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By Dan Leone

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IF YOU FEEL the urge to run away from the avalanche of rapidly approaching holidays, how about taking an escapist dream trip to a time when fiestas were really fiestas – not just pressures on the credit card – with Theatre Flamenco. One of the Bay Area's oldest dance companies, the group performs its 36th anniversary season show, "Ritmo Flamenco," a celebration of community, relationships, and perennial sunshine. Sure, its world is romanticized, but the music is real, and so is the dancing. Despite the name, Theatre Flamenco has always been about more than just flamenco. The centerpiece of this year's program is a suite of folk dances from the Seville area, Fiesta Andaluza, choreographed by artistic director Miguel Santos. These are mostly light-footed ensemble dances that are the basis of the flamenco tradition. Ritmo, also by Santos, is based on the music of tientos, and as such explores the more dramatic, darker side of Spanish-Moorish dance. Also programmed are works by guest choreographer Carola Zertuch and noted Spanish flamenco artist Mario Mayo. Fri/29-Sat/30, 8 p.m.; Sun/1, 2 p.m., Fort Mason Center, Marina at Laguna, S.F. $25-$27. (415) 345-7575 or (415) 826-1305. (Rita Felciano)