The New York Season of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana at The Joyce Theater June 13th 䴋 18th, was a pleasantly captivating demonstration of precision.

The premiere of Burlador displayed an evolutional shift in the world of Flamenco dance. Choreographer Rafaela Carrasco dove into a story of a trickster named Don Juan, danced by Daniel Doña, whose seduction and deception of his lovers is a game without shame. Burlador, a combination of theatre, ballet and flamenco, cries out to the broken hearted woman.

While this production had a tantalizing draw, at times the dancers weren't living the story and left each section a bit disjointed. Moving from playful motions to anguished grieving, best friends to face offs, inclusion to exclusion 䴋 each dancer had a personality behind his or her technique, not always present when combined with the task of selling the story.

Dance doesn't need to always tell a story, especially when the dance genre is a story in and of itself. This was shown in the second number, Imagenes Flamencas. In a display of Flamenco styles, the company showed the freedom in Flamenco steps and choreography combined with the synchronization achieved by the rhythm of the music. One might note how the dancers made the music and the music made the dancing. The company drew the audience to the culture of the dance and its physical and emotional strength.

For a performance schedule of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, visit www.flamenco-vivo.org