Flamenco is a type of emotionally intense gypsy song, which can sometimes get a bit too overpowering.

To an uneducated observer such as myself, the wailing of the singers and Yasaray Rodriguez's foot-clomping sometimes seemed to verge on the hysterical as they described the pain of unhappy love and heartbreak.

But you couldn't deny the music and dance was packed with emotion and the guitar playing was expertly done.

Then, after a costume change (from dark trousers and a waistcoat into a flowing white dress), Rodriguez's mood lifted.

Gone was the doom and gloom, replaced by a party mood with the singers and guitarists giving friendly encouragement to her as she engaged in her cheerful movements, which sometimes resembled Morris dancing, the clicking of her feet amplified by a microphone.

This was all accompanied by enthusiastic hand-clapping and chants of "Ole!".

A performer from Havana who trained in Andalusia with some of the great maestros, 29-year-old Rodriguez is the new sensation in Spanish dance and this is her first ever visit to the UK.

The show, part of a four-date tour organised by Komedia, is called Sentir, which means simply "to feel". The performance passes through various emotional stages, escalating into a "crescendo" or "festivity". You can't question the commitment of the performers during the more intense songs but I preferred the more light-hearted party music. Ole!