San Lucido, “Baile a dos” by Pericet and Flores

John

By John

A rhythm that is dance and music together, with the body that marks the times, flamenco in the performances of Olga Pericet and Marco Flores, among the most representative exponents in the world, incorporates the tradition and innovation of personal creativity. On 26 July (10.00 pm) the two Andalusian dancers will perform in Piazza Monumento di San Lucido for the only Italian date of their show “Baile a Dos”, event of the second edition of ArteInVivoFestival, promoted by the homonymous development start-up sustainable tourism. Scheduled from 24 to 29 July – under the patronage of the Municipality and Pro Loco of the city of Cosenza and Oficina Cultural y Científica de la Embajada de España – the event offers six days of art, nature, food and wine and dance courses, during which the two artists will hold a series of internships (two are already sold-out) from 24 to 27 and on the evening of 26 they will demonstrate on stage a creative process born from their artistic career along which they have created an extraordinary intimate and exclusive language. The voice of Mercedes Cortes and the guitar of José Almarcha accompany them. “Our dance has a strong bond with tradition and origins – underlines Flores – like any other art. We start from the roots to create our own personal vision. The show will be a succession of “palos” (the different styles within flamenco, ed), which takes its inspiration from tradition and then develops into our own particular interpretation”.

What points will you address in your internships?
Flores: “We’re going to work on the flamenco technique both in the corporeity, in the movements, as well as in the “compás” (the rhythmic sequence that characterizes the different types of palos, ed). It is a type of dance strictly linked to the “compás” and one of the characteristics of flamenco dancers is that they are also musicians, because with our dance we also play the percussion. We hope that more and more people will approach this dance with strong universal connotations”.

Why does flamenco resist over time?
Pericet: ”It is immortal because it is a young art. It captures the interest of many for its ability to mix with other music and dances, managing to establish itself on the current scene. I think it’s an art form that is transformed, open, always in step with current events; and it is precisely the lack of limits and the ability to change over time that make it immortal”.

Are there points of contact between the dances of the Iberian tradition and those of Southern Italy?
Pericet: “There are points of contact with the traditional Italian dances of the South, especially those of folklore. They are similar in the “compas”, and above all both are born from a contamination of cultures. In flamenco we find those of Spain, Andalusia, India, Romania, the Mediterranean and South America”.