Press

“It is the communal spirit of the group that creates such a soulful world, by turns tender and ferocious. Extreme effort, apparent in beads of sweat and quivering muscles, provides a detailed rendering of a gut-wrenching art form.”

Gia Kourlas, The New York Times
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“A concert by Noche Flamenca is a group effort. Like really good jazz, it is fueled by an interplay of spontaneous invention in which all the players contribute, and the communal spirit that bonds this troupe.”

Karen Campbell, The Boston Globe
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"A triumphant night of theater. Noche Flamenca puts everything at risk — not just to "preserve" the old glories of flamenco. They were busy preserving hearts, souls, and the power of communal experience in a world of electronic flash."

Chris Waddington, The Times-Picayune
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"Soledad Barrio's métier is flamenco, and as the company's star, she can make a believer out of the most jaded spectator. If you assume that flamenco is all phony histrionics, you've probably never seen Barrio in action. Her performances start with a quiet, silky grace, but by the end she is more creature than human."

Gia Kourlas, New York Times
>full article (PDF)

“Let me end with a non-American dancer I discovered in June: Soledad Barrio, dancing with Noche Flamenca either at Theater 80 or, more briefly, in City Center’s Fall for Dance season. Talk about drama! Or sculpture! Or rhythm! In my mind’s eye I again see Ms. Barrio in one of her astoundingly sustained backbends followed by one of her sudden pivots, wheeling from a convex to concave shape with implacable decisiveness. Ms. Barrio and Noche Flamenca are frequent visitors to New York; to say that I hope to see and hear more of them in 2008 is understatement. ”

Alastair Macaulay, New York Times
excerpt from “Prima Performances From the Familiar, and Not”
December 23, 2007

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Under the direction of Martín Santangelo, the award-winning Noche Flamenca has become Spain's most successful touring company. Formed in 1993 by Santangelo and his Bessie award-winning wife, Soledad Barrio, the company regularly tours throughout the globe. Performance highlights in North America include Berkeley's Cal Performances, Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival, the Ravinia Festival, the American Dance Festival, Wolf Trap, and the Hollywood Bowl, among others. Internationally, the company has appeared on stages in Australia, New Zealand, Greece, and Egypt, among other countries. With annual seasons in New York City and Buenos Aires, and return engagements at theaters around the world, the company has a dedicated global audience. Hailed by critics everywhere for its transcendent and deeply emotional performances, Noche Flamenca is recognized as the most authentic flamenco touring company in the field today. Santangelo has successfully brought to the stage the essence, purity, and integrity of one of the world's most complex and mysterious art forms without the use of tricks or gimmicks. All aspects of flamenco; dance, song, and music, are interrelated and given equal weight in the presentations of Noche Flamenca, creating a true communal spirit within the company - the very heart and soul of flamenco. In support of its mission to educate and enlighten audiences about flamenco, the company offers extensive residency programs that reach out to people of all ages. With company members based in Spain, Noche Flamenca is a registered US not-for-profit with its office and representation based in New York City. Noche Flamenca's artistic integrity has been recognized with awards from the National Dance Project (2006) and the Lucille Lortel Award for Special theatrical Experience (2003), among others.

Anna Arias Rubio (University of the Arts, Philadelphia, Flamenco Editor, Dance Insider) on the work of Santangelo: “Santangelo never compromises the integrity of flamenco by pandering to commercialism. He is on a mission to teach the U.S. - and the rest of the world - to understand and respect the three elements of flamenco: cante (song), toque (guitar) and dance, equally, by consistently presenting the best examples of each. The successful sold-out appearances of Noche Flamenca prove that well-presented, unadulterated flamenco can move, inspire, and entertain audiences from all cultures.”

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Martin Santangelo Biography

Under Artistic Director and Choreographer Martin Santangelo’s direction, Noche Flamenca is recognized as the world’s leading flamenco company. The company tours to theaters throughout the globe, offering audiences the opportunity to experience the authenticity of this ancient form. Noche Flamenca received the 2003 Lucille Lortel Award for Special Theatrical Experience. Its lead dancer, Solédad Barrio, was awarded a 2001 Bessie for outstanding creative achievement. In 2000, Santangelo was nominated for Cal-Arts’ Alpert Award in the Arts.

Inspired to train in the form of flamenco, Santangelo moved to Madrid in 1992. There, he trained with Leo Guito, Ciro, Alejandro Granados, and Manolete. He began working professionally as a flamenco dancer one year later, performing in Europe, North and South America, and Asia with Paco Romero’s Ballet Flamenco, Maria Benitez Teatro Flamenco, and Maria Magdalena.

Santangelo’s theatrical credits include a collaboration with Julie Taymor for the Lincoln Center’s Vivian Beaumont Theater presentation of “Juan Darien”; El Teatro Campesion, Luis Valdez, Director; a collaboration with Lynne Taylor-Corbett for Eduardo Machado’s “Deep Song”; choreography for Larry Kornfield’s “Bodas de Sangre” at SUNY Purchase; choreography for several productions for Yarrick Bielski’s Madrid-based Replica Teatro, including “Bodas de Sangre,” “Lower Depths,” “La Celestina,” and “A Streetcar Named Desire”; and choreography for “Romeo and Juliet” at the Denver Theater Center. Feature films include “Fun Down There,” Roger Tigliano, Director.

Santangelo attended the University of Iowa and New York University where he studied dance, theater, and American Studies. He trained for six years with the jazz legend Luigi in New York City and went on to train with the Director Gerzy Jrotowski in Irvine, CA.

Santangelo was born in The West Village in New York City in 1963 to Luly and Edwin Santangelo. His father was a sculptor and a physicist. Raised by his mother, a dancer with the Martha Graham and Alwin Nikolais companies, he was exposed to theatrical dance through years of attending Graham rehearsals. From the impressionable age of four to eight, Santangelo experienced the form of flamenco when the flamenco master Mario Maya lived at his home. Santangelo presently lives in Madrid with his wife Barrio and their two daughters, Gabriela and Stella.

Soledad Barrio Biography

Soledad Barrio (Dancer) was born In Madrid. She has appeared as soloist with Manuela Vargas, Blanca del Rey, Luisillo, El Guito, Manolete, Cristobal Reyes, and El Toleo, Ballet Espanol de Paco Romero, Festival Flamenco and many other companies. Barrio has performed throughout Europe, Japan and North and South America with such artists as Alejandro Granados, Isabel Bayón, Jesus Torres, Miguel Pérez, Manolo Marin, Javier Barón, Merce Esmeralda, Rafael Campallo, Belén Maya, etc. She has won awards from over twelve different countries around the globe for her excellence in dance, and was awarded a "Bessie" for Outstanding Creative Achievement in 2001. She is a founding member of Noche Flamenca and is married to Martín Santangelo. They have two beautiful and extraordinary daughters, Gabriela and Stella.

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Repertory

Coming soon...

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