Flamenco sin Fronteras

HEADLINE:  BURNING RHYTHM AND RAW SPIRIT    * * * *

 

‘…splendid are the musicians and the dancers Charo Espino, Angel Muñoz  and Ramón Martínez. The Venezuelans offer the delicious sonorities of mandolin and cuatro, proposing flamenco that owes something to Africa in dazzling percussion effects. A stimulating evening, and beguiling.‘        

Financial Times, Clement Crisp - September 2009.

 

 

HEADLINE:  FIERY FUSION IS KINDLED BY THE FLAME OF GENIUS    * * * * * 

 

‘As the show progresses through exquisite solos, ensembles and duets…the elements fuse before our very eyes and ears.

…the push-me-pull-you crossover continues through a free-spirited battle of music al wills to climax in a concussive orgy of music and dance that threatens to blow the roof off the auditorium. A fantastic night.’

Daily Express, Neil Norman - September 2009

 

 

HEADLINE: DANCE AND MUSIC-MAKING THIS GOOD ARE RARE    * * * *

 

'...Peña has an alchemist’s gift when it comes to mixing the strands of dance, song and soul that throb through flamenco’s passionate emotions. Here, Peña and his director, Jude Kelly , have taken a searching look at the way flamenco evolved in Latin America during the early decades of the 20th century.'

The Times, Allen Robertson - September 2009

 

 

'Flamenco sin Fronteras is a cultural performance which transcends any of the clichés attached to this form.  Searching South American culture for connections between Flamenco and Venezuelan music and dance provided the thematic content of Paco Peña’s latest show.  Opening with a signature guitar solo the audience was left in no doubt that they were in the presence of greatness - to say nothing of the supporting musicians or the dancers!'

Londondance.com, Libby Costello - September 2009

 

 

HEADLINE: EARTHY RHYTHMS AND ULULATING VOCALS * * *

 

'...The Venezuelan drummers are virtuosic, and it is hard to believe that there are just three dancers in Peña's troupe. The taut, rigorous patterning of Ramón Martinéz and the flamboyance of Angel Muñoz cover the gamut of male flamenco, while Charo Espino can distil a whole dance tradition through the eloquence of her hands. As for Peña, there is surely no other guitarist with his range – a master of limpid classical lyricism who can also open up raw wounds of emotion.'

The Guardian, Judith Mackrell - September 2009

 

 

HEADLINE: A FASCINATING FUSION OF FLAMENCO TRADITIONS WITH THE SOUNDS OF LATIN AMERICA AND AFRO-VENEZUELAN FOLKLORE' 

 

'...The stage is set with a simple semicircle of music ians clustered around the central dancers - elegant white sheets draped and layered behind them. Such a minimalistic setting forces the spotlight on to the astonishingly natural synthesis of sounds, as Afro-Venezuelan beats join in ebullient harmony with traditional flamenco guitars.'

THE STAGE, Sarah Wilkinson - September 2009