Caida del Cielo (Fallen from Heaven)

Rocio Molina

Adelaide Festival

Her Majesty’s Theatre

2 March 2025

*****

There is no doubt about it, this was a one woman tour de force of flamenco dancing. That Rocio Molina managed to dance at a frenetic pace for nearly one- and three-quarter hours is a feat in itself. But more than that was the quality of her dancing and choreography. Outstanding.

She was backed on occasions by a band more attuned to rock, but more often by Oscar Lago’s wonderful flamenco guitar. Additionally, the band members, especially Jose Manuel Ramos “Oruco”, hand clapped seemingly Impossible rhythms, adding taps with their feet while Molina continued her frenetic dance. Further, bassist Kiko Pena proved to be a wonderful vocalist throughout the performance.

And what a performance. She opened wearing an extremely long white flowing gown, almost motionless at first, but slowly picking up the pace. Then came the first of several costume changes, but importantly she now wears her tap shoes, and the performance takes on a whole new phase, with her incredible skills on full display, not to mention her stamina. The changes in attire were on occasions startling. The most striking when she donned a gown that appeared to be soaked in a thick viscous muck, she then mostly slithered over the stage, the screen behind the stage illustrating the mess that she was leaving behind.

Whilst it was difficult to understand the meaning of the scene changes, as the singing was all in Spanish, it did not negate any appreciation of the work as a whole.

In many ways this was flamenco as we know it, but Molina takes it well beyond the traditional understanding of the form and makes it something to treasure. A must see.

Michael Prescott