While flamenco in its purest form is a solitary song which usually consists of hand clapping, foot stomping and dance, by the dawn of the 19th century, the guitar was very much integrated into what has now become a powerful tradition.

Flamenco was able to develop and evolve through southern Spain’s diverse cultural history, which saw the marriage of Andalusian folk culture and the migrating gypsy communities’ collective memory with land and body. Thus, from its early beginnings flamenco was a dance which sought to reach over time and space and weave history-rich connections between the past and present.

Always striving to stay true to the roots of traditional flamenco, Ingrid Sciberras came up with the unique idea of centering the Alegria Academia de Baile Flamenco’s latest offering on the local legend of L-Gharusa tal-Mosta. The folktale tells the story of a young bride who is stolen away from her groom and taken faraway, only to be rescued by her love who braves the seas in order to bring her back home. Hence, this culturally-rich tale was extremely fertile ground for the flamenco aesthetic to flourish and thrive.

With just a single light illuminating the solitary white shrouded figure at the centre of the stage, the dramatic air which is so unique to the flamenco genre was instantly kindled as the audience caught a glimpse of the would-be bride.

Ingrid Sciberras Photos: John Ambrogio

What made this moment all the more singular was the fact that as she measuredly walked off the stage with a dignified gravitas, the stage was immediately inundated with a burst of energy as the audience were regaled with maidens decked in dresses which had skirts of different, bright colours and joyous activity.

Something which I particularly liked about this production was the seamless way in which the director and choreographer were able to integrate the children’s parts into the narrative and maintain cohesion within the show. It was interesting to see how well the strong Maltese identity of the legend was able to meld with the flamenco framework to form a very solid piece.

In the scene where the bride is preparing for her wedding in her bedroom, the audience was carried away on a cloud of pure white, wedded bliss which juxtaposed even more harshly with the following ‘Se la llevaron’ or kidnapping scene where one could feel the tension in everything from the rigid hands that came out of the shadows and stabbed the light at the edge of the stage to the menacing black and red presence of the legend’s merciless Turks.

Indeed, despite the fact that there was absolutely no dialogue in the piece, the audience never felt confused about what was happening on stage because between the costumes, the expressions, the music, and the dancing itself, it was easy to be able to follow what was going on.

Particularly clever was the device of using dancers to represent the waves on the forlorn bride’s forced passage to Turkey. Swaying and dancing at different speeds in unified rhythm, the dance of the voyage to Turkey was not only technically engaging, but also perfectly represented the movement of a restless tide which ebbs and flows.

Setting the scene for the market square tableau, Renzo Spiteri’s tribal piece was equally intriguing and really set the right tone for the following action packed scenes which saw the bride go from downcast slave to triumphant homecoming rescuee. The cherry on the cake was Joe Grech’s beautifully sung Ballata tal-Gharusa tal-Mosta which was true example of how Maltese song and ghana can still be relevantly integrated in modern pieces without feeling gratuitous or forced.

Amor truly succeeding in marrying the art of flamenco with Maltese elements rich in their unique flavour. Not only was the piece visually stunning, but it truly was able to show that the emotions expressed by music and dance are able to transcend time as well as differing cultures.