Flamenco Viene del Sur 2011. Tripolar Marcos Vargas & Chloé Blûlé

Text: Gonzalo Montaño Peña.
Photos: 8co80

The triangle made up of Marcos Vargas, Chloe Brule and Juan José Amador, is an equilateral one with sides of equal size and importance.  Their shows aren’t based on choreographies to which a singer adds his voice, but in actual fact, there are many moments when you could say dances are set to the voice of Amador.  This is something which defines them, and gives form to the trio-based stories.

“Tripolar” is a daring conceptual venture with many facets.  At some points you can see the lack of polish which will come with more performances.  But even so, sitting down in the theater and preparing to get into the mind of this schizophrenic triangle, takes you from one extreme to the other of the emotional spectrum.  There are terrifying moments, just as there are others that bring outright laughter.  You are taken from a suffocating atmosphere to the exuberance of cheering, all in a brief space of time, and there are also moments of coldness, and the quest for a significance that is not quite clear.

I liked the concept – the idea of getting inside the mind of a flamenco artist, with all the demons and angels that perturb his or her existence.  I also enjoyed many details offered by the show, such as the speedy rundown of cantes provided by Juan José, with the sole accompaniment of the dancers’ percussion.  I also liked the work’s humorous angle which serves as an entertaining contrast to the darker moments.  But above all, I liked the capacity for moving communication which at moments submerged me in this underworld, and generated uneven feelings.

One thing I missed was seeing more dancing by the couple.  I think that with two artists of this category, it’s a missed opportunity not to have taken full advantage of them.  Although they showed expressive richness and a command of the vocabulary of body language, their more flamenco leanings did not blossom in this show.  Only in one dance, the tangos, were we able to enjoy a complete dance.

Special mention for the work of Juan José Amador who once again demonstrates his great versatility with a well-rounded interpretation of the central role in this work, although I also missed hearing him sing complete cantes, as the script only called for bits and pieces, one verse of solea, a bit of malagueña, a little piece of alegrías….and as happened with the dancing, I was left wishing there had been more of what this singer is capable of.

Overall, this show is full of the strong emotions of an inner life.  There is a story that provides the pretext (including the elaborate staging required to turn the theater into a large open area), although at times, this very story deprives the show of a more flamenco base.

As a theater-goer, I had a good feeling upon leaving the theater, thanks to the special voyage provided by this work.  As a flamenco fan, I was disappointed not to have been able to enjoy more of the flamenco capacity of this trio and which was not on display.

Flamenco Viene del Sur 2011 – Program