Isabel Bayón, flamenco bailaora. Interview

“The most subtle art is
the most complicated to do”

Silvia Calado. Jerez, March 2008

‘Del alma’ confirmed every suspicion. ‘La mujer y el pelele’ outdid it. And finally, ‘La puerta abierta’ confirmed her. Step by step, Isabel Bayón has managed to make a place for herself on today’s flamenco dancing scene. The Sevillian hasn’t needed great technical displays, or colorful dance corps, or orchestral groups. With just enough ingredients, she has managed to cook up her own recipe, stewed with the poise characteristic of maestros, but seasoned with the freshness of someone who believes in herself and her time. And that doesn’t means she’s fearless in view of the next step... which is about to come.

Isabel Bayón on 'Del alma' (Photo Daniel Muñoz)

Let’s weigh things up, to start off with. How has ‘La puerta abierta’ evolved since the premiere?

The show’s changed quite a bit. When it began, we didn’t know exactly what was going to come out. And the thing is it came out nearly without thinking about it. Pepa Gamboa and I decided to put together something new after ‘La mujer y el pelele’; we were at a point where we felt like doing something smaller, more intimate. The date of the Fundación El Monte, December 1st, 2005 arose, and we decided to get down to work. We shaped it up little by little, since we didn’t know exactly what we wanted, but we did want a small format, few people, people I liked. In this case, the cantaor was Juan José Amador; Jesús Torres, the guitarist – who’s still the same one -; and Sergio Martínez on percussion. We didn’t take anything; not stage design or anything because moreover, the venue has limited resources and we used them as best we could. What was really done was a staging at that moment, Pepa shaped it up a bit and we chose the styles which I felt like dancing: I wanted to dance milongas, I wanted to dance por alegrías, which I hadn’t danced for a long time... And then, I also had the martinetes by La Piriñaca and by Agujetas. It was a selection of martinetes which Fernando Romero passed on to me, because he has an impressive record collection with old stuff that nobody knows exists. I put the label ‘to cry over’ on the mini-disc. And the thing is that that’s what happened to me; every time I listened to it, it made me cry. I was sure I wanted to do something with that.

Which was joined by the ‘Goldberg Variations’...

Exactly. Pepa wanted something like a couplet at first. Then we changed to a solo instrument, to a clarinet, and in the end I found Glenn Gould doing the variations by Bach on the piano, who is an amazing personage, a great artist, and I was really touched. It was such a delicate piece, which was going to be so in tune with everything else, that I left it for that opening moment. And moreover you can hear his voice, the pianist’s voice, singing the variation while he plays.

Isabel Bayón and Miguel Poveda on 'La puerta abierta'
(Photo Daniel Muñoz)

And from that sneak preview to the presentation at Bienal de Sevilla 2006, where it won the prize for best show, there was a great leap, wasn’t there?

I felt like doing it at the Bienal. I went to the Agencia Andaluza del Flamenco (Andalusian Flamenco Agency) to see if they could help me with this show. I went there trying to find out how they could help flamenco people, because I didn’t know exactly what their mission was. I went with this project half-finished and they helped me with the production, lighting design, stage design and stage. And for that occasion, I really felt like working with Miguel Poveda, who I’d already collaborated with previously, some time earlier, and he’s one of today’s cantaores who moves me. I was determined because I’m not very outgoing for those sorts of things, but I called him up, I hadn’t talked to him for a long time, but as soon as I proposed it to him I didn’t need to explain anything to him. He accepted without any problem, willingly.

Isabel Bayón on 'La puerta abierta' (Photo Daniel Muñoz)

You also did it with El Pele. How does it change depending on which cantaor you use?

It changes a great deal; they’re two different shows. It’s as if I did a different show every time I do it with one of them. The sensation changes, the intensity, the nuances... a different show. With Miguel, the show is more measured-out, more subtle. And with El Pele, it shifts gears; it’s far wilder, it’s a little more electric and there’s the risk factor. We don’t know very well where it’s going to come out; it isn’t all tied down. But there’s something I like about that... I’m daring, though I might not seem it. I like to have things not too tied down. That’s there too with Miguel, but it’s more pronounced with El Pele.

What is the experience like of the ‘pasodoble moment’ when you have the complicity of the cantaor... on baile?

It’s a moment, moreover, which we look forward to on stage. I sure didn’t plan on that number. It was proposed by Paco Arriaga, who asked me why we didn’t do a pasodoble. I couldn’t see it... danced, flamenco. But he told me to wait, that he was going to bring out something. And when he told me, I fell in love with the pasodoble. It’s very flamenco and I think it’s perfect. And then since Pepa gave it that evening ambience; it smacks of party, of night, of summer. We look forward to that moment because there’s always a reaction, either from the crowd or of our own. We really enjoy that little dance.

Miguel Poveda says he can’t wait for you to ask him to dance...

Well, when I asked him the first time, he started to tremble. And then he even does a little kick... He’s taken a liking to it and now he dances in his shows. We really have a good time.

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