THE OTHER LIFE
Candela Olivo

Photo: Anahí Cármody

"The hard thing is working in a peña, anyone can bring a theater audience to its feet."

The image of the archetypal flamenco dancer will never be the same. It’s no longer the unmistakeable ID card of the “slick hairdo, tailored jacket, and a proud gait with the head held high”. Today’s flamenco dancers might wear Nikes, carry a rucksack, and sport some hippie necklace or other, and why not?, the pop group “Mojinos Escocíos” at the other end of the earphones. Rafael Campallo is one of those dancers who, at the dawn of the twentyfirst century, has decided to make flamenco his other life. In this one, Rafael is a regular at the disco, friend of his friends, and a confirmed body-builder who stashes bullfighting and football in that corner of his mind reserved for frustrated ambitions.

But make no mistake, he lives his flamenco life to the hilt – a 26-year-old life of which nearly two-thirds has been devoted to flamenco. “As far as work goes, I’m my own man”. And although he considers himself responsible and rigorously professional, he doesn’t rehearse more than three or four hours daily...that’s all his feet can take. “What’s the point of being in the studio for eight hours spending half the time staring at yourself in the mirror?” With this measured but concentrated effort Campallo hopes to, “like everyone else, become the best.” But in his still brief career, he has nearly reached those objectives: “When you take a few hard knocks along the way you say to yourself, “goals?, what goals?”. And even more so when you realize that “with flamenco you don’t make many friends”. And he’s convinced, little by little, that “the number one factor is still luck and someone’s support. After that it’s up to you to dance and go for the heights... there’s nothing to be lost by trying.”

Rafael Campallo’s latest work is “Trilogía” , shared with the dancers Andrés Marín and Torombo, and which debuted in the tenth Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla. The work defined this dancer from the Cerro del Águila neighborhood of Seville, as the present of flamenco dance.

How is that assessment to be interpreted?

I’m a dancer of today searching for a balance between the new stylistic details, but the viable ones, and tradition. I’m ‘today’ because I belong to a generation which is currently developing flamenco dance.

What is Rafael Campallo’s contribution to this generation?

My own way of dancing. Stylistic details, softness, freshness. Although in fact, I don’t really know what my contribution to this art is. I suppose in the future, when the outcome is known, I will have contributed the same as everyone else: spreading the flamenco word.

How would you like your dance to be described?

That question is a little weird. You got me.… As a dance that is not terribly closed and at the same time, modern. I won’t want to go too far in one direction or the other. I take the middleground. I would just like to transmit who I am. Some people say that according to how you express yourself, that’s who you are. I express what I am... although actually, when I dance I’m a bit more forward.

In “Golpes de la Vida” the piece you choreographed together with José Antonio for the Compañía Andaluza de Danza, we see the dilemma of the moment when the disciple finds his way....

Yes, the idea that is conveyed is that the maestro teaches you everything he knows, he leaves you alone to rehearse and refine that knowledge, but you know that the door which has opened is not the only one, and you end up looking for the path which you find most comfortable.

And when do you realize you ‘re prepared to go it alone?

You never really know. There you are bashing away at it day after day until an opportunity comes along. There are those who fool themselves into thinking they are prepared, and no matter how many years you’re at it, you’re never really prepared. Believing you’re ready is a double-edged sword, because your level is inconsistent, many factors are involved. I decided to leave the company to try a new direction. This happens by itself when the time is right. It’s a question of grabbing the opportunity and knowing how to take advantage of it.

In Rafael Campallo’s formative process dancers such as José Galván, Manolo Marín, Mario Maya and Manolete have been important. Whom do you learn from now?

From everyone I like. I’ll always be learning because you never know everything in your field. We’re the first ones who know nothing about flamenco. And you learn something even from the worst one. From my generation I can name Andrés Marín, Eva la Yerbabuena, Israel Galván, Domingo Ortega... I catch reflections from them that stick in my mind and are eventually assimilated. Of the oldtimers, I follow Mario, Farruco, Carmen, Manuela, Güito, Manolete... Everyone, because your mind opens up when you see what other people have to offer.

The first impression of the program of the recent Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla is the undeniable preponderance of the dance. Do you think this means that this branch of flamenco is experiencing a kind of charmed period?

Perhaps thirty years ago as well... It’s true that flamenco dance is going through an amazing moment. It’s incredible to see tablaos, peñas [flamenco cultural clubs], and really knowledgeable people outside Spain. And that’s thanks to former generations of artists, we mustn’t forget that. For this very reason we have the responsibility of nurturing this moment.

But there are those who maintain that flamenco dance is going through a time of confusion and that eventually, everything will fall back into place...

And there are even some who say this isn’t flamenco. In actual fact we young people aren’t doing anything new. In flamenco everything has been discovered. Only he who manages to express a personality stands out from the crowd. I like to remember the oldtimers and stylize in my own way, never copy, this is a mistake. There are always references to compare to any dancer. What’s left to be done? Unless it’s a singing parrot who does bulerías... Now that would be different. Flamenco has gotten mixed with contemporary dance, with classical dance... Look, for example, one thing that’s new is the way the men dancers dress, but this is something intimately entwined with your personality.

This concept could be clearly glimpsed in “Trilogía” . The wardrobe expressed a style: lycra for Andrés Marín, shirttails for Campallo, neckerchief for Torombo... Future, present, and past. Now, Campallo and Marín are going to indulge in some clothes-swapping in the new show they’re jointly preparing. “We are different, but very complementary styles.”

Does the work you’re preparing with Andrés Marín revolve around any particular plot?

No. I can’t understand that hang-up about plots for flamenco dance presentations. Before, the stories wrote themselves, now they want to squeeze out plots where there aren’t any. And I believe that resorting to a plot shows a lack of self-confidence. The story often makes you forget about the dancing. What I do is dance. I offer performances with a dance structure. What you can’t do is give more importance to the plot than to the dancer.

And are prizes are a good thing for measuring this importance?

Everyone depends on someone else, not on themselves... we’re just little cockroaches. But actually, prizes don’t mean anything in the end. I’ll tell you a funny story that happened to me with the prize of the Festival de la Unión.

It so happened that Antonio Montoya convinced Rafael Campallo to sign up for the contest and he won it. The dancer prepared himself conscientiously for the night when, supposedly, he was to perform in “a proper show, well-organized and flamenco”. Three weeks before, he was called from La Unión and he asked the obvious: “how much are you going to pay me?” The answer was silence and “we’ll call you”. The following comment was that it was “just a little ten-minute number” and as such, there was no money involved. “And if you refuse they think you’re a jerk... that’s all the good a prize is.”

Do you mean to say that flamenco artists continue to be underpaid?

Flamenco hasn’t evolved yet.

Nevertheless, the high salaries are the main obstacle for peñas when it comes to programming shows.

Well, sometimes you just dance for the sheer purpose of having a good time. Although it’s true that others manage to make a living from it. And that depends on each artists self-image. Many don’t realize how hard it is to work in a peña, anyone can bring a theater audience to its feet.

Candela Olivo
Translated by Estela Zatania