Those feet were Med for dancing and that's just what they'll do...
WHILE hundreds of South Yorkshire sun-seekers fly to Spain for guaranteed sunshine Spanish feet will bring a taste of the Med this way next week.
Ramon Baeza and Montse Sanchez direct and choreograph two shows at The Lyceum Theatre – Breviario & Increpa2 – for Barcelona's Increpacion Danza in association with Sheffield-based Danceworks UK in what is a UK premiere for the region.
Take the passion of flamenco, fuse it with the intensity of contemporary dance and then sprinkle with a little Broadway magic and you have what some are hailing as one of the year's most exciting dance events.
Breviario is an emotionally-charged new work from Increpacion Danza, inspired by the sound of 1930s Spanish music hall.
The piece, performed on Friday and Saturday evenings, captures the mood of the years immediately before the Spanish Civil War in much the same way that Broadway and movie classic Cabaret presented a dazzling image of 1930s Berlin.
Co-director Baeza admits that one of his most important initial influences was Cabaret director Bob Fosse's unforgettably sleazy world of Sally Bowles and the Kit Kat Club.
"One of my very first propositions was Fosse and Cabaret, though I don't like to say that too much," he concurs. "If somebody sees it, then that's all right and I admit it was the cue for the staging of the show. Cabaret is a movie I must have seen 20 or 30 times and I used the same references – it helped me to translate in terms of popular Spanish music."
Although this showbiz influence is a new move for Increpacion Danza, Ramon believes it is one that fits perfectly with the mood of Breviario.
"The '20s and '30s was when Spanish Flamenco became very big even in New York," he points out, adding that in just a few years even Hollywood was seeking out Latin stars like the outrageous Carmen Miranda and the legendary Rita Hayworth. "There was a moment when flamenco became music hall and then became part of big shows on Broadway."
Working with his long-time artistic collaborator and co-director Sanchez, one of the great stars of flamenco, Ramon allows the show's four dancers - Helga Carafi, Vanesa Dominguez, Marisa Guimil and Ruth Garcia - to make their own vital contributions to the piece. The result is a production that provides a mesmerising blend of dance styles and theatre magic.
Meanwhile, on Saturday afternoon only (July 4, 2pm) Danceworks UK in partnership with Sheffield Children's Festival and Sheffield Theatres also present the UK premiere of Increpa2, a family-friendly show full of fun and flamenco created by Increpacin Danza director's Snchez and Baeza and performed by the dancers from Breviario.
Playing with the passion of flamenco and a touch of theatre, the result is a cheeky, imaginative cabaret-style show, ideal for children aged four and above and their families.
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Friday 10 February 2012
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