The pounding feet of Maria Osende’s flamenco dancers were certainly earthy in Osende’s fifth annual Valentine Flamenco party Saturday night, held in the hairdressing salon/nightclub at the corner of North and Agricola streets in Halifax.

But the music, the high spirits, and the tables, the snacks and the open bar turned Fred into the hottest spot in town for all three weekend nights.

The swirling skirts of Osende and her dancers anchored their gracefully flourishing arms, wrists and fingers, which wound up toward the ceiling like fairy-tale beanstalks in time-lapse photography.

And all while the music of guitar, violin, box drum and even piano rang out with the passionate rhythms, wailing melodies and defiant minor harmonies of Spain’s best-known folk music.

"Even piano" because it is not an instrument we associate with flamenco. The sound we usually hear is the rhythmic splash of guitar. Osende’s guitarist and music director, Cape Bretoner Daniel MacNeil, gave us that sound from his right hand, rich and deep into the strings, while flurries of left-hand notes danced on the fingerboard, anxiously rushing to get themselves safely in before the next big downbeat.

Guest pianist Dinuk Wijeratne, on his first appearance in the third number, mesmerized the crowd Saturday night. All conversation stopped during his long, improvised solo/duet with MacNeil in Rondena Por Bulerias, based on an Andalusian song/dance.

Wijeratne is one of the most remarkable musicians in town. He came here to conduct Symphony Nova Scotia as resident conductor. He stayed to compose, perform, work with his jazz trio and conduct the Nova Scotia Youth Orchestra.

His musicality and physical expression of the rhythm, his improvised solo lines, subtly weaving polyrhythmic note groupings into the melodic phrases, all led to an unusually intense collaboration with MacNeil and the other musicians, as well as with Osende herself in a remarkable improvised duet between dancer and pianist that was pure chamber music.

Enrique Rojo (El Henry) sang the Spanish blues, robustly wailing the happy miseries of exotic passion and love. Soprano Bridget Bezanson added the power of her musicality, her pure sense of pitch and her classically trained voice. Violinist Gina Burgess, also classically trained and a member of Gypsophilia, played beats and harmonies, then came out front to knock off a fiery solo by Pablo Sarasate, with MacNeil accompanying. And percussionist Chris Cookson slapped out flamenco accents all evening while seated on a large box drum.

Besides Osende, dancers Irena Dumicz, Lynn Gallant, Michelle Raiche-Marsden and Carmen Perrier added to the excitement in well-co-ordinated ensemble numbers.

Coming from Poland, Prince Edward Island, Ontario and Nova Scotia, they testified to the galloping appeal of flamenco for those more accustomed to stamping the snow off their feet than pounding the floor of Mediterranean tavernas.

The whole performance had the intimacy and warmth of a party. The first piece, Juerga Nocturna, means just that: a night party.

The evening ended with bows and a series of improvised dance solos by each member of the entire company, musicians, singers and dancers alike, leading to much laughter and applause.

A great party and all thanks to Fred.

( spedersen@herald.ca)