By Lucy Komisar

When I first visited Spain decades ago, I loved flamenco, which had derived from folk dances of the gypsy culture of Andalusia. They were dances ordinary folks, peasants could do. For centuries, the elites, who despised gypsies, looked down on flamenco as vulgar and performed in seedy places. There’s a curious similarity to what Argentine elites thought of tango.

Now of course flamenco (as well as tango) is an art like other sophisticated dance styles, and the production of “Momentos” by Valerie Ortiz shows its elegance and form.

It starts with feet tapping, hands pointing, fingers snapping. A man in black (Carlos Escudero) clicks castanets. Ortiz turns, stomps. Hands twist. The dancers are older than ballet troupes, in their 30s and 40s.

A man in a worker’s jacket (Jesús Carceller) plays guitar and sings in a pitch that seems ghostly, almost surreal.

There’s a bit of modern dance, tap dancing, a sexual invitation which is not accepted. Ortiz gives the steps currency as they deal with male-female connections.

So close over the border from Avignon, flamenco still seems to come from and represent another world. For a fascinating take, see this about flamenco and Spanish national identity. In the culture wars, it’s a win for the gypsies!

“Momentos.” Choreography and direction by Valerie Ortiz, with performers Ortiz, Carlos Escudero, Jesús Carceller, Felipe Calvarro, Paul Buttin, Jeremy Naud and Alexis Sebileau. Théâtre du Girasole, 24bis rue Guillaume Puy, Avignon. tel 33 4 9082-7442. July 3 to July 21, 2024. Festival OFF Avignon.