And when the terpsichorean cavalry that is Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, tapping à la Ann Miller (the dancer once said she’d been clocked at a staggering 500 taps per minute), came together with the score’s roiling wave of resonance in that final fortissimo, it was, as they say in French, fini!

Opening the program and also part of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes, was Falla’s hugely popular 1919 ballet score, “The Three-Cornered Hat.” It’s interesting to note that when the number premiered, it was choreographed by Léonide Massine, who also danced the role of the Miller, with sets by Picasso.

A romp through sunny Iberia, it was the second act’s Three Dances that were performed at the Bowl. Beginning with “The Neighbors,” the dance troupe, including Fanny Ara, Lorena Franco, Madison Olguin, Laura Peralta and Rebeca Tomás—clad in flowy orange and magenta gowns—was in fine unison mode, arms raised, fingers filigreed. A kind of dance-off, here were high kicks and backward dips breathing life into Falla’s familiar score, with a dramatic farruca part of the mix.

Ramrod straight and tossing off a jump here, a whipping turn there, the dancers were also adept in their use of castanets. The final jota, or courtship dance, was a study in raucousness, with the troupe proffering an astonishing array of beats, as the sounds—both musical and dance-wise—filled the Cahuenga Pass with heaps of joy.

The Falla was followed by “The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires,” Astor Piazzolla’s sublime evocation of the times of year in a more abstract fashion than Vivaldi’s popular chestnut. Written around 1965, it was commissioned by violinist Gidon Kremer from composer Leonid Desyatnikov, who arranged it for solo violin and string orchestra. A showstopper featuring Canadian violinist Blake Pouliot, who was dressed to kill in a blue and black sequined, er, suit, the piece saw the soloist soar through the different seasons, with López-Ferrer and the band true collaborators.

Debussy’s lovely “Ibéria,” completed the program. With its fastidious detail and, under the Spanish conductor’s sure baton, the band did not so much color the notes and intervals as reside in them. In this high-tech era, it’s comforting to know that music and dance can still transport an audience to an emotional wonderland at the always magnificent Hollywood Bowl.

In a word: Olé!