Flamenco frenzy

Published on October 17, 2007

Flamenco

Spain's leading dance company, Ballet Nacional de Espana, brought the curtain down on Bangkok's ninth International Festival of Dance and Music last week with two vivacious performances which mirrored the fantastic energy that's gone into the performing arts showcase over the past five weeks.

Two performances of "Caprichos, Dualia and Cambalache", a triple-bill of flamenco and Spanish dance productions staged last Wednesday and Thursday - the latter graciously presided over by HRH Princess Chulabhorn Walailak representing Her Majesty Queen Sirikit - received loud cheers and a thundering standing ovation.

The characteristics of flamenco dance were well represented in "Caprichos", which combined toque (Spanish acoustic guitar playing), cante (singing), baile (dancing) and staccato palmas (hand clapping). The dancers passionately performed all steps with vigour and precision, and the contrast between the fast-moving feet and the slow-moving braceo (arm movements) was delightful to watch.

"Dualia", a classical Spanish dance backed with rhythmic castanuellas (castanets), was lighter and more graceful than traditional flamenco, and the dancers again showed excellent technique. The two lead women in their long-tailed skirts gave a charming performance, brilliantly commanding the skirts, which require great skill to control.

For many, the highlight of the piece was the powerful "dance duel" in which two male dancers challenged one another, taking turns to show off their baffling dance steps.

Regrettably, however, there was no live music during this second part. Although Jose Nieto's score was beautiful, the difference between the live and the canned was all too apparent and stood out all the more for being used in between two productions that benefited from live guitar, percussion and singing.

The evening returned to flamenco with "Cambalache", a work that left the audience breathless thanks to the marvellous dancing of the young male soloist. His fast and complicated footwork was truly amazing, with swift vueltas (turns) performed one after another. More importantly, he managed to conquer this very technical and demanding solo with expressiveness and vibrancy from beginning to end.

Looking back at all 16 programmes over the past 33 days, many in the audience would have to agree that this ninth festival was more memorable than the previous eight, and all participating companies, agencies and individuals should be proud. This is despite some disappointing shows, such as the festival's curtain raiser, "His Majesty's Blues Concert", Pallabi De and Kathak Dancers, and the Seoul Metropolitan Dance Theatre.

Sadly, several problems from previous years remain unsolved. While the festival has already proved its contribution to contemporary Thai performing arts, it has received very little financial support from the Thai government, in comparison to overseas counterparts. If the state's notion that the world class dance and music performances presented here are "foreign" persists, members of the public can only wonder how many more years this annual event will last.

For many audience members, the highlight of highlights was Zurich Ballet's "A Midsummer Night's Dream". World-renowned choreographer Heinz Spoerli's imaginative reinterpretation of this classic crossed all sorts of cultural boundaries, burst prejudices, and married not just ballet and theatre, but also contemporary and classical arts, and western arts and Thai audiences.

Readers may have already noticed that The Nation has given more in-depth coverage to this production than any other show, and both reviewers can report that they sat glued through performances on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, a repeat viewing that no other show merited.

Other delights from this festival that linger in the mind are Compagnia Aterballetto's vigorous "Romeo and Juliet" and Kibbutz Contemporary Dance Company's enchanting "Upon Reaching the Sun": The dance component of this festival was stronger than ever.

High ticket prices may have prevented some from attending as many performances as they would have wished, especially in a year when there were a good number of must-sees. A simple solution for future years may be to offer package ticketing, giving big discounts to those who buy tickets to three or more performances, as overseas festivals have been doing.

Notably this year, Siam Cement Group, one of the festival's main sponsors, has taken a new direction in developing the audience for the future. Purchased from the organiser at a discounted price, 100 tickets were given out free to students at every performance. Alongside this innovation, perhaps the organiser might consider educational components, like putting a downloadable study guide on the festival's website.

Eight and a half out of 10, then, for this year's efforts - though some would probably go as far as nine, judging by audience reactions. Hopefully this will go up to 10 next year. Our congratulations to the organiser, International Cultural Promotions.

Bangkok's 10th International Festival of Dance and Music is scheduled for September 7 to October 19, 2008. Visit Bangkokfestivals.com, or keep reading 'The Nation', for further updates.

Special thanks to Egasith Chotpakditrakul, president of Media Transasia Thailand, and the press relations team of 124 Communications for their assistance during the festival.

Jasmine Baker and  Pawit Mahasarinand

 The Nation