A white-hot ‘Tango’ to swoon by

Flamenco sensation Antonio Najarro blowtorched his way across the stage of the Luckman Fine Arts Theatre on Saturday with his Madrid-based troupe, Talent Danza Ballet Espanol Compania. Co-directed with Pascal Gaona, the 24-member company presented “Tango Flamenco,” 90 intermission-free minutes fusing flamenco and classical Spanish music and dance -- all choreographed by Najarro, 29 -- with Argentine tango tunes.

Talk about heat. The sleek and slick-haired dancers entered vamping, their undulating line formations a prelude to Najarro’s snaky solo. Bare-chested under an open vest and skintight pants (he is one of four costume designers), the Spaniard started slowly, slapping himself and tossing off a pirouette here, a high kick there. To the mournful sounds of Sergio Menem’s cello, Najarro gained stomping speed, shooting across the floor like a terpsichorean rocket.

Add to this a gaggle of musicians, including the throaty yearnings of singer Sonia Cortes and the luminous guitar work of Daniel Yague and Carlos Pucherete, and the joint cooked.

Five women swirled chiffon and flaunted fans as they head-whipped and swayed, becoming action art before heralding the arrival of Cristina Casanova, whose pouty solo with a voluminous shawl conjured visions of Martha Graham.

The tango portion exploded with the music of the late great Astor Piazzolla, stupendously played by a septet that included oboe, violin and piano but minus bandoneon. No matter, as the sensuous rhythms and sultry melodies provided alluring ambience equal to that of any Argentine tango club -- all the better for the men to mop the floor with their red-satin-clad women. And although the male-female pairings were minimal, a steamy duet between Sara Alcon and Najarro proved gasp-worthy.

Shrouded in sorrow, love, hope and despair, the couple veered from Fred and Ginger twirls to unadulterated lust, as Najarro hoisted Alcon between her legs with one arm and flung her over his shoulder. Do not try this at home. A castanet finale, with foot-pounding, jumping, spinning and clacking, topped off the night. Ole and then some.