Eva Yerbabuena thrills as a bold, avant-garde flamenco experimentalist
Conceived and choreographed by renowned flamenco dancer Eva Yerbabuena, with musical direction and guitar by Paco Jarana, dancer Christian Lozano, percussionist Daniel Suarez, and a singing ensemble (Segundo Falcon, Antonio “El Turry,” Miguel Ortega, and Manuel de Gines), Yerbagüena (Bright Dark) is a flamenco piece that is simultaneously traditional and experimental, skillful and powerful, sensual and mind-blowing.
The piece starts with a strong contemporary dance ambiance, where Pina Bausch’s influence of expressionist, recurring repetition is clear to see. Yerbabuena enters the stage, walking stoically and silently. Meanwhile, the ensemble, including the musicians, joins her on stage one by one in silence as well. Fernando Martin’s lighting design effectively enhances the show’s contemporary and expressionist nature, spotlighting solo performers in different phases and creating an atmosphere of Dionysian psychedelia.
All turns into absolute darkness, and the show begins. It might be a bit disappointing that Yerbabuena herself does not dance for the entire hour. Instead, we are treated to a mixing bag of solo and duet dances, solo flamenco guitar, and traditional Spanish folk songs. Still, Yerbabuena displays her high skills and techniques as a veteran flamenco dancer, showcasing a variety of complex footwork and body forms. She moves quickly, smoothly, and silently onstage, playing with a large scarf around her neck and body within a blink of an eye. Her body is as flexible and bendable as the scarf itself, yet possesses incredible strength and firmness.
It is noticeable that when Jarana plays the flamenco guitar with sophisticated fingerpicking, Yerbabuena’s fingers also move in a frenetic manner, expressing intense, synchronised emotions. Although the London audience may just have the faintest clue of the narrative, her intense emotion and storytelling mastery are evident through her expressions. (From my perspective, the story seems to blend The Little Mermaid with references to Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, but darker.) Jarana’s composition is equally rich in emotion, resiliently supporting and resonating with Eva’s body rhythm.
Infusing traditional Flamenco with contemporary dance, Eva Yerbabuena endeavours to push the boundaries of this traditional Spanish art form to a new high.