The performance was true to and an elegant example of traditional flamenco […] a performance that does not compromise its historic integrity or try to be flashy.
As part of Sadlers Wells Flamenco Festival, Compañía Mercedes Ruiz Romancero del Baile Flamenco (Ballads of Flamenco Dance) is a 80 minute masterclass in the classical style of Flamenco dance. Led by the eponymous and formidable dancer Mercedes Ruiz, who began her company 22 years ago, the performance features two dancers – Ruiz and José Maldonado – accompanied by four musicians dressed all in black. The performance consisted of six distinct movements, each signified by a change in dress, lighting and position of the musicians.
The show opened with the two dancers dressed in rosy pink, circling one another like curious birds, to the rhythmic fluttering of their clicking flingers. The sensitive mics positioned either side of the stage, picked up the softest slide of a shoe and not once throughout the 80 minute performance did you hear the dancers breathe – the performance was not only a demonstration of tradition, but also a graceful display of stamina.
There was no overarching narrative connecting each section, instead each sequence exemplified Ruiz flamenco prowess while armed with an arsenal of traditional flamenco props such as; a cordobes hat, castanets, a fringe shawl, and a fan. Moments of solo performance broke up the partner work presumably giving the other dancer time to change and catch their breath. In one striking moment, Ruiz entered upstage wearing a black and white bata de cola skirt, with black castanets in her hand. Throughout this section she hit the castanets against her body, and played them behind her back. Maldonado only ever complimented Ruiz moves, his sharp lines and powerful poses were precise and dynamic, his series of pirouettes received a round of applause from the audience.
Santiago Lara guitar playing was entracing, using it not only as a melodic instrument but as a percussive device in which he, like Ruiz, would hit the body to create bassy acoustic sounds amidst his feathery strums – like fullstops in a paragraph. This punctuative element was accompanied by the powerful clapping and singing of Los Mellis (the twins, Antonio and Manuel Montes Saavedra) whose voices seamlessly blended together to create a blanket of sound of the dancers to move within.
Everything on stage felt like dialogue; it was difficult to tell whether the movement was in response to the music or vice versa. The performers navigated the tempo and feeling of the performance together, occasionally encouragingly exclaiming “ole!” whenever an individual felt it necessary. Moments of stillness and silence were just as arresting, a great contrast to the fiery footwork that drilled and echoed into the floor and the romantic laments of David Lagos’ vocals. At times these vocal outbursts were quite loud and intense, but always deeply haunting.
There’s no mistaking the virtuosity of the performers on stage, Ruiz herself started flamenco dancing at age four. At one point the flowers in her hair fell out, so she kicked them out the
way as danced across the stage. As the show progressed the dances became more playful, Ruiz would flash a smile to the audience and shimmy her shoulders.
The simple stage set (chairs, spotlights and coloured back lighting) drew attention to the dancers but also revealed the vastness of the Sadler’s Wells stage. In a sense I wished the setting was more intimate, the stage was often thrust into darkness to bring the dancers and musicians into focus. Seeing a performance that felt true to its form, only made it long to see it in a more intimate and informal environment. I wanted to be closer to the action.
As mentioned in the programme, the show is a great testament to “her [Ruiz’s] commitment to preserving the tradition”. The performance was true to and an elegant example of traditional flamenco; it’s important that audiences are invited to give their attention to a performance that does not compromise its historic integrity or try to be flashy.