Flamenco Bacchanal face off with fancy footwork

There are four reasons why I suspect my girlfriend is keen to see Flamenco Bacchanal. They are Pol Vaquero, Isaac de los Reyes, Adrián Santana and Kelian Jiménez. Their publicity shots show the smouldering gaze and emotional intensity of men hand-picked as ambassadors of the Andalusian art form.

"Between the four of them the stage will explode," says organiser Clara Ramona, whose one-off performance this month at the Y-Theatre in Chai Wan promises to showcase some of the best international and local dancers.

Vaquero, De los Reyes, Santana and Jiménez, who are all based in Spain, are among the most exciting dancers in the flamenco world today.

Fans in Hong Kong will be treated to a powerful exhibition of "raw" and "authentic" flamenco from the quartet, says Ramona, the only female soloist.

The swagger and posturing of male dancers in flamenco is part of the spectacle. The men typically perform faster and more powerful footwork and incorporate lightning turns into routines, says Ramona.

Then just when you think testosterone levels onstage have peaked, the guys will slug it out in a steamy dance-off. Flamenco is built around the compás, or rhythm, whether through clapping, played on a simple wooden surface, or marked with precise percussive footwork. The dancers will combine their own signature moves with improvisation in a test of fancy footwork and showmanship.