Olè!

Pilar Rioja
Repertorio Español
New York, NY
December 6, 2011

Pilar Rioja, looking much younger than her seventy+ years, gave a series of farewell performances on the wonderfully intimate stage of the Repertorio Español.  She ranged from full-blooded flamenco to a more gracious filigreed fandango, alternating (so she could change costumes) with haunting flamenco singers and guitarists.  The setting was powerfully simple--a stage, a spotlight, and a black background; no gimmicks, just music and dancing.  The opening flamenco told of eternal loss and defiant pride, while the second, a farruca (danced in black trousers) was more flamboyant, showing off the quick, rhythmic taps.  Her demeanor in this dance was almost defiant, daring the audience to compete.  

 The fandango which followed was a complete change of pace.  She was dressed in a purple tea gown with a Basque waist, looking remarkably like a lithograph of Fanny Ellsler with her curving arms and elegantly tilted torso, accented with the rat tat tat of her castanets.  It was a wonderful demonstration of delicate sensuality, and clearly showed that Spanish dancing covers a wide range of styles.  Her hands, sometimes fierce, sometimes caressing the air, sometimes pushing it away, were unbelievably eloquent.  There is a common thread in Rioja's dancing, though, no matter what style, a thread of pride and joy and generosity. 

copyright © 2011 by Mary Cargill