Cuban writer and arts critic Severo Sarduy theorized that essential baroque qualities are defined by the ellipse with one focus invisible so that the visible focus is exaggerated. An analysis of rhythmic and visual aesthetics of two Flamenco artists, Vicente Escudero and his contemporary Israel Galván, brings to light how these artists refine the double foci in works that often reach into other disciplines and avant-garde movements of expressionism, cubism, and aleatoric music. The results are baroque expressions that are in contrast to artistic norms that preceded these artists and depended on balance, order, and predictability associated with classicism. In the case of Escudero, a number of his practices, including the posture of a male dancer, use of contra-tiempo, and isolating bursts of footwork, have become standards of virtuosity among dancers today and shape the contemporary baroque identity of Flamenco
