Beginning with Flamenco in 1995 and Flamenco, Flamenco in 2010, the dance form’s pre-eminent advocate finishes the unofficial trilogy with J: Beyond Flamenco. Director Carlos Saura, a native of Aragon, turns his camera on his homeland for a charismatic and buoyant profile of the jota, a castanet-based waltz that has its origins there. As he has for nearly 50 years, Saura weaves the nuances of Spanish society among his documents of music and dance. In his exploration of the evolution of the jota and its roots, Saura chronicles a class of young performers set against his signature minimalist backdrop. The spare staging only serves to highlight the beauty, agility, grace and skill of the dancers—and the musicians—and breathes life into the dance as a vivid, living tradition.Saura is a master of the illuminating dance documentary, and in J: Beyond Flamenco he is in top form. Featuring choreography by Miguel Angel Berna, music by Carlos Nuñez and Giovanni Sollima, and dance performances by Carmen Paris and Sara Baras.