DANCE REVIEW : ‘Fuego Flamenco’: Potent Steps at Fountain

With its wooden stage over a tile floor, the intimate Fountain Theatre in Hollywood sends physical vibrations from dancer to audience with every footfall of “Fuego Flamenco.” Sitting in this kinetic force-field, you find the rhythms and technique of flamenco deeply invasive, something to be felt no less than seen and heard.

Some of the dancers in Program II of this ongoing series use their power with surgical exactitude; others pummel you with steps. Artistic director Roberto Amaral, for instance, always performs as if he’s in a stadium, and his big moments (on Friday, at least) over-dramatized and ultimately undercut his phenomenal technique. Only in his singing and the unassuming “Los Palitos” did he deflate to human scale.

At the opposite extreme, Yaelisa’s stark “Siguiriya” solo built up tremendous intensity through potent details (intricately curling hands, for instance), plus small shifts of mood, position and dynamics. Instead of projecting to the audience, she brought the audience closer through a series of essential statements not so much performed as revealed. Driven to dance by emotional imperatives, she alone of the soloists retained a sense of mystery, of hopeless, eternal pain.

Singing in a voice that sounded like the raw, toneless aftermath of a scream, guest artist Isa Mura--Yaelisa’s mother--also focused on the suffering at the heart of Spanish Gypsy art. Equally gutsy, her dancing capitalized on gestural thrust and, in particular, highly individual manipulations of her skirt.

Red-haired Antonia Lopez exuded an exultant sensuality in “Guajira,” capitalizing on galvanic shoulder and hip action, as well as virtuosic flourishes with a fan. Valeria Pico managed to dance with great spontaneity and humor while also delivering plenty of hard-driving showpiece footwork. The vibrant Irene Heredia graced the ensembles Friday, but had no major solo opportunities.

Formal solos dominated the first half of the program. After intermission, the dancers interacted in “Caravana,” a generally celebratory suite in which Mura told fortunes and various dancers responded in movement to the message of the cards. The urgent vocalism of Antonio Alcazar and the accomplished accompaniments of Benito Palacios and Antonio Duran on guitar further contributed to the success of the evening.

* “Fuego Flamenco” continues through Sunday, with performances of Program I (previously reviewed) on Friday and Saturday evening at 8 as well as Sunday afternoon at 3.