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Barry Chung

Flamenco Classico 
	City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong
 
There's nothing new about fusing seemingly incompatible styles of art together. Although the classical scene has been late adopters, it doesn't seem to be going out of favour anytime soon.
The City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong will participate this Friday in a showcase of flamenco music and dance. The orchestra will perform under the baton of Jean Thorel, while Rosana Romero and Adrian Santana take centre stage as the dancers.
The programme features pieces by three composers: Luigi Boccherini's Fandango, Quintet in D-Major, Rodion Shchedrin's arrangement of Carmen Suite, and Manuel de Falla's El Amor Brujo.
"Flamenco music is quite different from classical," says choreographer Nina Corti, 59, "so the style of the movements have to change to adapt to the orchestral music. It's a lot of technical flamenco know-how mixed with the classical Spanish vocabulary of dance movements."
Corti knows a thing or two about packaging flamenco for a classical setting. She was raised in a family of professional musicians and developed a keen ear for music from listening to her father, a viola soloist, and his strings quartet.
Although ballet was her introduction to dance, it was the rhythmic stomps and the feminine yet powerful movements of flamenco that got her hooked.
Since then she's collaborated with a who's who of the flamenco world, including Pepe Habichuela, Enrique Morente and Jose Merce, and has arranged and choreographed works with international orchestras.
As chief choreographer of Flamenco Classico, Corti had her criteria. "I tried to find some experienced dancers who are active in both flamenco and clasico Espanol," she says of selecting Romero and Santana. "They also had to be virtuosos in castanet techniques and classical music."
In the early stages of the choreography, style was not a major issue. Once rehearsals began in November, however, the trio focused on perfecting movements and working out precisely what each was meant to convey. Corti says a significant part of the choreography process involves compromise, and allowing the dancers to add to or drop parts of the repertoire.
While Corti is in charge of the dancing, she also knows the important role that music plays. "I wish the audience is aware that without the orchestra, the whole event wouldn't happen. The most important thing is to make the music visual with movements."
Feb 1, 8pm, HK City Hall Concert Hall, 5 Edinburgh Place, Central, HK$180-HK$380 Urbtix. Inquiries: 2734 9009 or ccohk.com


Arts preview: Flamenco Classico

Nina Corti came to flamenco via ballet, and has worked with stars such as singer Enrique Morente.

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