Flamenco Soloists Prove Dramatically Different

Joaquín Grilo demonstrated creative footwork at the Seventh Annual Flamenco Festival. (George Washington University)

Six flamenco soloists with six distinct personalities spiced up the Gala 2007: Bienal de Sevilla on Tuesday at Lisner Auditorium with a program that was, at various points, ferocious, delicate and charismatic. The artists served up seguiriyas, cantinas, soleas and alegrias, and the audience ate it up.

The artists on the program, part of the Seventh Annual Flamenco Festival, were all uniformly excellent.

At 39, the wild and charismatic Joaquín Grilo was the veteran of the group. His style is large and florid. When he flips directions his long hair flies, his jacket billows open and his large frame hurtles through the air like a projectile released by a catapult. His solea was majestic, sensual, spilling over with feeling, and filled with inventive zapateado , or footwork.

(leer +) [vía washingtonpost]

tags: flamenco, baile, Joaquín Grilo, flamenca