Flamenco is defined by its ability to access 鈥渢he fullness and intensity of the moment, living it to the fullest and transmitting that to the public,鈥� says Miguel Marin, director of Flamenco Festival Miami XVI.
Flamenco Festival Miami XVI brings to the Adrienne Arsht Center鈥檚 Knight Concert Hall stars of dance and music with unique ways of connecting with one another and with the intensity that characterizes Spain鈥檚 most emblematic art form. On Wednesday, March 5, Thursday, March 6 and Sunday, March 9, this year鈥檚 three performances will feature Manuel Li帽谩n & Compa帽铆a in the passionate, no-holds-barred 鈥淢uerta de Amor,鈥� the acclaimed soloist Eva Yerbabuena in 鈥淵erbag眉ena (Oscuro Brillante),鈥� and Patricia Guerrero and Alfonso Losa鈥檚 stunning duet, 鈥淎lter Ego.鈥�
Mar铆n explains in a telephone interview that it isn鈥檛 merely technical brilliance that makes a flamenco artist into an icon; rather, it鈥檚 the ineffable gift of being able to communicate great emotions without so much as moving a finger.
鈥淚t is about holding the silence, holding stillness, holding that moment when you are motionless, when you have no resources to turn to.鈥� He explains that 鈥渨hen Eva [Yerbabuena] enters a stage, simply walking, there an energetic change takes place.鈥� With Guerrero, who was recently named director of the Ballet Flamenco de Andaluc铆a, her mere presence 鈥渓ights up the stage.鈥�
鈥淚t is not about technique, about pirouettes,鈥� says Mar铆n, 鈥渋t is about presence and depth in terms of an internal connection鈥� with a more spiritual part, a more intimate part of the artist.鈥�
In 鈥淎lter Ego,鈥� Guerrero and Losa explore the energetic connections that they experience onstage, a bond neither has found with any other dance partner. Awarded four top prizes at the 2023 Jerez Festival, 鈥淎lter Ego鈥� is an unbridled exploration of emotional and creative chemistry by two artists at the height of their powers.
鈥淭he beauty of this show,鈥� says Guerrero, 鈥渓ies in the love and respect we have for each other and our differences. Because it is important to know what sets us apart in order to come together.鈥�
In technically brilliant solos, they search separately for the alter ego that lives in each of them. Finally, the two come together, creating in that highly sensual moment a 鈥渢hird character鈥� that Guerrero says 鈥渟tands beyond the two of us.鈥�
Love as a creative force appears as a common theme across the three shows of this year鈥檚 Flamenco Festival Miami. Eva Yerbabuena, whom Mar铆n calls 鈥渢he queen of traditional flamenco, flamenco 鈥榩or derecho,鈥� 鈥� has spent the better part of her career sharing the stage with her husband and soulmate, guitarist Paco Jarana.
鈥淔or me, it is an honor to have an artist, a musician and composer like Paco, at my side,鈥� she says, not only for his ability to intuit, moment by moment, precisely what she needs onstage, but also in the way they inspire each other in the development of their art. Over the years, in studios and rehearsal halls, the two have mined their deep connection to develop a creative methodology that, she says, is infallible. Their work, both in partnership and as independent artists, has garnered critical acclaim in the flamenco world and beyond.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not, 鈥業 feel this music and you choreograph it,鈥� explains Yerbabuena. 鈥淭hen there are two paths鈥� two rivers that don鈥檛 quite meet, but rather run parallel, right?鈥� With Jarana and her, those rivers find their force by running together.
That nexus between music and dance has always been an intriguing feature of flamenco: since its inception as a performing art form, audiences have been fascinated to observe a group of musicians and dancers communicate with precision without anyone uttering a single word. But the other magical element of that exchange is how the musicians give the dancer access to the deepest recesses of her imagination.
For Yerbabuena, 鈥渃ante jondo,鈥� flamenco鈥檚 鈥渄eep song,鈥� is the key to entering that place of ecstasy and risk. Mar铆n observes that 鈥渨hat we call duende, that magic, searching for oneself inside, she searches for it through singing.鈥�
鈥淥scuro Brillante鈥� is itself a study of opposites, says Yerbabuena. 鈥淟ight and dark, rigidity and softness, all that forms a contrast鈥� is its subject matter. Searching out those contrasts, she wraps herself in the luxuriant sounds of four voices, those of Miguel Ortega, Antonio 鈥淓l Turri,鈥� Manuel de Gines and Ezequiel Montoya.
鈥淭hey have very different voices,鈥� she says, 鈥渧ery distinct melismas, all marvelous.鈥�
In fact, all of the musicians performing this year, says Mar铆n, have been critical not just to the performances but to the development of the three works. Singer Sandra Carrasco, who was a standout at last year鈥檚 Gala Flamenca, appears together with Ismael 鈥淓l Bola鈥� in 鈥淎lter Ego.鈥� Guerrero likens their artistic partnership to the one between she and Losa鈥攁 study in difference uniting in a whole that is even greater than the sum of its parts. And in 鈥淢uerta de Amor,鈥� singer Mara Rey fills the stage with a dramatic intensity that recalls figures like Lola Flores or Isabel Pantoja.
The intensity radiated by the performers in 鈥淢uerta de Amor鈥濃�攕even dancers and five musicians in total鈥攊s heady, nearly overwhelming. Li帽谩n fills 90 electrifying minutes laying bare the power of fantasy, of physical desire between men, of passions both carnal and emotional. Love and lust, he seems to say, come in many forms鈥攚hy not celebrate them at their fullest?
Here, as in 鈥淰iva!,鈥� the worldwide hit that Li帽谩n brought to the Arsht in 2022, the choreographer elevates the LGBTQ side of flamenco from its historical place in the shadows. Although always present in the art form, says Mar铆n, this community 鈥渨as hidden, pretending to be what it is not.鈥� He points to the courage that artists like Li帽谩n have to say, 鈥溾�楴o鈥鈥檓 going to be me, I鈥檓 going to be authentic鈥� and show the truth of who I am. 鈥欌��
鈥淚n the end, what defines flamenco in a very important sense is the authenticity of the artist,鈥� he says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not the choreography. It鈥檚 that the artist who bares himself completely and can express his truth.鈥�
His recommendation to the public?
鈥淐ome open to the artist鈥檚 intent,鈥� he asks. 鈥淐ome open to what the artist has to tell us.鈥� Even if it is for just one night, let down your guard and allow yourself to connect with the fullness and intensity of the moment that is at the heart of flamenco.
IF YOU GO
What: Flamenco Festival Miami XVI: Manuel Li帽谩n & Company in 鈥淢uerta de Amor鈥�; Eva Yerbabuena in 鈥淵erbag眉ena (Oscuro Brillante)鈥�; Patricia Guerrero and Alfonso Losa in 鈥淎lter Ego鈥�
When: 8 p.m. each night, Wednesday, March 5: Manuel Li帽谩n & Compa帽铆a in 鈥淢uerta de Amor鈥� (prior to the performance, at 7 p.m., the public is invited to participate in 鈥淪tep into Dance!,鈥� a free program about flamenco in the Peacock Education Center at Knight Concert Hall with dancer and educator Clarita Filgueiras); Thursday, March 6: Eva Yerbabuena in 鈥淵erbag眉ena (Oscuro Brillante)鈥�; 8 p.m., Sunday, March 9: Patricia Guerrero and Alfonso Losa in 鈥淎lter Ego鈥�
Where: Knight Concert Hall at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami
Cost: $30, $50, $75, $100, $135
Information: 305-949-6722 or arshtcenter.org
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