“Flamenco Electro” by Mike Rizk is an intriguing spectacle that showcases the arte and history of Flamenco starting with the Virtuoso era through to the Progressive and finally the Electro all in a story telling manner that keeps you entertained from the get go
The London show opens with Mike Rizk on guitar and Angela Alonso on Flamenco dance to an original beautiful solo piece called Le Jour. Alonso wears a beautiful Flamenco dress and shows off her talent and experience with excellent technical precision with emotional expression and automatically sets the mood and expectation for the night
Afterwards Rizk introduces the cast; from Sydney is Peter Micos on percussion and guitar, Michael Hewett on electronica and percussion and from London Angela Alonso on Flamenco dance, Alexea Norman on modern contemporary dance and Anna Diamond on vocals
Rizk then kicks into two more virtuoso pieces with Hewett and Micos and then moves to the progressive era playing original gypsy kings style music whilst having Angela and Alexea dance showing the contrast of styles
American Alexea Norman is robust in her performance does not miss a beat. She provides a thoroughly brilliant visual to watch
The last half of the show Rizk and company perform Flamenco-Electo which is a genre that blends the traditional rhythms and techniques of flamenco with the modern sounds of electronic music. You can clearly hear the intricate guitar work, intense percussion, and emotive singing with the pulsating beats, synthesized sounds, and live production techniques for electronic music.
Anna Diamond shines on vocals accompanied by Hewett, together they raise the bar and get you grooving in your seat
Here’s a quick guide of what to expect from Flamenco Electro:
- Innovation and Fusion: Flamenco Electro stands out for its innovative approach, displaying the historic and culturally rich elements of flamenco and later merging it with contemporary electronic beats. The use of dancers for both traditional and modern music gives an interesting perspective on where Flamenco is today
- Rhythmic Complexity: Complex rhythms and structures throughout the show accompanied by dancers showcasing the traditional with the modern with intricate patterns of flamenco layered over electronic rhythms, creating a rich tapestry of sound.
- Emotional Depth: Deep emotional expression, conveying themes of passion, and depth. When combined with electronic music, this emotional depth can be amplified or transformed, adding new dimensions to the music unlikely to have been heard before.
- Dance: It was exciting watching the varying dancers move to traditional and new styles of Flamenco. For the last song ‘music to my ears’ both dancers were dancing simultaneously, it was fascinating to watch the different styles side by side
- Education: Rizk goes through the history of Flamenco using live examples which creates interest and keeps you attentive as they go through the songs
Overall, Flamenco Electro is a successful cross-pollination of cultures and musical styles. It’s such a unique show and worth exploring if you’re interested in how traditional Flamenco forms can evolve and interact with contemporary electronic genres. An exciting show which keeps you wanting more, we gave it 5 stars.
To find out more about Mike Rizk
