La Cosecha: 25th Anniversary Performance of Centro Flamenco

I’ve been thinking about how to review the Flamenco show La Cosecha for almost an entire day.

How can I write about a recital that, obviously, wasn’t too polished and not always exciting? The Playhouse was full of people, perhaps primarily relatives and friends. During the night, several times I asked myself, “Why are you here? Why did they invite a reviewer?”

Well, let me tell you what I think I’ve learned during the two hour show. La Cosecha celebrated the 25^th Anniversary of Centro Flamenco, founded in 1989 by the artistic director Rosario Ancer and music director Victor Kolstee. 

When the show started, singers and musicians were ready to play the live music on stage. A succession of diverse rhythms and songs accompanied the dance of different groups of students of all ages, including the Professional Training Program and the ones graduating from the program.

Expect for Victor Kolstee (guitar) and Davide Sampaolo (percussion), no other men were on stage. And this is the first lesson that I’ve learned: male flamenco dancers are pretty rare.

David Cooper

Second, costumes are an essential part of the flamenco. I really enjoyed the colours and the shapes the costumes produced while dancers were moving. In the best piece of the show, the solo of Kara Miranda, the music (Vera de San Juan), the costume and the dance created a wonderful ambience. Her whole body was involved in the dance and she totally engaged with the audience.

Finally, what I’ve learned is that to dance flamenco you must be sharp and proud; there is no space for shyness on stage. I appreciate how all those women, of all ages, went on stage without any concerns just for the joy of move their bodies.