Review: SALVADOR at GALA Hispanic Theatre

The 17th Fuego Flamenco Festival at the GALA Hispanic Theatre has opened with a returning favorite, Edwin Aparicio's spectacular autobiographical piece, "Salvador."

It's a comfortable fit, as Aparicio has been curator of the festival since its inception at GALA, which has been part of his life since he made it his artistic home as a teen. The immediate area is part of the unusual story of the acclaimed flamenco master, who has been awarded the Cross of the Order of Civil Merit from King Felipe VI of Spain.

As creator, choreographer and co-director of the very personal piece, first performed at the festival in 2016, Aparicio's own role in the piece, at first is secondary. He observes scenes and presents them, often performing in a simpatico doubling.

The showcase is given to New York dancer Ricardo "El Niño" Osoria Ruiz as the youthful Aparicio, whose life in San Miguel, El Salvador in the early 80s is depicted as war torn and dangerous. Even in church it seems like life is foreboding, as reflected by a half dozen women in black - the talented members of the Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company.

It's an eye-catching, wordless, multi-media production that improves on the earlier production, with a wide screen of scene-setting footage and photographs (some from Muriel Hasbun's series "Saints and Shadows").

P. Vanesa Losada is listed as production manager and light board operator and her team (including technical director Devin Mahoney, lighting and set designer Christopher Annas-Lee, and sound designer Brandon Cook) create a sumptuous frame for the frequently spectacular dances that occur.

Flamenco itself is highly theatrical and super percussive, with the wide, two-inch heels seemingly affixed with their own amplifiers as they urgently bang on the wooden floor. As explosive as the moves are, the top half of the body has flowing arm movements and sharp hand twirling - expressively ornamental above the intricate rhythmic stomps.

When performed in a group it can be mesmerizing; done solo it can seem to take flight. That Aparicio has created a piece about growing up and finding one's place that speaks universally shows the power of dance and in particular flamenco.

The young man's parting from the grandmother who raises him is heartrending; his arrival in Washington DC in the early 90s is just as confusing, from the mannequin-like people flitting downtown to the black-hoodied dance gangs who are reluctant to have him join, to the social unrest of the nearby Mt. Pleasant riots of 1991 where he was growing up.

He considers for a time ballet, drawn to the dancing of woman - Noura Sander of the Washington Ballet, in a piece choreographed by Sona Kharatian. But ultimately she, too, turns him away because he doesn't fit.

Finally, the young man makes his way to Madrid, where he finds himself amid masters in colorful attire (the Aparicio Company again). A couple of standouts appear as teachers, Kyoko Terada and Anna Mennéndez, and soon the young man is invited to join them.

He practices and practices and finds his place. Eventually he meets the man he'll grow to be (Aparicio), approaching from the sidelines. And after a series of arresting solos from Ruiz, he hands off to a series of even more breathtaking dances from the show's creator, who affirms above all he's still got it.

It's an unexpected structure when solo, solo, solo is followed by another's solo, solo and solo, but it pays off. And the ensemble celebration that such a piece calls for comes in the curtain call, amid standing ovations for encore.

Part of the excitement of "Salvador" is not just the snap and rumble of the dance movements, it's the first rate music. Grammy-nominated Gonzalo Grau serves as music director and composer, playing tasteful keyboards and cello while leading a band that includes accomplished flamenco guitarist Ricardo Marlow and percussionist Francisco "Yiyi" Orozco of Barcelona, one of two outstanding vocalists. The other is the Spanish singer Amparo Heredia, whose nickname is "La Repompilla." Together they bring a thrilling authenticity to a music that animates the dancers and audience.

There is an urgency to all this: "Salvador" runs only through Sunday Nov. 7; next weekend the festival closes with D.C. premiere of "De Paso," from the Sara Pérez Dance Company of Madrid.

Photo credit: Mariana Gatto-Durán, Edwin Aparicio, Ricardo Osorio, Kyoko Terada. (Back:) Sara Jerez, Dana Schoenberg, Cosima Amelang, Catherina Irwin in 'Salvador.' Photo by Daniel Martínez.

"Salvador" will be performed at the GALA Hispanic Theatre, 3333 14th St NW, Saturday, Nov. 6 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 7 at 2 p.m. Masks and proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test required. Tickets available from 202-234-7174 or online.

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