A taste of Madrid

In just a couple of days, the dynamic Spanish dancing duo Angel Rojas and Carlos Rodriguez will return to Israel with their company.

By ORI J. LENKINSKI
Titanium (photo credit: Courtesy PR)
Titanium
(photo credit: Courtesy PR)
In just a couple of days, the dynamic Spanish dancing duo Angel Rojas and Carlos Rodriguez will return to Israel with their company, Nuevo Ballet Espanol. This will be the third visit of NBE to Tel Aviv. The company’s newest work, Titanium, will be presented at the Suzanne Dellal Center as part of the third annual Madridanza festival.
Rojas and Rodriguez first performed together at a choreography competition at the Albeniz Theater in Madrid in 1994.
They were an immediate success, winning awards for Outstanding Dancer and Best Music. The following year, they founded Nuevo Ballet Espanol as a way to bring their accumulated performance experience to fuller expression. Both artists had enjoyed an international career on the stage and sought out to deepen their tie with Spanish dance by finding new ways to bring innovation to the form.
“We share the same philosophy, based on the search for a different way of understanding movement, creation, scenic approach, lighting and sound-space,” they told The Jerusalem Post. “We approach our work together thanks to our affinity, discipline and respect for each other.”
For the past two decades, Rojas and Rodriguez have tirelessly pushed the limits of what flamenco can encompass. Contrary to many of their peers, whose productions offer audiences a glimpse into the world of traditional Spanish and flamenco dance, Rojas and Rodriguez are known for their ability to fuse styles. Titanium brings together two genres of performance that at first may seem world apart; flamenco and hip hop. However, to Rojas and Rodriguez, they share much common ground.
“Both dance styles were born in the street as a way of expression for people who had the need to communicate...
through improvised movements, music and aesthetics. They did this by creating a new style,” they wrote.
“Nowadays flamenco is considered a universal and ancestral art, a way for Spanish artists to show and transmit our culture around the world. Flamenco has been fed by references from other cultures and styles to reach the place it has today. That’s why we find it important to research and develop flamenco.”
While blazing the trail has won the duo a flock of followers, they are conscious of the risk.
“Our challenge is to continue to connect with our audience, especially at a stage in our career in which we are researching different forms of artistic expression,” they explained. “That said the most rewarding thing is to continue to do what we love and to feel the love and support of the audience.”
For Titanium, Rojas and Rodriguez partnered with choreographer Chevi Muraday.
Six male dancers accompanied by four musicians perform the piece.Titanium will run at the Suzanne Dellal Center on July 16 and 17. For tickets, visit www.suzannedellal.org.il.