Flamencolores: the colorful footwork of Gypsy Flamenco

 

The Sonidos Gitanos (Gypsy Sounds) still resonate in your ears hours after you leave the theater. Bum bumbidity bum, bum bumbidity bum, bum bumbidity bum bumbum. While the powerful voices of the cantan (singers) and the music from the guitarist and violinist fill the crowded theater, the cajonero (percussionist) claps in sync with the dancers’ footsteps. The rhythm is synchronized to extent that you question whether it is the shoes or the hands that are producing the beats. Bum bumbidity bum, bum bumbidity bum. Ole!

 

Maria Bermudez, a Los Angeles native and the choreographer of the Sonidos Gitanos, is one of the few non-Spaniards who gained much acclaim and respect from audiences in Spain. On July 21, she graced an audience at the Japan American Theater in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles in Flamencolores. Bermudez acted as one of the bailan (dancers) for the evening; her improvised footsteps complemented the quickening tempo of the music right down to the final pluck of the strings.

 

Bermudez proved to her audience that she would put in her best foot forward in every performance under unexpected circumstances. During her solo in “Un Ritual,” the audience gasped as her fancy footwork flung a glittery clip out from her hair and off the stage. But it did not matter because the show must go on. The little bun in her hair slowly loosens with each accelerating move. By the end of her performance, strands of her hair end up in her face while the sweat confirmed her hard efforts to not let such trivial things ruin the show. Despite Bermudez being able to showcase her adroit talent in Gypsy Flamenco, this segment seemed to drone a bit longer than what the human attention span can bare. Thus, the focus on “Un Ritual” became “Un Ritual del Pelo.”

 

Although Bermudez is the star, the most cheers went towards young guest star Rafael Campallo as his quick movements captivated the hearts of the audience right from the start. The program opened with “Rosa, Verde, Azul.” Each color meant the introduction of another guest artist: the guitarist, violinist, and then Campallo performed their part when the respective pink, green, and blue colored lighting illuminated the curtains in the background. Campallo wins over Bermudez when it comes to speed. He keeps a focused and calm composure as he taps to the rhythm of the music. His tapping can be so subtle that he does not seem to be moving his feet at all. Other times, he moves so swiftly, his feet seems to never touch the ground yet dust rising up from the stage substantiate that it does. 

 

Of course, Flamenco cannot be complete without acknowledgment of the singers and musicians. Miguel Rosendo and Ana de los Reyes sang with strong and heartfelt voices that accompanied the Gypsy songs filled with anger, despair, and rejoicing happiness during the finale. Songs such as “Herencia de Cobre” (Legacy of Copper) actually illuminated a bit of Gypsy history as the song told about the Gypsies labor in the copper mines.

 

The guitarists Pedro Carrasco and Jesus Alvarez and the violinist Bernardo Parrilla teased the audience by beginning each segment with steady, soft music, as if each musician was trying to find his own tempo. As the audience’s anticipation increases, the rhythm of the music also increases. Midway through the program, the percussionist Luis de la Tota is not the only one clapping and stomping to the beat of the music but the whole audience beings to join in on the fun by laughing, clapping, and cheering the dancers on.

 

Although some parts of Flamencolores seemed slow and the footwork repetitive, the flawless performance of each of its artists and their interactions with the audience made the show worthwhile and lives up to its acclaimed reputation. The stars are most humble about their talents as each presented the other and applauded each other for his or her performance. The group proved to be multitalented people, each one of them knowing how to dance, sing, and play each other’s instruments.