On September 20 and 21, at Town Hall, "Tiempo Muerto" with Rafael Amargo and his company of musicians, singers and dancers performed his choreography. As the lead and only male dancer, Amargo performs as if he were a rock-star. National press and several awards have gained him notoriety. In performance, he discards the elegant traditional short jacket, brimmed hat, high-waisted pants. At one point, he ran up the aisle to greet the audience, making sure they knew who he was. Throughout his solos, he tore off his coat on one shoulder, wore no hat and pants that looked as if his had not arrived with the other costumes.

Amargo was well taught (by Martha Graham and teachers in his native Granada) and is too young to have seen the table-top dancing night-club style of José Greco or the smoldering film star Rudolf Valentino, but there it was…the applause-getting flying hair, the percussive beat, the play to the house. It is one thing to inhabit a role; another to shred it to pieces. Amargo has a solid technique, but poor taste.

His handsome company of musicians, singers and dancers, however, were well schooled, especially Eli Ayala and Susi Parra, who performed with the smoldering pain typical of the moving deep sorrow and protest of true Spanish dance.

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Pasión Flamenca performed in a special Joyce SoHo Theater engagement, October 16 to October 19. The New York Center For Flamenco Performing Arts/Arts Flamenco presented two works by Antonio Hidalgo, who began his career at the age of 17 in flamenco festivals in his native Córdoba, Spain. He performed with Antonio Gades and other notables. Jorge Navarro toured with Maria Alba and other popular flamenco performers. The Joyce SoHo Theater is at 155 Mercer Street. The mission of the group is to preserve the tradition while evolving Flamenco as an art form.

Rafael Amargo and Company in Tiempo Muerto Photo © & courtesy of Jesús Vallinas

Rafael Amargo and Company in Tiempo Muerto Photo © & courtesy of Jesús Vallinas