Theatre Productions- Photos/Media |
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To view photos of Studio Flamenco's recent theatre productions click on the links below: To view videos click here
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Reviews of 'Arte y Compas' presented at Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre 21 & 22 January 2011 |
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Australian Stage Online Review by Stephen Davenport Studio Flamenco’s production, Arte y Compás (artistry and rhythm) is something like a multitude of tapas, and on opening night, each course is as sumptuous as the last and leaves the appreciative audience salivating for more. The music, a mixture of guitar, Cajon and hand clapping percussion, and singing, is invigorating. The dancing is potent and artistic. Together, it is a whopping, gala of high-spirited flamenco in which the four dancers’ fluidity and impeccable technique makes even the most challenging steps seem effortless. The show is an exceptional collaboration of artistes from Spain and Adelaide who have come together with the result being a powerfully passionate and strong demonstration of what is best about the traditional juerga style. Invited dancer ‘La Chica’ (Francesca Grima) and Cajon player Andrej Vujicic - both of the Puerto Flamenco Company - are aptly accomplished. Siblings Susi Masi and Emma Fernee – founders of Studio Flamenco - move with sinuous momentum, polished poise and controlled expertise. Individually, they are star dancers - together, they are something else again. In concert, they exude vigorous dynamics and raw power. Whilst, both companies have created a frenetic, energetic and quite outstanding flamenco experience that is both intimate and intense, it is guest dancer ‘La Chica’ who drives the entire production with vitality, an exquisite demonstration in control, and precise, tight choreography. The show is a series of dishes of excellent guitar work, neat singing, infectious hand clapping and foot stomping that really gets the juices flowing. Overall, this imaginative and emotionally intense celebration of Andalusian terpsichore is like a heady delicious banquet.
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Radio Adelaide Arts Breakfast by Alan Brissenden Nexus ... is a place made for an evening of Flamenco, especially when set up cabaret style with tables and chairs, and the resulting intimacy was exploited to the full by the dancers and musicians of Studio Flamenco’s show, Arte y Compás ... The vividly talented La Chica challenged, charmed and flirted with the audience from her first entrance, and she had an intensely concentrated duet with her husband, percussionist Andrej Vujicic ...(with) his explosive rhythms and unbelievably fast fingers rippling and thumping on his cajón... There seemed to be a magnetic field connecting them, her astounding fusillade of footwork, from a whisper to a roar, responding to, sometimes seeming to call up, the varying riffs from his simple wooden crate...– their duet, for me, the most exciting part of an exciting evening, showed us how contemporary flamenco is developing; classical steps used with an expressive freedom that is nevertheless just as demanding as traditional forms. They were brought to Adelaide to teach and perform by sisters Emma Fernée and Susi Masi...with... Sugika Nishiue, ... were the other dancers, the sisters sharp, accomplished and vivacious, Nishiue, with less to do, radiating joy whenever she appeared. The ensembles, most of them including La Chica, had confidence, gaiety and precision. But music is the soul of Flamenco, and along with Vujicic, local guitarists Aloysius Leeson and Florian were at the heart of things, with percussionist Adrian van Nunen on a second cajón, and singers Mari Olivares and Pablo Fernandez, a charismatic fellow from Cadiz, recently arrived in Sydney... Much care had gone into the arrangement of the well-balanced repertoire for the evening, and the costumes were first class – colourful and well made. I was with a couple of friends, one having his first flamenco experience, and he was bowled over by it... it was a night for plenty of olés and applause. I’m looking forward to the next one. |
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Review of 'Paloma' presented at The Dunstan Playhouse, Adelaide Festival Centre, 22 May 2010 |
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DB Magazine by David O'Brien How striking it is to take in Spanish Guest artist Paloma Gómez's rendition of the flamenco form in a night of dance named after her. Gómez's career heavily features the influence of classical ballet, having been trained by José Antonio, Director of Ballet Nacional de España; she danced with that company and also with Nuevo Ballet Español. Given Studio Flamenco's reputation for exploring and mixing modern and traditional forms of Flamenco, Gómez's approach fitted perfectly with them in a night in which the tempo was carefully racked up and eased back by the wonderful voice of Mari Olivares along with the rich and pliant guitars of Aloysius Leeson, Florian and rich tempo of percussionist Adrian van Nunen. To see Studio Flamenco Company of Emma Fernée, Susi Masi and Sugika Nishiue dance, then Gómez solo is a revelation. Gomez's 'Soleá' offered an unbelievable vision of classical ballet fused with flamenco. To see Gómez's upper body giving expression to classical ballet technique as the footwork offers all that's expected of traditional Flamenco is extraordinary in comparison to the tightly structured formal technique of Flamenco found in the beautiful beginning to evening, 'Guajiras' in which the rise, open, close and flow of the fan dictates the dance, or the cut and thrust of 'Tango's which closed the first half of the evening. Gómez's richly smooth, textured sense of Flamenco, without compromising any of the edgy passion so deeply infused in Flamenco when she dances solo or with the company did not disappoint a greatly appreciative audience. |
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Reviews of Una Noche De Flamenco presented at Scott Theatre, June 2008 |
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"an exceptionally accomplished, powerful and exciting celebration of flamenco with eight dancers and eight musicians...not to miss" Gillian Hunter, 3D Radio
Una Noche De Flamenco was a night of passion – passionate music, dramatic dancing, and haunting singing, featuring the extraordinary talents of the guitarist known as Florian. Together, these magnificent local performers transported the audience to somewhere exotic and definitely far away from a cold winter’s night in Adelaide... The flamenco dancers, representing two Adelaide dance companies Studio Flamenco and Velada Flamenco, individually and together have impressive performance resumes both here and overseas. On this night, they were magnificently accompanied by guitarists, percussionists, drummers, and gypsy singers. Guitarist Florian Remus is renowned for his soulful and authentic interpretation of flamenco guitar; his playing was magical, especially when combined with the almost mystical singing of Miguel Ovejero. The words don’t matter when Ovejero sings; it’s just pure, heart-wrenching emotion. But the music and singing were there primarily to complement the stunning dancing. Flamenco is, by its nature, passionate, and these performers captured passion, love, sex, power, and all the allure that comes with being a confident, knowing woman of a certain age. Traditionally, flamenco has quite different roles for the male and female dancer but in this performance all the parts were danced by women, showing off both their fabulous footwork and the strength of their upper body moves. The precision required to master some of these dances is incredibly demanding and each one of these dancers was outstanding.
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Review of Flamenco@ FAD Saturday 19 & Sunday 20 August 2006 |
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Ausdance Magazine (aDM) by David O'Brien Excitement and passion were in abundant supply in Flamenco@FAD ...Slightly left of centre and 'contemporary' (Studio Flamenco's) approach to Flamenco may be to some, nonetheless (their) work is unmistakably respectful of the tradition and serious cultural, technical gravitas underscoring the deep emotion this dance form expresses. This superb balance is best demonstrated in a favourite piece of mine, Tangos por Fiesta... One can never get enough of this fascinating work which is based around seated dancers. A subtle through line was established across the two halves of the production, with an emphasis on building individual dances gently up to a stirring crescendo of technique and passion, and ultimately, a breath taking finale for each half of the show. Siguiriyas, sweetly built up in two sections exploded into Tangos por Fiesta in part one. Fandangos and Solea por Buleria did much the same in part two, leading into Bulerias por fiesta . With its measured increase in pace, criss crossing of dancers on the floor and heightened intensity, Bulerias por Fiesta blew the audience away in a passionate fire storm of dance. More of that please! |
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Review of Tablao Flamenco II |
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Studio Flamenco's focus on modern forms of flamenco and contemporary takes on traditional forms made for a great evening of dance. Presenting the work in intimate cabaret style with warm candlelight and good wine greatly enhanced the experience that did much to provoke thought on what flamenco can be as much as what it has always been... Those who have little exposure to contemporary treatments of traditional flamenco, let alone contemporary flamenco choreography should find Tientos, Tangos por Fiesta and Bulerias por Fiesta of great interest. Of these three Tangos por Fiesta provided the most fascination. As the programme ...points out, it is a work light in style but rhythmically and technically impressive- very impressive. The piece begins with the ensemble seated in chairs. A series of tightly synchronised swift, sharp taps to the floor accompanied by hand slaps to the breast bone, raising of arms and sharp turns of the torso ensues before the ensemble stands. Unlike traditional flamenco, the ensemble offers a series of still tableaux in which with arms upraised, phrases of movement are concentrated in the upper body, rather than from the hips down. This style of movement produces a seemingly non-flamenco like form of classical dance that nonetheless clearly has its roots in flamenco and was totally captivating... Likewise Tientos, featuring Susi Dunlop (Masi), Emma Fernée and Kristy Manuel offers sinewy, powerful, sensuously aggressive choreography presented in sharp, angular short phrases of movement. What's impressive in all this is the synthesis of all these elements found in the evening's final piece, Bulerias por Fiesta making concrete the connection between modern and traditional flamenco forms. A wonderful night I'm glad I didn't miss. |
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