el poeta en nueva york

When I read (and reread and analyzed and translated) Poeta en Nueva York in my last semester as a college student, not once did I have the thought, I bet this would translate really well to modern dance! Maybe I just didn't see it in that moment. Maybe I'm just not a visionary. In my defense, I was very stressed out at this time in my life. However, although I didn't see the potential of this surrealist book of poetry to become a choreographed modern dance-flamenco performance, Blanca Li did. And she made a go of it in the Teatro Canal about ten minutes from my house (in Chamberí, not Tetuán). My reaction upon seeing the poster was one of disbelief, followed by, "That's gonna be the craziest thing ever." Which of course I had to see. And I'm glad I did. Like a true nerd, I reread my copy of Poeta en Nueva York the week prior to seeing the show, so that when I sat and watched the truly amazing recital, I was prepared. While my initial certainty of insanity seemed right on as the set opened with a giant glowing egg and a male dancer wearing a silver suit, the performance of the first poem was truly remarkable. A woman belted out the words in flamenco style (the PAIN! the SUFFERING! the DUENDE!). Following this, the dance sequence seemed pulled from the lyrical poems, dream-like and fluid. The flamenco style mixed beautiful with the more modern dance, and there was even a part with water! I don't want to give the impression that I know anything about dance. But I know about Poeta en Nueva York. And the incredible performances expressed the book in a way that made me want to eat ham and fight bulls, which is, I'm sure, what Lorca intended. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1U3QuO3qo8