Angelita Vargas

A standing ovation followed the performance by Angelita Vargas and her Extrema Puro show in the National Concert Hall on Tuesday night. The wildly enthusiastic audience forced encore after encore until finally even the singers joined in the dancing.

Dublin has always loved flamenco, but nothing seen in the 1950s from exponents such as Antonio, Luisillo, Jose Greco or even Pila Lopez equalled the power, spontaneity and fiery quality of this great Bailaora from the gypsy homeland of Extramadura. Despite Vargas's fierce energy, it must be well over half a century since she made her professional debut at the age of three, so it is not surprising that dance occupied barely half the running time. The company was also a dancer short, due to the illness of Vargas's son.

The sheer brilliance of the guitar-playing, however, and the raw emotion of the singing, which moved even those without a word of the language, made every second of the programme an intense and enjoyable experience.

On a bare stage, apart from essential chairs, microphones and lighting equipment, the company created the atmosphere of a hot summer night around a campfire on the banks of the river Guardiana, where every onlooker can expertly assess the seguiriyas and bulerias but one need not be an expert to appreciate the beautiful wrist movement, authenticity and authority seen on Tuesday.