A passionate performance by the Edinburgh-based Alba Flamenca, the hour-long flamenco show is a feast for the eyes and ears.
Starting strong with an awe-inspiring number, the crowd is immediately taken by guitarist, Socrates Mastrodimos, whose guitar mastery seeks to invoke emotions. The camaraderie between the performers is apparent, with good sync and coordination between the five on stage. Many a time during the performance, the dancers interact with the musicians, which adds to the experience. The intense gaze the dancer, Maria del Mar, gives singer Alvaro Romero in a passionate number holds the audience enthralled.
Alba Flamenca is home to one of the few independent fringe venue houses and the intimate nature of the space works to the performers’ benefit. Being up-close to the performers, the audience is held captivated by the dancer’s intensity and emotions that are carried out through her expressions and intricate footwork. Because of the small space, the dancers’ foot-stomping to the beat of the music reverberate across the room. The beautiful flamenco costumes adorned by both dancers add vivaciousness to the stage.
The authenticity of the performance is noteworthy and the atmosphere in the crowd feels like we are watching the performance in Spain, rather than in Scotland. Romero holds a wide vocal range and captures the nuances in flamenco. His ability to convey the emotions through his voice, which is complemented by the dancers’ expressions and the guitarist and cajon player, Pedro Morote, lends to an overall visual sensory experience for the crowd. The fiesta rounds up the entire performance, with a surprise element to the show as one of the audience members comes up on stage to join the cast. The performance ends on a high note, with the crowd wishing for another glimpse of the dancer’s swirl of her skirt.
For the uninitiated flamenco audience, the performance might appear a little confusing. The transitions between performances are not entirely smooth, with the performers communicating amongst themselves breaking the momentum the show has built up. An introduction to the performance set might have given the audience a better context as to what the dance and song are about.
Ultimately, Alba Flamenca takes the crowd on a journey to Andalusia for a night of passion, on a rainy day in Edinburgh.
Alba Flamenca is on at Alba Flamenca
At 19:30 until 25th August
Book tickets here
Image: Alba Flamenca