Fringe Review: Ida y Vuelta (There and Back)

Directed by Roshanne Wijeyeratne, who also performs, this exciting 70 minutes of dance and music made a lively taster for the Spanish offerings coming up in the Adelaide Festival and WOMADelaide.  Half a dozen dancers, an excellent guitarist, Paco Lara, a powerful singer, Zoe Vélez, supported by two others, cajon player Adrian van Nunen and Indian tabla virtuoso Jay Dabgar, had the packed audience enthralled from first to last.

It was a richly varied program, the dancers’ enthusiasm reflected in the animation of their faces as much as in their bodies. Technically adept, their stamping and heel-tapping could move from a whisper to a storm, and their rapport with the audience was always engaging.

In the strong cast of seven dancers, inevitably some solos gave dancers a chance to shine. Guest artist Chachy Peñalver’s Soleá por Bulerias was a dramatic highlight and Wijeyeratne’s passionate Seguiriyas kept the melodrama of the narrative under control. There was fun, too, flirting with fans, manipulating long trained skirts, and finally giving meaning to the show’s title, There and Back, in a fusion of Flamenco and Indian rhythms, with Peñalver and Wijeyeratne dancing their hearts out.

The inclusion of Dabgar brought a different sound and flavour to the music and the dance, his incredibly nimble fingers moving so fast they became a blur. At one stage the tabla and the dancer’s feet spoke in a duet, later van Nunen and Dabgar challenged each other, rhythms sizzling back and forth between the two.

Alma Flamenca offers something different in Spanish dance in Adelaide. My 12-year-old grandson loved every minute. Watch out for their next production, and don’t miss it.

Ida y Vuelta (There and Back)
February 16 – 17
Nexus Arts

Header image:
Alma Flamenca with guests Adrian van Nunen, Zoe Vélez , Chachy Peñalver , Roshanne de Silva Wijeyeratne, Paco Lara and Jay Dabgar (left to right) (Photo: Sophie Abbott)