Review: FLAMENCODANZA at Foulds Theater

Written by guest reviewer Nancy Burnham

Nancy Burnham received her BFA in dance performance from the New World School of the Arts in Miami. She was a board member of the Florida Dance Education Organization from 2004 to 2011, started the National Honor Society for Dance Arts for the state of Florida in 2006 and was its Chairperson from 2006 to 2011. She received her MFA in Choreography from Jacksonville University in 2014.

The second evening of the Fort Myers Fringe Festival 2023 was on fire on Friday, June 2nd at the Alliance for the Arts. Flamencodanza! premiered at the Foulds Theatre at the Alliance for the Arts at 7:00 PM.

What a fabulous way to start a Friday night and the weekend! Flamencodanza! was presented by Aylin Bayaz and Raul Mannola. The pair ventured from Madrid, Spain to bring a performance packed with passion, elegance, inspiration and breathtaking beauty.

The evening opened with Mannola in a soft spotlight making magic happen on the guitar. You have never heard one play with such finesse and ease. The music he creates is mellow, soothing and inviting,almost haunting as it transports you away to somewhere in Spain where you are now one with the music. This trance continues on as the music begins to build with intense multi rhythms and a heartbeat of its own. We are then introduced to Bayaz as she enters the space. She exudes elegance, passion and fire. The way she owns the stage has a way of entrancing the audience and entices them up into that space with her. Bayaz’s dancing bewitches and seduces the audience. The intimacy of the performance space pulls the viewer almost into the performance and gives one a close up view of the intensity of the collaboration between Bayaz and Mannola. The magic of the music and dance allow the audience to take a breathtaking journey. 

Don’t miss the opportunity to see this incredible performance of Flamencodanza! It is a wonderful show for the whole family to come and enjoy. Additional performances on June 3 at 5:30 pm and on June 4 at 1 pm. For tickets, call 239.939.2787.