Flamenco Express Artists and Reviews
Flamenco is Music, Sex and History all rolled into one. The fiercest expression of the human spirit ever devised. The Flamenco Express policy is simply to obtain the best flamenco performers available, give them total artistic freedom, and present them to international audiences. The result is an amazing diversity of artistic voices all committed to delivering their own view of the world, in their own unique way, according to how they feel at the time. Which means that every show over the past ten years has been special.
Featuring the Talents of
Ana de los Reyes
From the sizzling flamenco cauldron of Jerez, and internationally famed for her work with Joaquin Cortés in all the great metropolitan theatres, Ana is the epitome of a modern flamenco singer, a high priestess of duende, enchanting all around her.
‘’In the powerful vocals of Ana de los Reyes there was a feeling that flamenco music had taken off on a roller-coaster ride… exhilarating, but scary’’ Los Angeles Times.
Also Featuring another discovery of the Joaquin Cortes Company
Rosa De Las Heras
Jesus Alvarez
La Joaquina
Mateo Solea
Gemma de la Cruz
Chris Mullett
and Special Surprise Guests
Manuel de la Malena
and
El Titi
CUTTINGS
• ‘’In the powerful vocals of Ana de los Reyes there was a feeling that flamenco music had taken off on a roller-coaster ride… exhilarating, but scary’’ - Los Angeles Times.
• "..utterly riveting variations of firecracker beats...tumultuous fervour ..indelible gracefulness.. " - The Stage
• " Delighted the audience, who rewarded them with rapturous applause and encores. " - Dance Europe
• "This fiesty flamenco company deliver the finest in flamenco, plus sizzling soloist, La Joaquina." - Time Out
• "An unforgettable evening." - Anglo Spanish Journal
• "This is a fiery ensemble production where every spark of personality is kept alight and creative diversity is given the space to breathe but remain faithful to flamenco's roots." - King's Lynn News
• “What was surprising, however, was the sheer power and energy displayed by the dancers during this vibrant celebration of Spanish culture. Forget the sterile, regimented flamenco so often served up to tourists: this was the real thing, and to say that it packed a punch is an understatement.”.- South Wales Evening Post
• “Flamenco Express transported the audience to an imaginary Spanish haven during a musical journey laced with passion, grace and immense artistry. The cold, grey and windy weather outside seemed a million miles away.” - Harlow Star
• "Gemma de La Cruz was mesmerizing, with her Spanish charm and graceful moves, displaying the passions of the human spirit with enthuisiastic vigour." - Bristol Evening Post.
• Flamenco refreshes the parts than other dances cannot reach…or so it seems from the response of the audience who witnessed Flamenco Express perform in Staffordshire.
Post-performance people watching bore witness. Fingers drummed tables, hands tapped out rhythmical patterns on the bar, two couples, infused by the flamenco spirit, practised paso doble variations and a number of middle-aged ladies could not resist giving their ‘stamp’ of approval as they left the auditorium. It touches a primal instinct in us all – the rythym of life, with its complex contra beats - an electrical fusion of sound, movement and speed. Flamenco Express put in the plug and switched us on.
Three female dancers in simple attire, two guitarists and two singers recreated the intimate surroundings of the Tablao, a club-like setting within the round of the theatre. This proved an intimate experience, observing the performers from an outer globe – 360 degrees of firecracker footwork and dispossessed arms and hands – as if generated by a force separate to the movement of willowy bodies.
We sat transfixed from the opening martinete, with its deliberate footwork and posturing conjuring up the forge environs which fired its origins, to the high-spirited buleria por fiesta learning towards improvisation from each of its dancers.
In between, we witnessed a solo alegria, from Gemma de la Cruz and two entrancing solos – each indelibly marked with the personalities of performers La Joaquina and Rosa de las Heras.
The layers of Flamenco – dance, song and guitar – were each given their moment in the spotlight. Two amazing guitar solos from Chris Mullet and Jesus Alvarez made string instruments sing with impossible precision. While Ana de los Reyes and Mateo Solea provided a vocal tapestry rich in its scale and dexterity. Flamenco Express has been touring since 1996 and performed more than 250 shows in between educational workshops, classes and specialist choreography for organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company and Italia Conte School. But each of its performances is different, as they explained. “Flamenco is about telling a story, a conversation on stage, but each is infused with the personality of the performer. As guest performers and members of the company change, they bring with them something new and unique. No performance is ever the same.”
And with this, I have to agree. We witnessed stories unfold and took away a little of the spirit which brought them to life.
Picasso, a great proponent of Flamenco, particularly through his later work in ceramics, would have appreciated the symmetry – returning a little of life’s energy to a theatre on the edge of the Potteries." - Staffordshire Post.
images © rob kenyon 2006
Featuring the Talents of
Ana de los Reyes
From the sizzling flamenco cauldron of Jerez, and internationally famed for her work with Joaquin Cortés in all the great metropolitan theatres, Ana is the epitome of a modern flamenco singer, a high priestess of duende, enchanting all around her.
‘’In the powerful vocals of Ana de los Reyes there was a feeling that flamenco music had taken off on a roller-coaster ride… exhilarating, but scary’’ Los Angeles Times.
Also Featuring another discovery of the Joaquin Cortes Company
Rosa De Las Heras
Jesus Alvarez
La Joaquina
Mateo Solea
Gemma de la Cruz
Chris Mullett
and Special Surprise Guests
Manuel de la Malena
and
El Titi
CUTTINGS
• ‘’In the powerful vocals of Ana de los Reyes there was a feeling that flamenco music had taken off on a roller-coaster ride… exhilarating, but scary’’ - Los Angeles Times.
• "..utterly riveting variations of firecracker beats...tumultuous fervour ..indelible gracefulness.. " - The Stage
• " Delighted the audience, who rewarded them with rapturous applause and encores. " - Dance Europe
• "This fiesty flamenco company deliver the finest in flamenco, plus sizzling soloist, La Joaquina." - Time Out
• "An unforgettable evening." - Anglo Spanish Journal
• "This is a fiery ensemble production where every spark of personality is kept alight and creative diversity is given the space to breathe but remain faithful to flamenco's roots." - King's Lynn News
• “What was surprising, however, was the sheer power and energy displayed by the dancers during this vibrant celebration of Spanish culture. Forget the sterile, regimented flamenco so often served up to tourists: this was the real thing, and to say that it packed a punch is an understatement.”.- South Wales Evening Post
• “Flamenco Express transported the audience to an imaginary Spanish haven during a musical journey laced with passion, grace and immense artistry. The cold, grey and windy weather outside seemed a million miles away.” - Harlow Star
• "Gemma de La Cruz was mesmerizing, with her Spanish charm and graceful moves, displaying the passions of the human spirit with enthuisiastic vigour." - Bristol Evening Post.
• Flamenco refreshes the parts than other dances cannot reach…or so it seems from the response of the audience who witnessed Flamenco Express perform in Staffordshire.
Post-performance people watching bore witness. Fingers drummed tables, hands tapped out rhythmical patterns on the bar, two couples, infused by the flamenco spirit, practised paso doble variations and a number of middle-aged ladies could not resist giving their ‘stamp’ of approval as they left the auditorium. It touches a primal instinct in us all – the rythym of life, with its complex contra beats - an electrical fusion of sound, movement and speed. Flamenco Express put in the plug and switched us on.
Three female dancers in simple attire, two guitarists and two singers recreated the intimate surroundings of the Tablao, a club-like setting within the round of the theatre. This proved an intimate experience, observing the performers from an outer globe – 360 degrees of firecracker footwork and dispossessed arms and hands – as if generated by a force separate to the movement of willowy bodies.
We sat transfixed from the opening martinete, with its deliberate footwork and posturing conjuring up the forge environs which fired its origins, to the high-spirited buleria por fiesta learning towards improvisation from each of its dancers.
In between, we witnessed a solo alegria, from Gemma de la Cruz and two entrancing solos – each indelibly marked with the personalities of performers La Joaquina and Rosa de las Heras.
The layers of Flamenco – dance, song and guitar – were each given their moment in the spotlight. Two amazing guitar solos from Chris Mullet and Jesus Alvarez made string instruments sing with impossible precision. While Ana de los Reyes and Mateo Solea provided a vocal tapestry rich in its scale and dexterity. Flamenco Express has been touring since 1996 and performed more than 250 shows in between educational workshops, classes and specialist choreography for organisations including the Royal Shakespeare Company and Italia Conte School. But each of its performances is different, as they explained. “Flamenco is about telling a story, a conversation on stage, but each is infused with the personality of the performer. As guest performers and members of the company change, they bring with them something new and unique. No performance is ever the same.”
And with this, I have to agree. We witnessed stories unfold and took away a little of the spirit which brought them to life.
Picasso, a great proponent of Flamenco, particularly through his later work in ceramics, would have appreciated the symmetry – returning a little of life’s energy to a theatre on the edge of the Potteries." - Staffordshire Post.
images © rob kenyon 2006
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