Like the fluttering of wings which are her arms over her head, that characteristic gesture of hers, I couldn't shake the thought, after the two final tangos, of how could this be the same María who choreographed the luminosity of 'El Perro Andaluz. Burlerías' or the Goyesque fantasy 'La Tirana'? This was María of the powerful dancing who had already broken in her new pieced-together work in the United States and Japan before bringing it to Jerez where it debuted in Spain with Juan Manuel Cañizares' concert occupying the first part.

Dance in total darkness, a flash of light, a primal beat. A lightbulb in the cubic center, in the heart of the black box which is for her the stage of a theater. From the heart of the soleá with eight dancers from her company, up to María's solitary, barroque garrotín. The farruca isn't sung, composed for the choreography by guitarist Paco Arriaga, with four men dancers prepared by Fernando Romero. The four women do a zorongo - from the black people's dance, organized with the collaboration of Manolo Marín, with flamenco dresses of fabric from India.

María grows, illuminated by the bare bulb, which seems to be touching her infinite armspan. Innovations: in the seguiriyas, old recordings of Rosalía de Triana and Manuel Vallejo are heard, over which Arriaga adds guitars, not necessarily flamenco - with the help of El Fiti - and when they sing, Ana Ramón interjects a kind of pop chorus between seguiriya verses.

Imposing extremities and tightly-woven guitar work crisscrossing in an original bulerías which she ends turning on her own axis. Manuel Soler composed the sophisticated percussion arrangement, combinations of palmas, heels, fans, canes, and castanets, while they dance around, until it comes to an end with an amusing dialog between María's castanets and Manuel's two canes.

When the time came for spontaneous bits, María began rapping a tango and even Soler got involved in the circle's final leave-taking. And some new tangos for bidding farewell in bulería land.

María Pagés had come out in the first part giving orders with her alegrías of fringes, and immediately following, Juan Manuel Cañizares caressed his guitar even to the point of raising his left hand to his mouth. The most delicate gypsy, of the 'Noches de imán y luna'. The rumba at breakneck speed 'Lluvia de cometas', the exacerbated picado and "the perfect use of the cajón" in Manuel Soler's solo. A third person played second guitar, the first taught him to play, his brother Rafael, and all of them did lengthy bulerías and tangos. There was even a singer who hadn't been announced, Antonio Malena. Add two more guitarists to pull off the abrupt taranto which was signed with the hips of this great bailaora.

María Pagés

Dieguito el Cigala
Palacio de Villavicencio, 19:00

A smiling, laid-back Cigala for the first time in Jerez, "a city with so much art and such a future", warmed up with soleá and with one of his specialties, taranta, going over big with his stylized overtones. And for the pretty, personal touch, Niño Josele's lead-in to alegrías; "lirios y rosas", the eternal gaze and smile from the guitarist who is hooked on the singer, fandangos in which he executed a ripping rise and fall that went beyond Morente.

To this town he dedicated a bulerías which was obviously not from Jerez, because Diego's bulerías are long, like a Camarón on speed. But both artists, Niño and Cigala, create a style, as could be seen in the tangos and the second round of fandangos. And if there were still any doubt, 'Entre vareta y canasta'. In bowing, he brought out his redeeming babe in arms, and for the martinete encore he asked the guitarist to give him the tone. Niño Josele appeared at the door in the back of the chamber and gave it to him.

And so ends the series 'Conciertos de Palacio', whose good acoustics were able to accommodate two cyclic programs without amplification, 'D'atrás a'lante' and 'Flamenquerías'. With 'De peña en peña' concluded as well, the latenight presentation, 'Huelva por fandangos', a fastidiously formal show -somewhat shortened here- coordinated by Antonio el Raya.

Luis Clemente
Translated by Estela Zatania