Maria Pages - Firedance

The FireDancer ***************** She does not speak in words, But in meaning. She is radiant motion, Leaping beauty. Gold-clad and slinky, She undulates with the flame, Sparkling and crackling. She is the gypsy Goddess, The tireless traveler. She appears where she is needed To light, To heat, To heal. She is joy! Wide-eyed, bright-smiled, Burning pure, Dancing passion. Even her tears are illuminations. She spins within the worlds, From the blazing burst of the comets, To the fiery forge in the heart of the earth. Yet she is as close as a candle... *** Flamenco is one of the clear examples that uniting cultures, races or religions we can create common ground, a shared community. *** Maria Pages dancing “The Firedance“ - an excerpt from the “Riverdance“ dancing show. Acknowledged at home in Spain and abroad as one of the leading innovators in the development and redefinition of modern flamenco, Maria’s involvment with Riverdance - The Show stems from her collaboration with Riverdance composer Bill Whelan on Th Seville Suite which Bill was commissioned to compose as part of Ireland’s contribution to Expo ’92 at the Maetranza in Seville. *** FINANCIAL TIMES/ 24/2/2010 /Por Clement Crisp María Pagés then took over the stage on Monday night in irresistible fashion. The programme identified the event as a “self-portrait“ and went into unlikely detail. Happily, what we saw was an archetypal flamenco show in which The Star (and Pagés is certainly that) unleashes her artistry to musicians, singers and attendant dancers, and to us. The surrounding forces were eagerly responsive to her presence; design was minimal (for which, again, hurrahs), and Pagés, when roused, is absolutely tremendous. She is an imposing presence with serpentine arms, the dance surging through the strong outlines of her torso. She has beautiful costumes. She also has, when flamenco griefs and scheduled moping are set aside, a delightful sense of humour. When the dance seizes her, as it ultimately must with any flamenco divinity, she lets it take its irresistible course, driving her ever onward and touching our souls. And she makes castanets talk. The men in her company are especially jolly, and Pagés, amid the whirling of a vast shawl, is a tempest incarnate, and glorious. *** María Jesús Pagés Madrigal, María Pagés (Sevilla, 1963). Bailaora y coreográfa. María Pagés, reconocida internacionalmente por su personal concepción del arte flamenco, nació en el barrio sevillano de Triana, donde comenzó a formarse de manos de maestros como Matilde Coral y Manolo Marín siendo aún una niña. A los catorce años se titula con honores en Danza Española. La trayectoria profesional de María Pagés se ve refrendada en 2002, cuando recibe el Premio Nacional de Danza de España, en la categoría de creación. Y ello supuso un hito, pues nunca antes un bailaor flamenco había recibido este galardón por su faceta coreográfica, sino por la interpretativa. Con este aval, María Pagés continuó durante 2003 recorriendo los principales escenarios del mundo y, paralelamente, creando un nuevo repertorio que se estrenará en las próximas temporadas. De cara a 2004, tiene previsto recalar en el Joyce Theater de Nueva York, en el Teatro Olímpico de Roma y en otros escenarios de Japón, Asia, Australia, Estados Unidos, América Central y Europa. *** No copyright infringement intended.