Flamenco Festival, Order of the Golden Scribe
By Fern Siegel (Posted 3/10/24)
Flamenco is a passionate art form — as electric as it is colorful. Dynamic and distinct, The Flamenco Festival, now at New York City Center March 8-10 and 15-17, features some of the best practitioners in the world — from traditional masters to those challenging the medium.
The first leg of the festival —the National Ballet of Spain — showcases 38 dancers in Invocación. Directed by Rubén Olmo, Invocación celebrates Spanish heritage with sight, sound and motion. The distinct choreography is sharp; the precision and skill are riveting to watch. Invocación also illustrates the richness of the nation’s dance, from flamenco to escuela bolero, a fusion of popular Spanish dances and ballet, performed in zapatillas (soft shoes) and with castanets.
The first half of Invocación is an interesting combo of flamenco and ballet, but it really shines in the second, thanks to live vocals, Spanish guitar and more traditional flamenco dancing. The section where the men dance in unison, while seated on stools, is particularly eye-catching.
Comprised of three key elements: cante (song), baile (Dance) and toque (music), the Andalusian art form is showcased by Olga Pericet in the second part of the festival, March 15-17. She will dance the solo “La Leona,” translated as the lioness, with Antonio de Torres on Spanish guitar, a five-string guitar that is emblematic of flamenco. This year's festival is dedicated to legendary flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía.
Pericet defies conventional perceptions of flamenco, even sporting less formal garb, while championing an avant-garde artistry.
Also taking center stage, Gala Flamenco boasts the talents of Manuel Liñán, Alfonso Losa, El Yiyo and Paula Comitre. Liñán plays with gender fluidity, giving his performance a singularly modern twist. The quad is accompanied by vocalist Sandra Carrasco.
The festival showcases the grandeur of flamenco, including a tribute to Mario Maya, a Córdoban who trained many dancers. (He can be seen in Carlos Saura’s 1995 film Flamenco.) The costume design by Rosa Garcica Andujar captures flamenco’s hypnotic quality.
The excitement is palpable, and the yearly event is not to be missed.
A second singular show is the Order of the Golden Scribe, an immersive dining event running every Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. at Caveat, a club in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, through March 31.
The premise: The audience has been formally invited to a high tea and initiation ceremony for new recruits into The Order of the Golden Scribe. A secret organization that resembles the Masons in imagery and reach, it claims its influence has been pervasive for centuries.
Teams of four or six work in unison to decipher clues and solve puzzles. Four is ideal, creating a more intimate experience. To keep the action moving, members of the Order, appropriate garbed in white robes and medallions, explain the rite’s history and purpose. They are friendly and interact with participants. But is everything as it seems?
While it’s billed, in part, as a “pop-up escape game,” there is less escape than overall fun. Created by Shuai Chen and Arlo Howard, the Scribe’s puzzles are engaging and entertaining without being mind-twisters. Half the enjoyment is stepping into a fictional world and embracing it. Each course is accompanied by food and tea, though the scones could be larger. The premise is clever and an enjoyable treat for mystery mavens.