SPANISH DANCE COMPANY PERFORMS AT WORLD THEATER MARCH 12

The acclaimed Madrid-based Spanish company Noche Flamenca, led by the husband-and-wife team of Martin Santangelo and Soledad Barrio, will visit California State University, Monterey Bay’s World Theater on March 12. The performance will start at 8 p.m.

Flamenco is wild and ancient, an art form crafted during the Spanish Inquisition by the country's outcasts: gypsies, Jews, Moors and Muslims. It's the soul of Andalusia, the southern region of Spain, and the voice of an entire nation.

Barrio’s graceful and passionate dancing, along with standout cantores – singers – and guitar players have made the company a must-see for fans of one of Spain’s best-known exports. New York Times dance critic Alastair Macaulay has called Barrio “an intensely dramatic dancer,” noting that her skilled footwork expresses “the brilliance and color of flamenco rhythm.” And, he adds, “I can think of no current ballet dancer in the world as marvelous as she.” Her husband is a choreographer and former dancer, and Noche Flamenca’s artistic director. He and Barrio met at a dance company in Spain in the early 1990s, founded Noche Flamenca in 1993 and married in 1995. They live in Madrid, but New York is their second home. The company tours the world, including regular seasons in New York and Buenos Aires, performances in Greece and Egypt and annual tours of North America. Tickets are $40 premium, $29 general. Discounts are available for students and seniors. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at 831-582-4580.

The presentation of Noche Flamenca featuring Soledad Barrio was made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts' National Dance Project.

IF YOU GO

Published Feb. 18, 2016