Flamenco is one of the few art forms whose performers don't have to be young or pretty. They often are, but many are not, and these older, less predictably attractive dancers can be more effective. "There is no excellent beauty that hath no strangeness" could have been written for them, and especially for María Pagés, the modernising flamenco dancer who opened the annual flamenco bash at Sadler's Wells last night.
Pagés has a direct, unglossed appeal and a frank sexuality. She is almost awkward, quite unlike the super-slick technique and easy charisma of other flamenco stars. She doesn't even look how we expect flamenco women to look, with their butterfly lashes, liquorice hair and pillowy plumpness. Pagés is tall, gawky even, yet she somehow transforms this less easy demeanour into a movement style that acknowledges all that flamenco conveys.
Her 90-minute show is best described as dramatic flamenco, with gorgeous sets and costumes and clear themes that evoke the city of Seville as well as the Carmen femme fatale. There is a 23-strong cast of dancers and musicians who perform what you'd call musical numbers, rather than pure dance sequences.
Some are hugely evocative, such as the bull ring scene and the one where Pagés dances in front of what looks like a life-size, diamond-encrusted Madonna. Also good was the walking stick sequence, and the scene when the women were seated and danced with their fans.
Less convincing was some occasionally soft choreography, and the often soft singing that sounded more like Julio Iglesias than the raw cry of flamenco. The pace was also uneven, and the "fluorescent feet" section felt gimmicky. Those who like their flamenco both taught and distraught won't be big fans, but many will connect with Pagés's gentler approach to the dance of the outcasts.
Until 6 March. The Flamenco Festival runs until 16 March. Information: 0844 412 4300, www.sadlerswells.com.
Flamenco Festival London 08: Compania Maria Pages: Sevilla
Sadler's Wells
Rosebery Avenue, EC1R 4TN
