Flamenco dancer Karen lugo wowed the audience with her sensational moves. She chatted with K Bhardwaj about learning Odissi and feeling at home in India
Her powerful expressions and strong footwork complimented every beat that played in the background. Clad in a grey fishtail gown, a dress that we mostly see on Oscars’ red carpets, Spanish flamenco dancer Karen lugo unfolded herself like a liberated soul, commanding a strict rhythm palmas (hand clapping) and pitos (finger snapping). She was clearly the head-turner at the second edition of Jodhpur Flamenco Gypsy Festival that concluded recently at the Mehrangarh Fort. The danseuse enthralled the audience on all three days of the fest, presenting multiple fusions with international and Rajasthani players. Her sensuous moves on stage would make one skip heartbeat but meeting her in person turned out to be a rather spiritual experience. She exuded grace like any dedicated practitioner of Indian classical dance. Maybe, there’s an influence. “I’m not alien to Indian dances. I like Kathak and Bharatanatyam but Odissi is my favourite. In fact, I have learnt some of the mudras,” she stunned us.
Clearly, it’s not her first in India. She has been coming here since 2011 and this happened to be her sixth visit. “I first came for a multi-city tour and fell in love with India instantly. We look so similar and share traditions. During my second trip, I stayed in Rajasthan for a month and explored places like Udaipur, Jodhpur, Pushkar and Jaipur,” she told us.
It was in Pushkar that she learnt some Indian classical dances and ragas. “I introduced Indian elements in my dance as well. In Odissi, Kathak and Bharatanatyam, they use eyes expressions a lot. So now when I dance, I’m really conscious of my eyes and hand movements. It has accentuated my performances,” she said adding that while in Odissi, every expression is like a detailed choreography, her Flamenco is “spirited and liberal”.
Flamenco, a form of Spanish folk music and dance from the region of Andalusia in southern Spain, has now spread across the world. While many perceive it a form of entertainment, lugo calls it a serious business. “It’s really a strong dance but is delightful. It’s not just for entertainment. It penetrates into one’s soul and touches emotions. Everywhere I go, I receive tremendous feedback. One really needs years to master it. The footwork is hard and exhausting. It takes minimum of three years to find rhythm in your feet. When you perform Flamenco, you are a combination of a dancer and a drummer as it involves foot and hand tapping,” she said.
lugo believes that Flamenco is getting bigger in India. “Such festivals like JFGF are boosting cultural exchange. So people are more curious in embracing other dance forms. I know a lot of people who have come back this year here,” she said. like India, she told us that Spain, too, has a cultural debate over fusion and evolution of traditional forms. “There are people who want to perform Flamenco as it was 100 years ago. They are purists. But there are people who are mixing Flamenco with other music forms like Jazz, Hip Hop or other contemporary forms. like I’m a fusion already. I think it’s great that I can discover my own style. It’s liberating. I always try to adapt and absorb from places that I visit,” she said.
lugo started dancing when she was four. She began with classical Spanish, like her mother, but she got interested in Flamenco as she found it ‘incredibly difficult’. “I was 13 when I first saw a performance. I knew I had to learn it. So here, I am,” said the the 28-year-old artiste. Next on her radar is to popularise Flamenco in India, beyond Rajasthan. “I want to spread my dance to as many places as possible. People must know the relationship that we share. I also want to get into Indian dances and be able to comprehend and adapt them into my dance,” she signed off.
photos Pankaj Kumar