Velocity DC is a dance festival that brings together mostly DC-area dance companies into several (dare i say, based on a sample size of 1) spectacular performances over the course of four days. i went to the saturday evening one and was blown away. i can’t say i was the most appreciative of dance as an art form (mostly due to lack of exposure, or maybe exposure to “boring” stuff), though i did enjoy a local festival that a friend MC’d…but until last night, that really was about it.
but now, i’m a fan. a big fan. for $18 (many many thanks to their sponsors, since now, having experienced it, i gladly would have paid triple that), i went on a whirlwind tour of dance from traditional indian to modern ballet (nothing involving tutus and leotards!) to avant-garde ambient electro (my own description — and something i surprisingly enjoyed from [both] [companies] that fell into this genre).
the one that snuck up on me and really got me, however, was the ensemble flamenco performance by Flamenco Aparicio. going in, i was fully expecting my favorite to be the percussive dance group (because it’s fun and lively and easily accessible), but the intensity and vigor and commanding presence of the flamenco…between the singing and the guitars and the rhythmic clapping, wow. i was blown away.
not what they performed (but around 4:40 is similar), but this is the dance company. (p.s. his feet at one point moved so fast it was a blur.)
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKHlqgIYq-M?rel=0]
which also reminded me of this scene from Volver:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gmcr0e_J16Y?rel=0&w=640&h=360]