An Astonishing Flamenco Performance

Thanks to Ika who got the tickets for all of us. We were enjoying the-sweaty-part-by-Señor!

Tome a bailar con usted, Señor! (read : take me dance with you, Mister)

I could hardly contain my excitement as I stepped into the auditorium. Sitting on the audience seat before La Fragua performs was incredible. I ended up getting a nice seat. Row F, number 2,4,6,8,10. It was held at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, June 4,2009 at 08.00pm for 90minutes.

Behind of me, were some spanish guys screaming ‘Ole!’ every time their heart leaped with joy by the breathtaking actions the dancers and musicians did.

Watching Lola Rodriguez Jaramillo on stage last night was like meeting someone I adored in my previous life. The surprise, the awe, the experience were all brand new.

She entered from the left wing of the stage, and Jesus Herrera from the right. Now this man, I must say, looked a lot more handsome than I saw him in youtube. He wore black suit, same hair style, the same perspiration spraying out from it everytime he spins. Dramatic natural special effect! Darn!

Together they nailed the first dance item, transporting the feeling of lust and longing and clandestine love affair that they showed to the world by not showing it. Lola killed the audience with her back, torso and arms movements, and especially resurrected me from death and killed me again with her footworks.

And I believe I was actually in heaven of artistic souls when watching Jesus snap his fingers and become one with the beats his feet produced. I adored his eyes who beamed with passion, oblivious of thousand pairs of eyes which he enchanted. Dance for the sake of dancing.

The second bailaora came on stage (I have yet to find out her name). She wore black and was wrapped in red shawl. This dance piece that she brought, boasted more of rebelliousness, power and pride. She exhibited more of hand movements and executed stronger footwork. With her tall figure, the whole performance seemed phenomenal. I thought she was going to show some shawl attraction, but she kept the shawl buckled up on the back of her waist, left me curious.

But not for long, for after some mesmerizing musical piece done by Jose Manuel Tudela on guitar (yes, THAT spanish guitar) and Raul Fernandez Rodriguez on cajun drum, Lola came back.

Seeing her in that famous red polka-dotted white bata de cola and wrapped in red shawl, I knew she was going to show some amazing attractions. So, there she spin, kicking her dress’ tail and causing the stage dust to scatter and conspire with the other elements of the performance to create the supporting effects.

I was successfully stunned by her skill in playing with the shawl. Lola could make the shawl look alive just using one hand. Spinning it in the air, throwing it back to her body in such elegant ways. For one split second I had to make sure I wasn’t drooling.

Before I was fully recovered from the Lola Euphoria, she went out and replaced by Jesus. This bailaor came silently with an aura of a cyclone. Suit buttoned. Then, before he unbuttoned it, many spanish diplomats in suits had already began to unbutton theirs while screaming more of ‘Ole’s and reddening their palms from clapping too much. Jesus was simply spellbinding! He left me speechless with some even stronger and ridiculously fast footwork, impressive poses and of course the famous ‘many spins in one go’, something that we find a lot in kathak performances but not in flamenco dances.

I was also happy to see for the first time a flamenco dance with castanets performed by Lola and the other bailaora. The mood went up here, as castanets always intrigue somehow happiness and joy.

I don’t think it won’t be too much if I ask them to come back again next year, no? Otra mas!!!

PS: Here, I embed you clips of Compania Flamenco La Fragua doing one their best dances in bata de cola and shawl. Stunning!

Thanks to "The Light Bearer" for allowing and helping me in this story.

Source: http://thelightbearer.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/otra-mas/