OLGA PERICET, MARCOS FLORES & DANIEL DOÑA. ‘CHANTA LA MUI’
LA OTRA MIRADA DEL FLAMENCO 2006. TEATRO PRADILLO, MADRID

Scalene triangle

S.C. Madrid, August 30th, 2006

‘Chanta la mui’. Olga Pericet, Marcos Flores, Daniel Doña: baile and choreography. ‘La otra mirada del flamenco’ Series. Teatro Pradillo. Madrid, August 30th, 2006. 9 p.m.

Daniel Doña (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Following the presentation of new shows by bailaores such as Rocío Molina and Manuel Liñán through flamenco’s other regard in the ‘La otra mirada del flamenco’ Series at Madrid’s Teatro Pradillo, the trio consisting of Olga Pericet, Marcos Flores & Daniel Doña presented ‘Chanta la mui’, a show halfway between contemporary dance and baile flamenco. Especially carrying a lot of weight is the aim of seeking a unique style which confidently combines the techniques of both disciplines, with certain doses of humor and also of stage criteria based on light. They had already put it forward, also in collaboration with Liñán, in previous projects such as Compañía ESS3 Movimiento. Now they firm it up.

The quality of the three performers-creators is unquestionable: each with his or her own personality, but striving to reach a common meeting point. They make sacrifices there. The experience gives new weapons to Cádiz-born Marcos Flores, the most flamenco of the three, though at the same time it constrains his jondo expressiveness, which he did display extensively on this very stage last year in ‘2 en compañía’. He certainly doesn’t lose in either technique, or appearance, or that elegant way of his of being temperamental.

Marcos Flores and Olga Pericet (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Olga Pericet’s baile goes from hieratic to warm, from heels to bare feet, in a vast range of expression. Though she performs fluently in the threesome, she is most captivating in the pas de deux with Daniel Doña to the sound of the sweet waltz ‘La marée haute’ by Lhasa, and in the solo picture with bata de cola, arm movement (at last) and a shower of red feathers. Daniel Doña aims more clearly towards dance, just showing the slightest hint of flamenco which adds warmth to his already award-winning work.

The packaged music played with poor sound quality takes away from the overall result; more so when the interaction with the sound is too meager and remains more in the atmosphere than in the dialogue. Guitar and piano stand out in the selection, in which you can hear everything from a clapperboard and street noises to a martinete by Agujetas, with Enrique Morente, Gerardo Núñez, Vicente Amigo, Lebrijano & Faiçal and other types of non-flamenco music in between.

‘Chanta la mui’, which despite sounding French means none other than ‘shut up’ in gypsy dialect, calls attention to the new directions which baile made in Spain nowadays dares to take — cross-border, with no hang-ups, diverse. Ssssshhhh. Shut up. Look. They’re dancing.

* ‘Chanta la mui’ can be seen at the Teatro Pradillo in Madrid until September 2nd, 2006

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