Flamenco Dance Sevilla- Closing Ceremony of Spanish Cultural Year

Time: 2008/4/11-2008/4/12

Venue: The National Centre for the Performing Arts-Opera House

This flamenco show by Maria Pagis Dance Company concludes the Spanish Cultural Year in China. Maria Pagis, one of Spain's leading flamenco dancers, is famous for her long, expressive arms and her warm, charismatic stage presence. "Sevilla" is her latest work, a paean to her home town.

About María Pagés and her Sevilla

"María Pagés: the dancer with endless arms"

María Pagés, 44, is one of Spain's leading flamenco dancers, famous for her long, expressive arms and her warm, charismatic stage presence.

She began her career dancing with Antonio Gades and founded her own company in 1990, but has continued to collaborate with other artists from various genres - notably as the 'Spanish Dancer' in River dance.

Pagés' choreography is deeply rooted in the flamenco tradition but has adapted subtle influences from other forms, from contemporary dance to musical theatre.

They call her "the dancer with endless arms" but it is not simply the grand curves of her long arms that are unique - it's the whole movement of her upper body. The tilting spine draw broad circles, each vertebra peeling away from its neighbor; the shoulders lifting, rolling or thrown back defiantly and the energy radiating from her solar plexus. With the expansive sweep of her body she welcomes the audience in.

It is a performance of contrasts. Sometimes Pagés' arms swim heavily as if pushing back the tide, but then suddenly her body will flash sharply between poses, as if someone has edited out the frames in between.

In one scene she is lightheartedly sparring with her band, whereas another, a stark quintet in which she is accompanied by four male dancers, feels like a dance of grief as Pagés' heels pummel the floor, imploringly pouring out beats in an exorcism of emotion.