(noticia) Flamenco flashback

Spanish troupe Noche Flamenca tells centuries-old tales in superb performance
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
By Chris Waddington

To find the wellsprings of flamenco, one usually travels to the back-street cafes and gypsy gatherings of southern Spain. On Friday, the wellspring overflowed at Tulane's Dixon Hall as the New Orleans Ballet Association presented Noche Flamenca -- a troupe of three singers, three dancers and two guitarists dedicated to preserving this centuries-old art form.

While others seek to update flamenco with Vegas-style stage shows and elaborate choreography, this Madrid troupe cultivates "duende" -- the ecstatic release of passions -- through structured improvisations between musicians and dancers. At the heart of Noche Flamenca's performances are song lyrics that date back five centuries, to a time when gypsies, Jews and moors suffered a medieval version of ethnic cleansing during the Spanish Inquisition.

(leer +) [vía the times picayune]

tags: flamenco, baile, cante, flamenca