100% flamenco, straight up

HOW better to inaugurate Orange County Performing Arts Center’s Samueli Theater for dance than by igniting the duende of flamenco in the small-scale, modular venue?

In the best of circumstances, duende, the sublime yet elusive spiritual bond that enjoins singers and dancers, also enfolds an audience, as Noche Flamenca effortlessly demonstrated Tuesday night. Lighting the spark was the opening “La Plaza,” an introductory showcase of the Madrid-based troupe’s three dancers.

Here, in a roundelay of solos, one could differentiate the bristling, tensile angularity of Juan Orgalla from the intuitive lyricism of Alejandro Granados or the wrenching expressivity of Soledad Barrio, the rightful star of the ensemble she co-founded with husband Marin Santangelo.

Orgalla further exploited his aptitude for increasingly impassioned eruptions of fleet-footed fireworks in “Siguiriya,” but the evening belonged to Barrio, who amplified the profundity of the solea song that is her trademark.

Unfurling her arms in exquisite slowness before diving full-bodied into rhythmic attacks as if to do battle with unseen ghosts, Barrio evoked the indefatigable defiance of a woman who has endured centuries of pain.

Accompanied by guitarists Jesus Torres and Paco Cruz and three singers, and staged in an understated tablao (cabaret) fashion, Noche Flamenca served flamenco straight up. Yet to call Noche Flamenca’s puro style unadorned, as some have, hardly does justice to the rich emotional terrain the group traverses.

Stripped to the essentials, this is old-school flamenco at its best -- no gimmicks, no fusion, just raw truths rendered in intricate rhythms and the insistent longing of the dispossessed that saturates its ancient melodies.

An informal exchange around a cafe table among singers Manuel Gago, Emilio Florido and Jose Anillo in “Solo de Cante y Marinete” highlighted their deft improvisational mastery as well as the centrality of song to the form.

Though a wraparound balcony added to the intimacy of the proceedings, whether the Samueli Theater will be conducive for dance programming remains to be seen. Jury-rigged theatrical wings, poor sightlines at the bottom of the shallow risers and inadequate lighting proved to be hindrances for this initial offering, which continues through Sunday in a sold-out run. (The company also appears in Riverside next week.)

That this internationally touring ensemble nevertheless warmly embraced the audience in duende is a testament to its compelling performers’ devotion to the bond they share. This was most evident in the finale, “Esta Noche No Es Mi Dia (This Night Is Not My Day),” a touching tribute to singer Antonia Vizarraga, a longtime troupe member who died earlier this year.

As the troupe came together in a final gesture of uplifted arms, one could feel not only Vizarraga’s spirit released but also that which had wrapped us in its spell far too briefly.