tránsito flamenco

Basler Zeitung

Oh Augenblick, verweile doch, du bist so schön! Merki hat den Abend sehr fein choreografiert und schafft einen dramatischen Bogen, der die Spannung zu halten vermag. Dies nicht zuletzt dank ihrem hervorragenden und charismatischen Ensemble, das den traditionellen Flamenco beherrscht und gleichzeitig Neugier und grosse Spielfreude zeigt.

Basler Zeitung, 05.05.2003

Tanz und Gymnastik

Die Frauen tragen von Carmen Perez Mateo raffiniert entworfene Kostüme von hoher Eleganz. Und ohne dies direkt zu thematisieren, wird so in Andeutung die Situation der zum gesellschaftlichen Ereignis gewordenen Aussenseiterkunst sichtbar, unmittelbar erlebbar. Man könnte sich, evoziert auch durch die drei poetisch grauen Mauern im Bühnenbild von Herta Eppler-Joggi, in einem spanischen Fremdenort wähnen, wo sowohl die originale Kunst gepflegt wird wie ihre Nachahmung. Hier sucht auch der Dandy-Tourist in hellem Sommeranzug und Strohhut seine amourösen Abenteuer. Er verkörpert das Fremde in dieser Welt, und folgerichtig tanzt er in einem freien modern-dance-Stil, woraus sich organisch stimmige Stilvermischungen ergeben. Und Nicolas Turicchia mach die Gestalt tänzerisch und ausdrucksmässig gleichermassen glaubhaft. Wie denn auch die tänzerisch-szenische Durchführung einmal neu durchgehend überzeugt durch lebendige, präzise ausdruckssichere Gestaltung der so sicher angelegten Bewegungsführung, die so fantasievoll von Menschen und Begegnungen erzählt. Meisterhaft vielseitig ausdrucksreich sind alle in ihren persönlich geprägten Leistungen.

Richard Merz, Tanz und Gymnastik, 01.01.2003

Badische Zeitung

The five female dancers in Brigitta Luisa Merki's production left the traditional images of flamenco far behind with their accentuated gestures. Rarely has a ballet evening been filled with such intensity. Merki helps herself with great relish to the offerings of modern theater. She knocks the dust off flamenco, renovates it, and gives it its place in the high art of contemporary dance.

Badische Zeitung, 16.12.2002

Der Landbote

It starts very quietly - with a solo singer and a rhythmic recitation by the group, articulated very clearly. Individual performers play musical instruments and dance, accentuating a precise rhythm. Each sound has its specific color, and each movement its specific form. Gestures, postures, and lines of vision are used in a precise, meaningful manner. All the details are carefully elaborated and form a multifaceted whole. The degree of perfection seen in "tránsito flamenco" is possible because, with Flamencos en route, Brigitta Luisa Merki has built up an ensemble capable of carrying and portraying the ideas of the piece.

Der Landbote, 03.12.2002

Neue Zürcher Zeitung

Repeatedly, the choreographer emphasizes individual moments in the form of freeze frames. As if to play a trick on the fleeting nature of time, she has the dancers and musicians form colorful tableaus, stopping time for short moments. This dance troupe, resident in Baden and directed by Merki since 1994, has again produced an exciting oeuvre.

Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 02.12.2002

Fuldaer Zeitung

It was a magnificent evening. The program prepares the audience for a "studio theater production combining dance and music", never hinting at the fireworks, which these eight performers ignite. They offer flamenco of the highest quality, wrapped in modern choreography by the artistic director, Brigitta Luisa Merki, who fills her audiences with enthusiasm by using new playing forms. Wearing modern, slender, and colorful costumes, "Flamencos en route" knocks the dust off this truly Spanish dance, without robbing it of its magic.

Fuldaer Zeitung, 23.11.2002

Tagesanzeiger

Spanish Dance for Connoisseurs
The way "tránsito flamenco" moves from one area into the next gives it its special charm. For an hour and a half, the audience experiences Spanish dance, music, and even poetry of every shade, and in various mutations - not in the form of a fiery spectacle with fireworks, but as a superb kind of treat.

Tagesanzeiger, 26.10.2002

Mittelland Zeitung

This studio theater production combining dance and music was created for four female dancers, one male dancer, and four musicians, and offers everything one would expect from flamenco, all the ingredients which make it fascinating: singing, music (guitar, percussion, flute), and dance. Merki treats these elements with equal importance, and each individual member of the ensemble gets an opportunity to perform solo. This creates a series of images which are - like beads on a necklace - loosely tied together by a string of varying moods. Merki's "stringing" technique is excellent. An element of particular brilliance, for example, is the duet performed by dancer Adriana Maresma Fois and guitarist Juan Gomez. The way they respond to each other, react to one another - each using his or her own means - demonstrates their sensibility and expressiveness as well as the great sensitivity of the choreographer.

Mittelland Zeitung, 26.10.2002

Luzerner Zeitung

Sensuous Scenes of Modern Flamenco
In "tránsito flamenco", poetic and humorous scenes follow each other in a seamless sequence. This studio theater production combining dance and music is presented by eight performers of various nationalities. Among them the guitarist Juan Gomez, who expertly interprets classical flamenco as well as its modern variations. Gomez and percussionist Fredrik Gille prove to be very sensitive partners in the artistic dialogue between dance and music. A fascinated audience reacts with spontaneous applause when Gille beats out the rhythm to Keiko Ooka's singing, or accompanies Georgia Gebauer, who doubles as a flutist, in her dance. The modern costumes and the discreet lighting produce eye-catching visual effects. "Tránsito flamenco" premièred in Zug and was received enthusiastically.

Luzerner Zeitung, 26.10.2002