The repertoire includes 'La Tirana'. 'Flamenco Republic' and 'El Perro Andaluz. Burlerías'

Silvia Calado Olivo

Still savoring last season's successes in the United States, the company of María Pagés is beginning a new international tour which will bring three works to the countries of Europe, America and Asia. In addition to the acclaimed 'Flamenco Republic' and 'La Tirana', a show which premiered in Seville's 1998 Bienal, María Pagés has revived 'El Perro Andaluz. Burlerías', a work created for the Compañía Andaluza de Danza and which was worthy of the Premio Nacional de Coreografía (national choreography prize) in 1996.

María Pagés begins this new international tour with the guarantee of last season's Broadway triumphs. The flamenco dancer from Seville, the only Spanish artist to participate in American president George Bush's inauguration ceremony, has chosen three Spanish cities to extend her company's tour. On November 18 the María Pagés Company will bring its most recent show 'Flamenco Republic' to the Festival de Danza in Valencia's Palau de la Música.

This "imaginary land where the laws that reign are those of flamenco", will come back to life in Barcelona's Teatro Principal de las Ramblas between December 17th and January 6th. The work for which Fernando Romero set the farruca seguiriya, is made up of seven cuadros which recall the legendary voices of Rosalía de Triana, Vallejo and la Niña de los Peines.

The novelty is reserved for Bilbao's 'Festival Danza al Día' where on December 2nd María Pagés re-premieres 'El Perro Andaluz. Burlerías', this time with her own company. This show was created by the dancer who was trained as a child by Matilde Coral and Manolo Marín, for the Compañía Andaluza de Danza which she directed between 1996 and 1997. The somewhat surrealistic choreography which was awarded the Premio Nacional de Coreografía en 1996, includes such daring experiments as dancing flamenco to the compás of Tom Waits. The concept is based on the confrontation of flamenco with other art forms to demonstrate that "at the expressive level it can go beyond and surpass the limits of tradition".

Starting in January 2002 María Pagés' company will crossed the Spanish borders to export not only 'Flamenco Republic' and 'El Perro Andaluz. Burlerías', but 'El Fantasma del Museo (La Tirana)' as well, the latter inspired in Goya's Maja, a show which the company incorporated into its repertoire after the 1998 debut in Seville's Bienal de Flamenco. María Pagés who worked with Bill Whelan in 'Riverdance. The Show', is scheduled to appear at Rome's olympic theater as well as in Hong Kong and Macao, Israel, the United States, Canada and Japan, with a mid-tour stop in Spain to dance at Madrid's Teatro Albéniz.