Feel the Duende

The Cherry Lane Theater is an ideal venue for Soledad Barrio and [Noche Flamenca]. The space feels much more appropriate for the intensity and raw emotions of the ensemble’s fierce, unvarnished flamenco music and dance than the Lucille Lortel, their venue last year. The stage features vast overhead space and a functional, worn-looking brick back wall that gives way to pale gray stones as it heads toward the floor. For these performances, everything is stripped bare—lighting poles loom at both sides, and the performers enter and exit through simple doorways—so forget about masking and wings.

This compact troupe—three dancers, two singers, two guitarists—creates its own theatrical power out of the essentials: music and dancing that dig deep and connect with powerful essences. The 90-minute program is continuous (although bursts of applause and occasional cries of “Olé!” greet the pauses that are built into the sequential solos) with no acknowledgement of the audience until Barrio has completed her fearless, tremendous “Siguiriya” near the end.

Before anything is seen, the sounds of intense rhythmic clapping and stamping feet are heard in the darkness, establishing the dominance and power of rhythm that will hold sway throughout the evening. Eventually, the full ensemble gathers on stage, some seated, some standing. In the opening work “Amanecer,” choreographed by artistic director Martin Santangelo, Barrio, who is a uniquely focused and earthy flamenco dancer, wears a flaming red dress with touches of ruffles. Juan Ogalla and Antonio Jiménez frame her, in a companionable introduction that has a more upbeat, carefree tone than what follows.

In “Alegrias,” a duet for Barrio and Ogalla that she choreographed, Barrio initially seems flirtatious, intrigued by Ogalla’s powerful presence and fiery footwork. But while she may look petite next to his larger frame, she soon proves to be his match, and the duet becomes very much an exchange between equals. They take turns being in charge, then face off, working in unison and then drawing apart. This one has to be called a draw.

Each of the men has a solo. Jiménez, a lean, intense presence who initially appears reserved, eventually lets loose to the point of evoking danger. His dancing becomes so wild and uninhibited, you feel as though you’re watching him turn himself inside out. His ferocity (is he doing combat against some internal foe?) seems to surprise even himself. Ogalla, built along more robust, athletic lines, initially seems more the showman, but he too dances from within, each of his proud lunges issuing a challenge. Beautifully centered, he uses his height and amplitude to maximum advantage while building up to his own display of impressive footwork.

Then it’s Barrio’s turn, and her “Siguiriya” is an extended plunge into the depths. A solid, distinctly un-glamorous woman, she uses no cheap atmospheric tricks to capture your attention. Her dress is a pale brown, but beautifully designed so that it cascades like a waterfall as her body curves and extends. Every moment of her dancing is fervent and instinctive as she interacts with the singer, each drawing the other into further soulful depths. She arches her back and snakes her arms right from the gut, and her legs acquire such force as her feet batter into the floor that you wonder how she can sustain the intensity.

Noche Flamenca’s musicians are as crucial and riveting as its dancers, and the evening loses none of its momentum during the two musical interludes that spell the dancers. Guitarists Salva de Maria and Eugenio Iglesias provide supple, spontaneous playing that is crucial to the give-and-take amongst the performers, and singers Emilio Florido and Miguel Rosendo deploy their eloquent, wailing voices with masterful intensity. S. Benjamin Farrar’s lighting design also contributes greatly to the evening’s sustained dramatic impact.

Santangelo appeared on stage at this performance to acknowledge the recent passing of Enrique Morente, an acclaimed and influential flamenco singer who “opened up possibilities” for all in the field. He dedicated the program to Morente, who no doubt would have been honored by what followed.

[Noche Flamenca]

Through Jan. 12, 2011, Cherry Lane Theater, 38 Commerce St., 212-239-6200; $60.