It was Flamenco immersion. The audience at City Hall on Friday night lapped up the dancing in the opening night of Paco Pena's Flamenco in Concert.

The world famous guitarist started the evening with two solo pieces ? just the man, his guitar, the stage and the spotlight. As he pulled the strings and beat on the instrument's belly my feet began to warm in my shoes and the anticipation for the dance had begun.

After the first two pieces Mr. Pena was joined by another guitarist, not sure if it was Paco Arriaga or Rafael Montilla but he was a dramatic player holding his head proudly and turning it in that alluring way of flamenco. The pace stepped up in the two duets and I was banging one foot on the ground beneath my chair ? not too loudly of course, as the dance had not begun.

Lights down then up on Mr. Pena and over to a Spanish beauty with long black hair in a dress of fire. She sat on a chair facing him and answering his guitar's song with castanets, the audience was drawn in as her fingers deftly moved with them across her forearm, her arm, her arm and chest. But when would they dance?

And here he came, from head to toe in black, and began to beat the ground with his feet. Ah finally, the dance, the flamenco dance had begun and as if they were one the audience began to shout their approval.

The first half ended after two singers and a third guitarist all joined the stage with the two dancers and had you feeling that you had stepped right into the heart of Spanish flamenco country.

Must we have an intermission when we had just started?

Of course the break was necessary and longer than usual as only two dancers are in this company.

But as flamenco goes, so it went and the dancing got bolder, stronger more dramatic. The audience clapping and unable to contain their 'oohs', 'aahs' and 'yeahs', letting them out at will, whenever the feeling on stage led them to do so.

I confess I was among them. How could I not be, passionate as I am. When the man beat his feet, arched his back and so commandingly raised his arms. When he stomped and glided altogether, when he went onto his toes, beat his thighs, his buttocks and jumped to the ground, I had to sigh I had to yell 'yeah!'

And the woman, so graceful so artful with her hands, yet commanding too, dramatic and bold.

There was more guitar playing than most of us expected, we were there mainly for the dance. We got it. We got it and more. We were immersed in Flamenco!