By Pablo J. Sáinz
Flamenco is one of those dance styles that need no words to transmit a world of passion to spectators. The movements and gestures of the bailaores, the sounds of the guitar, make flamenco one of the most sensual dances in the world.
“Flamenco is pure passion,” said Glenda Sol Koeraus, better known by her artistic name, Sol “La Argentinita.” “Flamenco expresses a diverse set of emotions.”
So it is no surprising that The Old Globe, in Balboa Park, is including flamenco as one of the dances featured in In Your Arms, a musical that includes 10 dance vignettes that tell love stories without saying a single word.
The musical, which open this week and runs through Oct. 25th, goes from jazz and classical ballet to swing, tap, and, of course, flamenco.
The Spanish-flavored vignette is titled The Lover’s Jacket, and Latino playwright Nilo Cruz wrote it.
In that segment, Sol “La Argentinita,” joins Spanish bailaor Oscar Valero to burn up the stage.
“It is only dance, it is a very romantic piece,” said Sol via phone from her home in New York. “We don’t say a single word: With dance is more than enough! A detail, a gesture, a sight: Flamenco makes it understandable.”
The Lover’s Jacket tells the story of a woman who has to escape from the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s to Argentina. Sol, who was born in Buenos Aires, said that as part of her presentation she includes some tango moves.
For Valero, flamenco brings a passion to In Your Arms that perhaps is not present in other rhythms.
“Flamenco brings a special passion, a force,” he said from his home here in San Diego. “The percussion you create when you stomp your feet is special for this part of the musical, focusing on the repression that existed during the (Francisco) Franco regime.”
Sol “La Argentinita” added that the flamenco segment goes beyond Latino stereotypes, thanks to the vision of Cruz, the playwright in charge of writing this vignette.
In Your Arms includes a diverse cast, and Barry Edelstein, artistic director for The Old Globe, said that it was important to include Latino talent.
“We recognize that as the demographics of our region change, we have an obligation to change with them,” he said. “No community is larger or more influential in San Diego than the Latino community, and by telling stories from that culture and showcasing Latino artists, we are working to move our repertoire in the direction of inclusiveness and diversity. This is absolutely one of our highest institutional priorities.”
What’s most important for Sol “La Argentinita” is that with this musical, more and more people in San Diego develop an interest in flamenco.
“My thing is el tablao, and I pray to God that more people gets into flamenco, she said.