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FESTIVAL SUMA FLAMENCA 2011 ÁNGEL ROJAS |
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“He’s galactic, from Madrid, and a force to be reckoned with” Text: Pablo San Nicasio The second week of Suma Flamenca wound up with the dancing of Ángel Rojas and his “Conversaciones Pendientes”. It was a show of just barely an hour where unadorned dance finally came out of the shell. The Madrid dancer didn’t need any more time than that to leave everyone awestruck…in love with a story that is nothing more than his own, of his calling and his life. And not even that, because it’s just a simple outline. But with a narrative intensity that makes this, without a doubt, one of the high points of Suma 2011. Despite the brusque change of hour, only made known the day before, the theater of the Abadía was none the worse for it, and the show got underway at a brisk pace.
The staging develops the idea of the cycle of life, made dynamic by the art and calling of an idea: dance. It’s worthwhile to dance your life, even though it will end. The story is simple. Ángel Rojas, either speaking or with the reflections of others, always via audiovisuals, develops the idea of wanting to be, feel and live as a completely free artist. With the joy of his recent fatherhood as the culmination of his vital expectations. Something which, perhaps, digresses from the basic story but adds even more emotion, perhaps gratuitously, to this already valuable work. In other words, this is a one-hour monologue equally maintained by an audiovisual montage with its blanks or more or less disconnected points, alternating with the dancer’s simply superb choreographies. Backed up by two singer-percussionists, two guitars and accordion-piano-violin in the same blessed set of hands, the intensity and aesthetic variety are absolutely impressive. Angel Rojas, better-known abroad than within Spain and flamenco, is a complete artist. He is extense. With brilliant expression and no waffling. His command of flamenco, we already knew about, but he also had a certain folkloric profile from successful popular works. Here, nevertheless, he is a thoroughly flamenco figure from head to toe. He also has deep knowledge of classical ballet (at one point in the show he comes out in a tutu) and modern dance. He’s got it all. “Conversaciones Pendientes” is well-balanced, engrossing and full of things that draw you in and hypnotize you: the humor, originality, theater sense, a lot of sincerity, a great big dose of talent, tenderness and, the truth be told, more than a few tricks to grab the audience. Once again skepticism vanishes when one comes across an artist who says what he thinks, and knows what he does. Congratulations to anyone who was there; they knew this would be worth cutting the siesta short. |
