Ballet Flamenco La Rosa: Not Your Abuela's Flamenco

Who says flamenco needs to be stuck in its 18th-century Andalusian roots? Like any other art form, this dance could die on the vine without contemporary refertilization. That's why Directo al Corazon (Straight to the Heart), an original piece from Ballet Flamenco La Rosa, is such a fresh take on a classic model.

Ballet Flamenco is a local troupe founded by University of Miami theater grad Ilisa Rosal that combines a different mix of musicians, dancers, and styles from both sides of the Atlantic for each of its performances. For this Arsht Center for the Performing Arts premiere, Rosal has — loosely — scripted and choreographed a work based on Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler, a unique combo of Scandinavia and Sevilla, theater and dance.

"Plays like this are not often interpreted in flamenco," says Rosal during a practice break. "I have a background in theater, and something like this has been in the back of my mind for years."

Her company has danced pure versions of the Spanish dance in what are called tablaos, or small flamenco clubs in Little Havana, as well as contemporary variants on international stages.

After Rosal settled on this latest idea, she took off for Spain. That's where she found the guitarists — the music would guide the rest of the performance. "I had a script, then music, then the dancers started to improvise from both," she explains. "There are no real lyrics in dance; the movement needs to tell the story." She says this is an organic process — the dancers and musicians help create the final product. "It's an emotional development as well ... and with the improvisational quality, it's really exciting."

She also landed her star female lead, Spanish flamenco master La Truco. When it all came together, 19 dancers and musicians from the United States and Europe combined to make up this particular troupe — but the casts are always fluid in Ballet Flamenco La Rosa. Collaboration and input from various sources is part of Rosal's process. For instance, last year she created a flamenco ballet based on Macbeth, which included guest artists from Ireland and the Middle East.

Directo al Corazon is part of the Arsht Center's Arte Flamenco festival, which will also include a performance based on a Federico Garcia Lorca work from another locally based company, Siempre Flamenco, called Furia de Color Flamenco. To underscore flamenco's popularity, in Miami and globally, the Arsht will host another flamenco fest in March.

Directo al Corazon starts at 8 p.m. for two performances on Thursday, Jan. 12, and Saturday, Jan. 14; Furia de Color Flamenco starts at 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 13 at the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets cost $38; call 305-949-6722 or go to arshtcenter.org.

– Anne Tschida, artburstmiami.com