PANSEQUITO & AURORA VARGAS. ‘DE LA GALERA AL ARCO’.
SEVILLE'S 13th BIENAL DE FLAMENCO 2004

Self tribute

Silvia Calado. Seville, September 11th, 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

‘De la Galera al Arco’ (‘From the Galley to the Arch’). Pansequito, Aurora Vargas, Collante de Terán: cante. Diego Amaya: guitar. Pedro Ricardo Miño: piano. Carmen Ledesma: dancing. Eléctrico, Rafael Junquera, Popo: clapping. Lope de Vega Theater. Seville (Spain), September 11th, 2004. 9 p.m. Seville's 13th Bienal de Flamenco 2004.

Pansequito and Diego Amaya

It is Pansequito's fortieth anniversary as a cantaor. And he wanted to celebrate it with a tribute to himself in the shape of a biographical show, food for the ego. It starts of at the Vargas Inn in Cádiz, where Manolo Caracol hired him to sing for baile at his tablao Los Canasteros in Madrid. With very poor stage resources, these episodes are told on stage, with the backing of other artists and supporting actors. Collante de Terán plays Caracol performing ‘Carcelero, carcelero’. Together with bailaora Carmen Ledesma, Pansequito now appears at the tablao in the capital (brought to life, like in children's theaters, with a drawing of the ‘cave’ on a sheet), singing her a taranto which both performed with unhurried flavor. The narrators - a father and a daughter who ask and answer each other questions about the simple life of the cantaor in a theater box - relate that he coincided there with Arturo Pavón. The pianist is played by Pedro Ricardo Miño. The young musician plays classic style, using cante through soleá and tientos tangos. As the accompanist, he lends his ebony and ivory to the voice of the star, who comes out and sings soleá through bulerías... heartily, with effort, with success. Starting there, the first part of the show is going to consist of a cante performance by Pansequito, accompanied on guitar by Diego Amaya: alegrías, seguiriyas and bulerías. A reliable, mature, personal voice.

In the second part, the lead was passed on to Aurora Vargas, following fandangos by husband and wife together. The Sevillian cantaora, whose “art, personality and temperament” are pointed out by the narrators, was backed by many more followers than Pansequito, or at least more explicit ones. And, amidst them, the artist appeared loose, relaxed, right at home. She couldn't even help laughing and everything. She sang through alegrías, and now more concentrated, serene and moderate, through soleá. She now continued in that party direction in which she displays her cantaor and bailaor sense: tientos tangos, bulerías... without worrying about the time. In total, ‘De la Galera al Arco’ managed to last about three hours. In the end, the same old story; a dramatized wrapping of dubious quality as an excuse to sing, dance and play, which is what most flamencos know how to do well.

Aurora Vargas

Peña sound The Bienal has already included the city's numerous flamenco peñas as complementary stages for various editions now, where the public could live flamenco in another more intimate, quieter, more familiar way. In this edition of the festival, the program sets out a circuit around peñas such as El Chozas, Niño del Arahal, Torres Macarena, La Fragua, Pies Plomo... and with bills on which special attention has been paid to young talents, many of whom have recently received prizes at the main contests such as Eduardo Trassierra, Rubito Jr. and Soraya Clavijo, without forgetting the veterans. In return, the Bienal wanted to devote an evening to these venues “of initiation, encounter and training for enthusiasts”, taking them to the Hotel Triana late on the night of Saturday, September 11th. And the neighborhood courtyard turned into a party. Singing first were performers such as Jerez-born Fernando de la Morena, but the climax would not arrive until El Polaco, El Lavadora and Pedro Moya took a seat around a table. They marked the beat with their knuckles. One sang, another sang, and to finish off, the third one got up and dramatized dancing an afternoon of bullfighting with Curro Romero. The humorous side of flamenco had only just begun to appear: old ads from (outdoor) summer cinemas were sung and even the film credits, politics was ridiculized... And the party was now unstoppable. Courtyard cante and dancing for a night in the neighborhood.

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