Ortega Bares His Skill, Not Skin

To his credit, flamenco flame Domingo Ortega did not feature his bare chest in his company’s stylishly dynamic concert that opened the New World Flamenco Festival promisingly at the Irvine Barclay Theatre in Irvine on the weekend. Not that there’s anything inherently wrong with shirtless dancing--publicity photos had shown the handsome Ortega looking just fine topless, his dramatically downcast face framed by shaggy long hair. It’s just that there’s a tendency for the “new men of flamenco” to confuse exposed flesh, and its concomitant preening and posturing, with genuinely charismatic dancing. Ortega is more sophisticated than that.

Based in Jerez de la Frontera, one of the cradle cities of flamenco in southern Spain, Ortega is a riveting soloist and a choreographer who has excellent staging instincts for the most part. His Compania Domingo Ortega is a relatively new venture, originally intended to explore the energy of the male dancer--a fact still evident, in that the strongest works of the seven-part program, called “ ... Y ahora me voy con mi mare” (“ ... And now I go with my mother”), are for the three men and Ortega, not the three female dancers. Although the titles and short descriptions nodded toward narrative (basically, “love hurts, there is always Mama”), design and mood were the major attractions.

On Saturday night, the first three works were the company’s strongest statement, representing well its combination of traditional flamenco with liberating new details and a vibrantly theatrical sense of flow. Here, as elsewhere, unison movements sometimes emphasized an innovative footwork pattern or the pleasing image of many arms curving in the same direction.

Coming out from the ensemble in “Cuando canta Isabel” (“When Isabel Sings”), Adrian Sanchez had an electric, full-body articulation and vibrant footwork anchoring an expressive upper body. Sanchez, Julian Martin and Jose Barrios showed strong personalities without mannerisms in “Alegrias del Legionario,” which had unusual flourishes both in the onstage guitar accompaniment and in the dancers’ flip of a hip or darting kicks to one side.

In between these two dances was Ortega’s lyrical lament “Mi libro de cuentos” (“My storybook”), by Dagmara Brown (the only choreography not Ortega’s own). The dark, slightly smoky stage, with cross-lighting that didn’t always illuminate the ensemble, was used most effectively here.

Brooding about a woman (who sometimes crossed the stage and lingered the way a vision does), Ortega showed his well-calibrated style of lyrical flamenco gesture, flowing beautifully into swift pirouettes and intense footwork. Adding to the melancholy was violinist Monica Fuentefria, who along with guitarist Jorge Rodriguez composed the score.

Ortega’s other tour de force was the extended soliloquy “Ora lloro, ora rio” (“Now I cry, now I laugh”), full of improvisational impulses in terms of his reaction to the music and sudden launches into traveling phrases and footwork tattoos. There was little of the stately other-worldliness that often saturates bravura male flamenco solos; instead, a rock ‘n’ roll sensibility emerged--something to do with his muscled, compact form, his leather pants and the way he tossed off steps, melted into curves and channeled waves of energy with casual alertness.

Singers Elena Andujar and Javier Requena (also on percussion) took turns accompanying, Requena making the stronger impression, especially in the “Alegrias.”

The New World Flamenco Festival continues Tuesday through Sunday with performances by Yaelisa and Caminos Flamencos, Compania Belen Maya and related activities at the Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine. $24 to $35. (949) 854-4646.