expression. Other noteworthy cast members include dancer Alejandro Granados, singer Pepe el Bocadillo, guitarist Eugenio Iglesias and dancer Sol “La Argentinita.”
Fulfilling their mission to educate audiences about flamenco, Barrio—a superb instructor—gives dance workshops whenever the company is in town, usually twice a year. Now, to put icing on the cake, Santangelo plans on opening a school on the Upper West Side, establishing a permanent presence in New York. Talk about heaven sent!
