Casa Patas Flamenco Dance Troupe
Theatre Raymond Kabbaz
If you thought flamenco is an exciting and passionate folk dance best seen on a tabletop at midnight in Madrid, you’d be only partially right. Last month it was equally charged on the stage at the Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, a jewel-box of a theatre located at Le Lycee Francais de Los Angeles on Pico near Beverly Glen. In partnership with the Consulate General of Spain, the theatre brought Madrid-based Casa Patas Flamenco to L.A. for two nights of a riveting presentation of the DeMente Territor, directed and choreographed by one of Spain’s rising stars, Karen Lugo.
De Mente Territor is actually more adventurous than many flamenco presentations. With three musicians, two singers and a lightning-footed male dance partner, Lugo has created a more multi-dimensional performance than might usually be expected. Her home country is Mexico, which may partially account for her innovations. But the authenticity and creativity of her work made her a 2008 winner in the Spanish Dance and Flamenco Choreography contest, and her work is both beautiful and compelling.
Theatre Raymond Kabbaz is a non-profit institution dedicated to the promotion of art and culture in the Southland, and while it dedicates a significant part of its programming to French language and culture, it includes multicultural theatre, music, dance, lectures and screenings that are highly entertaining and also educational. The well-designed 220-seat space offers a wide variety of programs, ranging from performance art to French films to a lecture on the therapeutic potential of stem cells. Just be sure to book early.
—Abigail Lewis
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