Tuesday, May 5, 2009

Dancer Antonio Gades (1936-2004)

I thought I was long past having a crush on a star, but after seeing the great dancer Antonio Gades I've changed my mind.  Gades stars in Carlos Saura's film "Carmen." (There's a clip on U Tube, Antonio Gades: Flamenco/ Carmen.) 

As he dances the farruca, Carmen (Laura del Sol) falls more and more in love with him and calls out, "Devour me, devour me."  I would have said, "Antonio, go on dancing."  

If you watch the  U Tube clip of his dancing the farruca, you will see the tremendous height he achieves, his flawless timing, the flash of light as he turns his knee to the side and lifts his foot from the floor.  In his memoir, the director Luis Bunuel, uses the phrase, "virile insolence." Antonio Gades dances with virile insolence--and grace.    

1 comment:

  1. Here is another link to a clip of Gades dancing:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTlS0hTIx3o

    ReplyDelete