Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca Astonishing Dance/Theatre
You, and anyone over 7 years old, must see this possibly life-changing performance of modern Flamenco at Plays and Players in Philadelphia until October 30th. Having experienced thousands of performances in dozens of countries over my 50 years in theatre, I rarely say anything like this, and never publicly, because everyone has their own taste. But for Noche Flamenca, I am breaking my silence to urge you to grab the experience of your life…while it lasts.
If you think you know Flamenco, great. But you don’t know this Flamenco.
Company inspiration, Soledad Barrio and her director-husband, Martin Santangelo, lead 10 super-talented performers in their own unique version of transcendent passion music, dance, and song. They seem to lift up above us as we watch, mesmerized. Through their astonishing presence and technique these performers become gods.
What I mean is this: All of us have had the experience of watching athletes and performers doing things that we could never do. That comes from their physical capacity, persevering through years of grindingly difficult work. They make sacrifices that we don’t. But every-once-in-a-while, an artist or athlete ascends even further in our eyes because of what we call their charisma or presence. I call it ‘their spirit’. Even as they are performing feats impossible for us, they seem to go even further than we could have ever imagined.
The artist/ athlete is channeling something from deep inside which feels connected to all of us, to all of the universe. It is something greater than themselves which they use as a temporary gift. A gift in the fleeting moment of the performance. Like a shaman, they are united with something beyond themselves right in front of our eyes. They give it to us by making the unseen, seen.
The reason we put these rare individuals, even rarer groups, and exceedingly rare performances on a pedestal is because we feel their similarity with the ancient gods. Our ancestors put their gods on actual pedestals so they could tower above them in their power. They made belief through ritual and prayer and sacrifice. The performers in Noche Flamenca make themselves and us believe in something we cannot see and don’t know how it came to be. But, like love and so many other things we cannot touch or rationally describe, we know it’s real. Because deep inside, we know it’s true.
Noche Flamenca, with its power and grace will drive inside of you, and you will know its truth deep inside of yourself. I promise
Danny Fruchter
October 8, 2022
FOR TICKETS AND INFORMATION: www.soledadbarrioandnocheflamenca.com