Modernity, tradition coexist in 'Carmen Mota's Alma'

Dancers perform in "Carmen Mota's Alma." The Spanish flamenco dancer will present her 10th creation at LG Arts Center, southern Seoul, May 23-26.

/ Courtesy of wentertainment

By Rachel Lee

Spanish flamenco queen Carmen Mota, 76, is back in Seoul with her latest show titled “Carmen Mota’s Alma,” which will premiere in Korea May 23.

Mota will present her 10th creation in which dance becomes a melting pot that combines tradition with tendencies in 20th century Spanish dance. The Spanish word “alma” means “soul.”

The legendary dancer is known for mixing traditional flamenco with tango, contemporary dance and Mexican rhythms. She describes her latest work as “the return of a company of artists to international stages, giving the best of themselves, of their art and of their souls,” she told the promoters of the show in March.

Korean audiences can expect a series of dances based on scores by renowned composers of popular Spanish rhythms.

The audience will travel to a world that reviews the purest flamenco to the most innovative concepts of classical Spanish ballet.

She has worked with two other choreographers Joaquin Marcelo and Antonio Najarro to produce the first part of the show. Traditional flamenco merges with tango, jazz and contemporary music. Dancers in modern dress will perform six moderate and polished acts with a group dance.

The second part promises to be more vibrant and free as dancers, clad in fancy white, perform in the carnival atmosphere. Spanish-type pubs and harbors are used as the setting.

“We express such human emotions as joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure through flamenco, which transcends age and nationality,” she told the promoting agency in Seoul.

The director’s artistic career as a dancer began at the age of 16 and she became a lead dancer three years later. After more than three decades as the head of her company, Carmen Mota’s Dance Company, performing on different stages in Spain and around the world, Mota is internationally considered as one of the references of genuine Spanish dance.

She was last in Korea in 2009 for “Carmen Mota’s Fuego,” one of her ten creations that also include “Carmen Mota’s Airam” and “Carmen Mota’s Esencia De Amor” in 2008 and 2006.

The 105 minute-performance will take place from May 23 to 26 at LG Arts Center, southern Seoul. Ticket prices for “Carmen Mota’s Alma” range from 55,000 to 150,000 won. For more information, call (02) 2005-0114 or visit www.lgart.com.