DANCE REVIEW : Gran Folklorico Traverses Time and Geography in Colorful Show at UCI

Midway through the first half of a program Friday at UC Irvine, the Ballet Gran Folklorico de Mexico advanced with a blaze of percussive footwork over the resonating makeshift stage of the Bren Events Center, vanquishing the vast empty spaces of that inhospitable sports arena.

Nothing else on the program quite equaled that tour de force of intricate, unaccompanied Veracruz rhythms, beaten out with equal felicity by the men and women of Theo Shanab’s company.

But even with that amazing assault over, the ensemble maintained its hold over the largely Latino audience, segueing into the more congenial, perennial, human-scaled “La Bamba,” in which a lead couple ties a sash into a love knot, using only their feet.

Elsewhere, in Lino Ortega’s choreography, the Gran Folklorico traversed time and geography in dances that stressed theatrical values over social contexts.

Homage was paid to the Indian bloodlines of Mexican culture. There was a brief nod at Aztec rituals (culminating in a freeze frame on a sacrificial murder with a stone knife), an exultation of the rainbow-plumed Quetzales and the exciting Yaqui Deer Dance.

Here, Arturo Medina as the chased animal eschewed recent corrupting balletic influences (the hunters got the often-seen jackknife kicks in the air) to die in spasms of agony after hurtling shoulder rolls across the stage.

Folk elements were also recalled in a hunt of a wild boar by machete-wielding men and sad-faced, mourning women.

But generally, emphasis was on the joys and flirtations in social dances from such states and regions as Veracruz, Oaxaca, Jalisco and the Yucatan, with the wide range of attractive costumes that entailed: flower- or jewel-embroidered dresses for the women, buckskin jackets or gleaming white suits for the men.

Most of the accompaniment was live. The Mariachi Queretano de Juan Lopez played with spirit and consistently sour violins and imprecise trumpets. The Hermanos Sanchez marimba duo offered infectious contrasting rhythms on an appealingly twangy, buzzing instrument. The Alma de Veracruz duo played with bright energy.

Not least, vocalist Alexandra Salazar in a spirited rendition of a patriotic ballad drew spontaneous cries of “Viva!” from members of the audience.

The company was presented by the UCI office of arts and lectures.