DANCE REVIEW : Flamenco With Grace From La Tania

Elegance is not a quality one generally looks for in Spanish flamenco. Nor is physical beauty a prerequisite of this Gypsy art form. But, in an appearance at the Fountain Theatre in Hollywood, Sunday night, the dancer La Tania made grace and beauty the defining features of a compelling Soleares.

In a silver-blue gown of simple cut, La Tania possesses all the regal bearing of a young Audrey Hepburn.

Then she begins to tug at the fabric swirling at her hips. Her twisting steps and carved gestures become fitful, almost erratic. A slight sheen of moisture dampens her furrowed brow. And she lets loose with a barrage of precision heel work: clean, furious, incessant, almost abandoned.

La Tania’s combination of restraint and release are capable of unleashing the extraordinary, revealing the strength and power of the training she received in Spain from a young age. But, at other times, she errs in the direction of composed severity.

Her Siguiriyas proves as straightforward and uncompromising as the razor-sharp part in her slicked-back hair. The steps seldom veer from the tried-and-true. The same can be said of the flirtatious Guajiras. And at a crucial moment in her heel work, she loses track of the off-beat and reverts to a model’s pose.

Jesus Montoya’s whiskyed tenor serves as a wonderful foil to her physical polish. Guitarist Don Fontowitz paints a remarkable coloristic landscape in his Bulerias, with Montoya and fellow singer Jose Manuel Blanco providing clapping, finger-snapping, wood-slapping accompaniment. And, in a solo spot, guest dancer Cristian Almodovar delivers a Solea por Bulerias packed with eccentric steps.

* La Tania, presented at the Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., Hollywood. Remaining performances: Today, (with Roberto Amaral) and Wednesday, at 8 p.m. Tickets $17.50 at box office, (213) 663-1524.