Allez! Farruco! Allez!

I immediately warmed up to the idea of going to a a flamenco performance when I saw it advertised in the newspapers. I was looking forward to it so much that I made sure I was one of the first few to get the passes. I landed up with my family twenty minutes before the start time at the venue(JSS Auditorium JSS Campus, Jayanagar 8th Block, Bangalore) only to join a massive crowd already gathered there. While waiting for our turn to enter the hall, we heard that due to the overwhelming success of the previous show organised by ICCR, there were more people than the passes/seats could accommodate. Added to that we had to endure a further delay due to some electrical snag. Some enterprising members of the audience fetched some plastic chairs, put them up in the aisles and promptly settled down for the show to start.It wasn't an exaggeration to say that people in the auditorium were packed like sardines. With about half an hour's delay and without much further ado, the event started with some soul stirring solo guitar recital by Antonio Rey. He built the tempo up slowly and was later joined on the stage by Isidro Suarez on percussion, Bernardo Parilla on violin, Mara Rey as vocals and last but not least the choreographer Antonio Fernandez Montoya (also known as Farruco), the younger brother of the well known Farruquito. The event was on and the people became oblivious to the over crowded auditorium and forgot the delayed start. The second number gave a hint of the tempo of what was to follow. The clapping and thumping of the feet was like the waves hitting the rocks somewhere on shores of Andalusia. Almost none could clearly understand a word of the vocals but the passion in the Spanish lyrics was obvious and hitting the audience in a very pleasant way. The performance then moved from the introductory stage to the level of indulgence in a very short period. Quietly the choreographer cum dancer “Farruco” came off his vocal-role on to the centre-stage to perform in an uninhibited style that rivetted one and all. With long hair wet with sweat framing his face and feet tapping with amazing energy, he raised the tempo of the music gradually, and set the stage on fire. Inspired by the legendary El Farruco (Antonio Montoya Flores), this young man danced in abandon, while the eyes of the audience were transfixed on him in wonder and disbelief at his mesmerising footwork. The musicians tried to keep up with the pace of the dancer and gave up. Farruco continued his electrifying performance, in a white top, sleeveless jacket and denims, egged on by Mara Rey’s spirited encouragement - “Allez! Farruco!”, "Farruco! Farruco!! Farruco!!!" After a while, he took a break while the ensemble played more music, all the while keeping the tempo, and returned in a full black ensemble glistening in his sweat. With minimum fuss, he plunged into his next performance and continued, as if he was all by himself, totally oblivious to his surroundings. The spontaneous movements of the dance looked like a release of pent up energy waiting for the right moment. While we wondered as to how the show would proceed while maintaining the already super tempo intact, Farruco amazed us all with the variations on his theme and kept us enthralled for almost 90 minutes. When Farruco finally took a bow and brought the night to a splendid end the audience begged for more. The group returned only for a brief photo session and felicitations. We all came back with admiration for the ensemble for creating a beautiful evening. We could not stop tapping our feet on the way out of the auditorium. Thanks to Indian Council for Cultural Relations & Embassy of Spain in India. The same ensemble had brought the house down in New York Flamenco Festival 2009. From an article in NY City Life Examiner “The Farrucos dance a style known as flamenco macho. It’s angular, powerful, assertive and—as interpreted by the younger generation—verging on the acrobatic. There is a dash of hip-hop in some of the boys’ moves, yet their compás and attack remain impeccable and absolutely Gypsy.” http://www.examiner.com/x-907-NY-City-Life-Examiner~y2009m2d20-Los-Farruco-Flamenco