Ballet Flamenco: Troupe's fresh take on tradition

"I prefer to say we are blending rather than creating a fusion," declares Carolina Lugo, the vivacious dancer and leader of Ballet Flamenco, which premieres "Alas del Tiempo" ("Wings of Time") this weekend. "I think the word 'fusion' is overused."

Call it what you will, the brand of modern flamenco that Lugo and her daughter Carole Acuna have brought to stages around the Bay Area has a potent energy, whether it finds its roots in the Moorish hues of Granada or the pulsing samba cadences of Brazil.

"All those rhythms and melodies are a part of flamenco because Gypsies traveled through so many different countries," Lugo explains, "and blending those is a more apropos term for what we try to do."

Ballet Flamenco: Troupe's fresh take on tradition