| Emotions of flamenco brings worlds together February 13, 2005 NATALIA MUNOZ When Ines Arrubla saunters on stage, every step smolders. Her long fingers snap inaudibly but with conviction. Her high-heeled red shoes click and stamp, releasing rolling, rhythmic surges of unabashed, breathless pleas, incited by deep pain, endless longing and steely pride. "What I try to do is accentuate emotions, and emotions are stories," she said before a recent performance. "If I am sad, the way I move becomes my words." On performance night, her body is wound tight, like a tiger seconds before a lethal pounce. But she will do no harm; she is about to surrender to her emotions. In flamenco, emotions are layered thick like marmalade and butter on toast. Arrubla licks the flavors of heartbreak, rapture, loneliness, coyness, fury, impatience. The audience leaves satiated. When she's not performing she's teaching at one of her two dance studios. A beginner's class, which started Thursday, takes place at Hampshire Performing Arts building, 131 King St., Northampton. Call her at (413) 253-3727. Bring a long, wide skirt. Her other studio is at Dance Force, 1700 Riverdale St., West Springfield. This class is for intermediate and advanced dance students. They have an outstanding teacher in Arrubla, an Amherst resident whose original performances provide welcomed texture to the Pioneer Valley entertainment scene. At two standing-room-only performances at the Iron Horse in Northampton late last month, Arrubla pleased imploring audiences who wanted nothing more than to swelter in winter. Made up mostly of Americans, the audience also included Latin Americans. Flamenco brings worlds together. Culturally, members of her band come from Spain, Peru, Venezuela and the United States. Geographically, though, the band flew in from as far away as New Mexico and drove from as close as Ludlow. Born in Bogot, Colombia, Arrubla had a dance studio in Amsterdam, Netherlands, for 15 years before coming to the United States seven years ago. Arrubla's determination and talent allowed the audiences here to witness what a Catalan composer called the bitter tears of the Andalusians, the passionate and rambunctious people from hot and flat southern Spain, where the oranges ripen to fountains of sweet juice. "For me, dance is not a series of steps. It's another way of making music. My instrument is not the trumpet or the guitar, it's my body. You can hear music in my hands." Almost every year Arrubla puts together an original show, engaging everyone she knows to help, including her husband, Titus Neijens, and their sons, Julio, 12, and Elas, 10. The boys contribute by proofreading the program. "This is my everything," she said of flamenco. Ironically, as a 16-year-old she almost began studying ballet, but a flamenco teacher spotted her at the entrance of the dance studio and told her that girl with a Gypsy face has other business to learn. In 2003 she produced a tango-flamenco show. This year, "Son Flamenco 2005" was more traditional, but Jeff Holmes' flugelhorn lent it soft jazz nuances. Also outstanding were master guitarist Chuscales and Omar Ledezma, whose rapid hand movement on the congas seemed like hopping flames. For one palo, performance, Arrubla demurely lifted her long black skirt up to her thighs to reveal red tights, her flushed face betrayed a plea, a low moan rose over the ashes of the music. A rush of emotions swirled from the stage across the room. Natalia Munoz can be reached at nmunoz@repub.com |