‘Musa Gitana’ reviews all Paco Pena reviews

Background: "Musa Gitana" uses Flamenco to tell episodes from the life of the Spanish painter Julio Romero de Torres. It seems more than appropriate given that many of his canvases feature women and he was born in Cordoba - deep in the territory of Flamenco which he much enjoyed. The intention of the production is to add an extra level of sophistication to a Flamenco performance.

Story: I didn't have the opportunity to read the notes beforehand and what happened on stage looked like Flamenco dances in a number of different locations but I was not able to discern very much about Torres or his life from just looking at the stage. The programme actually goes into some detail and also reproduces the lyrics for all the songs in both Spanish and English. A worthy attempt to spell things out but I'm not sure much was clear or obvious even so.

Dancers/Songs: For the most part the performers are all young and undoubtedly know their technical 'stuff'. This is thrilling but Flamenco is also about earthy passion, commitment, life experience and all round sassiness - things more normally associated with older performers. Flamenco is not necessarily about honed bodies and youth and one of the most marvellous things is seeing somebody you wouldn't dream of as a dancer, strut, preen and show you that it’s not the body but the attitude that counts.

Design/Sets: Simple sets that conjure a churchyard or bar together with some projected Torres paintings. A small band (including Paco Pena) was often on stage too. All fine enough but what really impressed were the lovely costumes for the woman. Flamenco dresses are so achingly feminine anyway and seeing them handled and used as extensions of movement is a real treat.

Choreography: Given that Flamenco originally started as singing to which guitar and dance were added later I'm afraid to say I can't stand the original Flamenco singing, finding it just too untuneful and plain painful. The newcomers (guitar, dance) I do enjoy and as you’d expect we got much foot- stamping, solo virtuoso and in small groups etc. The performers did much to try and create an ambiance but I didn't feel emotionally connected and it all felt a bit sterile and distant - too choreographed almost.

Conclusion: If you like 'sophisticated', slick and staged productions this is quite probably for you. Personally I'd prefer to see something less mannered, something as if I had got lost in the back streets of Seville and blundered into a local bar on dance 'nite' with all its associated rawness. Perhaps it’s the difference between being a tourist and a traveller? Of course the staged reality of my notion might be no more authentic than what we saw, but I think it would better reflect the excitement and intimacy of Flamenco.