Flamenco's new blood

The Nuevo Ballet Espanol wrapped up a month-long Asian tour at the Thailand Cultural Centre last Sunday, adding the panache of "Sangre Famenca" ("Flamenco Blood") to the International Festival of Dance and Music.

Amid movements and music that sounded familiar there were acutely modern twists, offering a wholly new experience in watching flamenco. Thanks go to the Spanish Embassy and International Cultural Promotions for familiarising us with nuevo flamenco.

Some in the audience gave the 11 skilful dancers and seven musicians a deserved standing ovation at the end of an 85-minute performance that seemed to speed by.

I too realised that I'd been transported to their passion-filled world of dance, and knew that I'd made a mistake by not including the show among my must-see festival picks two months ago.

The choreographers and lead dancers, Angel Rojas and Carlos Rodriguez, studied with Jose Granero, one of the revered masters of traditional Spanish dance.

"He's the most important person to us," Rodriguez told me before the show, "because he taught us special ways to understand Spanish dance. We learned that it's necessary to put into the performance our lives - all of the happiness and troubles - and the lives of the viewers.

"Flamenco is one of the most passionate ways to transmit emotions using dance and music. It's our life, our career and our therapy."

R&R - as the sign on their dressing-room door identified them - moved on to the Ballet Nacional de Espana, becoming exposed to all variety of dance styles.

After sharing the country's Dance and Choreography Award in 1994, R&R co-founded the Nuevo Ballet Espanol, making it clear from the beginning that they weren't "just another flamenco troupe".

"We want to say new things," Rojas explained. "Traditional flamenco is quite closed to new things.

"At first people didn't understand what we wanted - they weren't used to seeing this kind of experimentation - but little by little we got bigger audiences, and now there are companies imitating us."

"We also get younger audiences," Rodriguez added, "because we too are part of the new generation. We need to put in what's happening in the world now, and that's what attracts them.

"In the meantime we're working with a Spanish tradition, so we get older viewers too. The two age groups identify with different parts of the show."

Rodriguez stressed that the troupe is open to dance styles other than flamenco.

"Of course, I identify with flamenco the most, and the musicians are flamenco, but our violinist, for example, is working for a symphony orchestra too. It's important for people who work with flamenco to have different knowledge and qualities."

I asked how they split the decision-making.

"We've known each other for more than 20 years," Rodriguez said. "We have freedom when we create works together."

"One secret to our work together is that we have no rules," Rojas added.

Rojas called "Sangre Flamenca" their most "commercial" show - aimed at "opening up the market" - whereas their new work now touring Europe, "Cambio de Terrcio", has been described by critics as their most traditional.

"We need to go backward in order to go on," Rojas said. "It's still the mix of traditional and modern."

Let's hope that they bring "Cambio de Tercio" to Bangkok soon. We'd certainly like to see more of them.

The Nuevo Ballet Espanol is online at www.NBEFlamenco.com.

Festival continues

Bangkok's 12th International Festival of Dance and Music continues through October 24 at the Thailand Cultural Centre.

Get seats from www.ThaiTicketMajor.com.

Get the complete programme at www.BangkokFestivals.com.

Pawit Mahasarinand

Special to The Nation