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Star system bailaores

Sara Baras (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

It isn't a new phenomenon. Over half a century ago, La Argentinita, Carmen Amaya and Vicente Escudero were leading figures of international dance, up there with giants such as Anna Pavlova, Mary Wignam and Rudolf Nureyev. The next century having already begun, new top figures have taken over. Joaquín Cortés, Sara Baras and Eva Yerbabuena form the triumvirate standing on the podium of honor of today's flamenco dancing. Joaquín Cortés is a figure known at the main theaters all over the world, who fits not only the scheme of a cosmopolitan dancer and of his time, but also that of a media darling. The shows ‘Pasión gitana’ (‘Gypsy Passion’), ‘Soul’ and ‘Live’ are his hit letters of introduction. Sara Baras is the female equivalent. Playing with the tack of the flamenco show suitable for all audiences, she lets loose passion with baile halfway between tradition and modernity, virtuous and feminine, and with beauty and spark the crowd surrenders to. ‘Mariana Pineda’ and ‘Sueños’ (‘Dreams’) are two of her banners.

	Eva Yerbabuena (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Eva Yerbabuena wields other weapons. The Granada-born bailaora puts forth more conceptual shows, with more elaborate esthetics, choreography and thought such as ‘A cuatro voces’, ‘5mujeres5’ and ‘La voz del silencio’. And she's branded as one of the most complete bailaoras, making pieces like her soleares a real spiritual experience. Another approach is the one offered by also Granada-born Rafael Amargo, combining flamenco with other dance and artistic expressions, all of it surrounded by multimedia stage resources as in the case of ‘Poeta en Nueva York’ (‘Poet in New York’), ‘Enramblao’ and ‘DQ. Pasajero en tránsito’ (‘DQ. Passenger in Transit’).

The way for today's top line of baile was earlier paved by an immediately previous generation which has contributed (and continues to contribute) their own forms which, in a way, are revolutionary ways of presenting flamenco dancing. Standing out are Sevillian María Pagés and Antonio Canales, both recipients of the National Dance Prize and internationally-renowned figures who have developed their own esthetic lines. The bailaora excels with a peculiar plastic art in her arm movement and a unique sense of sketching the group's movement on stage. ‘La Tirana’ (‘The Tyrant’), ‘Flamenco Republic’, ‘El perro andaluz’ (‘The Andalusian Dog’) and ‘Canciones, antes de una guerra’ (‘Songs Before a War’). Dancing flamenco with music of any genre has become her trademark. ‘Torero’, ‘Bailaor’, ‘La casa de Bernarda Alba’, ‘Carmen, Carmela’... dot the career of the multi-faceted Antonio Canales, also an actor, writer and radio talk show participant. From the same batch, but with less popular careers, are Carmen Cortés, whose dancing is so inspired in poetry and theater, as she sticks to the strictest orthodoxy; Adrián Galia, with a career focused more on the international market from his headquarters in Japan; Alejandro Granados, who gave up ballet for Jerez-style bulerías...

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