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Baile in the land of cante

Antonio el Pipa (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

The weight of Jerez's cante is such that baile has been eclipsed for years. But a new generation of bailaores, initially trained in local schools, feed a booming era of Jerez baile, characterized by its respectful dialogue with cante, its old ways, its ease for celebration and its depth for jondo styles. Antonio el Pipa, María del Mar Moreno and Joaquín Grilo are the pillars. Antonio el Pipa comes from a flamenco family and takes pride in upholding traditional values in shows with a strong cante presence such as ‘Vivencias’ (‘Experiences’), ‘Puntales’ (‘Pillars’), ‘Generaciones’ (‘Generations’)... María del Mar Moreno takes the same approach in the feminine version, with grass-roots baile in harmony with cante. It can be appreciated in shows like ‘Momentitos de locura’ (‘Mad Instants’) and ‘Jerez Puro’ (‘Pure Jerez’).

María del Mar Moreno (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Joaquín Grilo draws on the same sources, but his offer is updated to more universal dance features. A member of Paco de Lucía's group, he has been able to display his baile to crowded audiences all over the world, at the same time presenting shows of his own such as ‘De noche’ (‘At Night’) and ‘Grilo’ at the main flamenco festivals. Already knocking at the door is another batch of bailaores trained by local maestros and now emancipated from the dance corps of large companies. That is the case of Mercedes Ruiz, who after leaving Eva Yerbabuena's dance corps, is already doing her second solo show: ‘Gestos de mujer’ (‘Gestures of a Woman’). With a parallel career, Andrés Peña is making his way on the flamenco circuit. Domingo Ortega, who is forging his career in Madrid, and Soraya Clavijo, on the rise after being endorsed by the Córdoba Contest, are other key pieces to the baile throbbing in the land of cante.

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