FLAMENCO HAS PASSION TO FLARE.

Byline: Vicki Smith Paluch Correspondent

How many times have you heard the story of how a male dancer fell in love with ballet or tap dance by watching his older sister in class.

Eventually, the boy leaves the hallway, enters the studio and outperforms his sister.

Flamenco is different. Very often, it is the older brother who leads the way.

Maria Bermudez, one of the finest flamenco dancers of her generation, learned to love flamenco from her elder brother, Alfonso, a professional dancer who died at the young age of 29. In tribute to her brother, she became the flame-keeper. However, to develop her artistry, she left her home and family in Los Angeles to drink deeply from the inspiration in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain -- the birthplace of gypsy flamenco.

``I pretty much grew up with flamenco in my home,'' said Bermudez, who was born in Norwalk, spent her childhood in East Los Angeles and her youth in Santa Paula.

She studied flamenco in Los Angeles with Linda Vega and Roberto Amaral.

As a professional dancer, she has performed at the tablaos (flamenco nightclubs) -- El Cid and El Matador -- as well as the Fountain Theatre and for the Los Angeles Music Center's education program for schoolchildren.

A fiery dancer, she moved to Jerez to study with the legendary ``Farrucco'' and to earn the respect of the gypsies, the creators of flamenco.

It is in Jerez, she said, where she finds her inspiration -- the cry.

``Jerez is a place where flamenco can come from your local fish-seller or housewife, or even the beggars in the street. The form of expression of the culture here is continual choreography and composition,'' she said.

``On a less romantic note,'' she added, ``this place is also highly competitive. Artists are churned out every minute, each one better than the next. I believe the continual simmering of flamenco energy makes inspiration come naturally.''

Having spent more than a decade in that creative cauldron, Bermudez has emerged as one of her generation's brightest dancers and choreographers.

She and her company of flamenco dancers, singers and musicians from Jerez will perform at the Ford Amphitheatre Friday and Saturday. Her company, Sonidos Gitanos/Gypsy Flamenco, captures the spirit of flamenco through collaborating and improvising, as opposed to performing a staged theatrical production.

On Saturday morning, Bermudez and a few company members will present an hour-long program, ``Flamenco for Kids,'' at the Ford.

``For the children's program, we hope to share a little bit of Spain, a bit of some ``Gitano'' spirit and some (history) of its roots and technique, and even some audience participation,'' Bermudez said.

Bermudez said she performs for children because ``anything to do with affecting children in a positive way is a must!'' she emphasized.

``Art, I believe, is the purest way to reach, touch, affect anyone, (especially) children.

``Because children have pure, open souls, getting them to experience different cultures, I believe, is the best way to bring different ethnicities together in art and, hopefully, in life,'' she said.

For the evening shows, Bermudez and her nine-member ensemble promise to set the stage ablaze with traditional, gypsy-style dancing of El Rin de los Reyes. She also is introducing dancer Jonatan Miro, who performs in a more contemporary style.

The company also features singers Luis Moneo and La Chiqui de Jerez, along with guitarists Antonio Jero and Jesus Alvarez and percussionist Luis de la Tota, whose charismatic energy has propelled every show that Sonido Gitanos has brought to the Ford since 1995.

While everyone watches the feet of the dancers, the dancers are reflecting the ``cante'' of the vocalist, which is the ``cry'' she spoke of earlier.

In view of the many crises facing our world, she said her new choreographies will focus on the cantejondoor ``deep song'' -- whose cry from the heart and the gut is the signature of flamenco.

``The `cante,' I like to say, is an acquired taste. It can be not pretty. It comes from a cry -- The more you listen and understand the verses, it starts invading your soul, and before you know it, that ugly scream turns into something sublime.''

MARIA BERMUDEZ'S SONIDOS GITANOS/

GYPSY FLAMENCO

Where: Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood.

When: 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

Tickets: $12 to $45. [phone] or fordamphitheater.org.

FLAMENCO FOR KIDS

Where: Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, Hollywood.

When: 10 a.m. Saturday

Tickets: $5 for adults; kids are free. [phone] or fordamphitheater.org.

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Photo:

(color) Maria Bermudez brings flamenco to the Ford Amphitheatre this weekend.