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From the early days in which Paco Peña decided to launch his now world famous company, he set out to bring onto the stage a true rendition of what the Art of Flamenco represents: a spontaneous collaboration between artists of different disciplines, i.e. musicians, dancers and singers who inspire one-another to reach as far as possible into their artistic endeavors so as to create a unique and unrepeatable experience every time; a performance that is new and surprising to themselves as much as it is to any audience present. Flamenco is not written down, but passed on from generation to generation, so it continues to allow for new ideas to come into it. It holds an intense appeal that is timeless and not easy to identify. Both the tragic cry of the “seguiriya” in the lone voice of the flamenco singer and the explosion of happiness of the “bulería” rhythm find mysterious paths into people’s sensitivities all over the world; as do the sensuality and passion of the dance and the unique texture of the flamenco guitar sound. Over the years, Paco Peña’s shows have dealt with various challenging concepts, from the deceivingly simple notion of highlighting the essential significance of the flamenco song, (not given due recognition for many previous years), as was the case with his Flamenco Puro show, to the ground-braking drama Musa Gitana which told the story of the legendary, turn-of-the 20th. Century artist from Córdoba, Julio Romero de Torres, with his complex observation of life and society and his personal, traumatic passions. More recently, Paco Peña enjoyed the collaboration of the renowned theatre director Jude Kelly in what proved to be the spectacular show Voces y Ecos, which took the audience on a kind of journey through the history of flamenco and the most significant moments in its development. The new presentation, A Compás ! wants to transmit to the audience the compelling nature of a range of flamenco rhythms, from the almost “tribal”, trance-inducing quality of the “alboreá’” to the razor - sharp complexity of the “bulería”. At the same time, the show aims to isolate each artist at some moment, to throw (as it were) him or her onto the naked reality of a given rhythmic structure (or compás) and, there, having to deal with it in their own personal way, immersing themselves deeply into the feeling of the rhythm and contributing their own creative input, they must end up projecting an unstoppable pulse that every one can feel and identify with. Or, put in different words, they must try and get everybody “into the rhythm”, induce the feeling of “a compás” into the whole experience. Flamenco rhythms are vital; the “compás” is like a primal pulse, like the rhythm of the earth... and everyone must get to feel it!
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