Review: LO MEJOR DE EDWIN at GALA Hispanic Theatre

The 20th annual Fuego Flamenco Festival produced by GALA Hispanic Theatre opened week two with a thunderclap with Edwin Aparicio’s Lo Mejor de Edwin, a spellbinding evening of flamenco works choreographed over the past 14 years and featuring dance and musical collaborators from both sides of the Atlantic. 

Aparacio, born in El Salvador and raised there as well as in DC, is an incredible dancer and choreographer, deftly reimagining flamenco’s steps and customs for contemporary audiences without ever fully breaking with tradition. His work breathes new life - and brings new audiences - into this art form. 

For example, Balacín, a duet for Aparicio and Norberto Chamizo Garrido is a tender ode to friendship and provides a vehicle for each principal dancer to show off his skills. What could have simply been a bravura show of technical feats, which would have been crowd pleasing, was elevated by Aparicio’s bold choice to center the men’s relationship and mutual trust and appreciation. Male friendship and reliance on one another is rarely depicted, neither in machismo culture nor our current climate in which the political world favors strength and self-reliance. Aparicio showed a different side; two men who are strong and powerful because they rely on and build on the strength of the other. 

Flamenco Flamenca also explored gender roles and conventions as articulated through traditional male and female flamenco steps. Here, both male and female dancers, regardless of dress, swiveled their hips sensually one moment and swiped their arms like swords cutting through the air the next. In works with more traditional gender roles on display, it’s clear Aparicio is making a conscious choice rather than simply defaulting to tradition. He’s fully in control, a master of the form, and deliberating extending the boundary of what flamenco can be. 

His company of seven dancers, joined by a guest artist from Chicago, brought demonstrable passion to their work. Mariana Gatto Durán, Kyoko Terada and Chamizo Garrido in particular are outstanding, performing with rhythmic verve and intensity. 

Flamenco, of course, would not be complete without its musicians who form the backbone of every work. Composers Richard “Ricardo” Marlow and Gonzalo Grau’s guitar and keyboard compositions, respectively, demonstrated an impressive range that elicited strong emotional responses from the audience. I could have listened to their works all night, especially when amplified by the singers’ mournful expressions. 

This outpouring of emotion is core to flamenco but felt especially tailored to this moment in time. This was alluded to in Executive Director Rebecca Medrano’s opening remarks for the evening in which she noted that GALA’s commitment to welcoming and uplifting the latinx community was more important than ever. Her message is galvanizing and one we should all seek to emulate. 

The festival concludes on November 23. Next week, the third and final week, features the world premiere of Intimate Friends of Flamenco featuring Marc López and Monserrat Martínez. For more information, including tickets, visit https://www.galatheatre.org/. 

Lo Mejor de Edwin runs through Sunday, November 17. 

Runtime: 90 minutes with one intermission

Photo: Edwin Aparicio, photo by Steve Johnson

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