Flamenco: At Flamenco Gala, Youth Is Served

Dance

By JOY GOODWIN
February 21, 2007

At the opening of the New York Flamenco Festival at City Center, neither the staccato rat-atat of heels, the parade of colorful costumes, nor two exciting debuts could offset the creeping fatigue. Six soloists took the stage during an evening that ran so long that it basically skipped its culminating fin de fiesta.

Nonetheless, the debuts of Olga Pericet and Manuel Liñán were stunners. From the moment Ms. Pericet strode onstage for her first American "Cantiñas," she held the audience rapt. Her bright, mischievous eyes sparkled above her strikingly beautiful gown. That dress — a pink and rose confection that fell to the floor like a carpet of petals — proved to be both flash and substance. Midway through the number, she bounced the skirt's long train around, whipped it into the air with a flick of her hips, and reached out a hand and caught it — a trick as impressive as it was sweet. "Señorita, eh!" murmured one of the singers approvingly.

With her youthful verve and her ready smile, Ms. Pericet was nothing like those great ladies of flamenco who, ripened by age, suggest incalculable depths of earthy experience. Some of her steps were like fun party moves, others like athletic feats. Occasionally, a charming shrug or a graceful turn appeared like a little fillip. She marched around a bit, like a child queen, and when she was finished, she blew a kiss on her way to the wings.

(leer +) [vía the new york sun]

tags: flamenco