30/10/2008 By Yuris Nórido.
Maria Pagés fills the stage on her own, even when it is a big stage, as in the Mella Theatre. We have seen her dancing a deeply rooted Flamenco, powerful, yet fresh. She is tall and beautiful, enthralling, emanating a ready sense of humour. She faces the audience straight on, translucent, with confidence, as if we had known her forever. She gives herself up to her public, dances as if her life depended on her dance; but there is no tragedy in this: Maria Pagés' dance is about the joy of Life, the good fortune of being able to feel, to enjoy, to love... Maria Pagés dances Flamenco as if she were born to this dance.
But no one should think, however, that here beauty lacks of sense of style, or coherence, or rigor, or the desire to transcend - all elements of what we call Art. This performance fits itself into a tradition that has made Flamenco - over and above it's force as a popular phenomenon - an exquisite and delicate Art. The heart of the matter is that Maria Pagés does not make a show of refinement, of old fashioned style: she is much more in touch with the earth, with people.
She is accompanied by a small group of excellent musicians and dancers: but to say "accompanied" sounds rather mean, as the truth is that each and every one of these artists is good enough to play the lead in any performance. They prove this continuously: the show is designed in such a way that all can demonstrate their worth, although the main weight of the performance leans on Maria - as is to be expected. The most brilliant moments are those of the dialogue between Maria and her company, in a "contrapunteo" that reaches high levels of virtuosity.
Maria Pagés taps her heels without respite, makes her shawl move in wave-like movements, bursts into a scream, laughs; the castanets seem to come alive in her hands, the music flows from her body. When she is lit from above, it would seem that the whole art of Flamenco lies within her. Where does her force come from? This woman is a handful of passion.
She is accompanied by a small group of excellent musicians and dancers: but to say "accompanied" sounds rather mean, as the truth is that each and every one of these artists is good enough to play the lead in any performance. They prove this continuously: the show is designed in such a way that all can demonstrate their worth, although the main weight of the performance leans on Maria - as is to be expected. The most brilliant moments are those of the dialogue between Maria and her company, in a "contrapunteo" that reaches high levels of virtuosity.
Maria Pagés taps her heels without respite, makes her shawl move in wave-like movements, bursts into a scream, laughs; the castanets seem to come alive in her hands, the music flows from her body. When she is lit from above, it would seem that the whole art of Flamenco lies within her. Where does her force come from? This woman is a handful of passion.
