The Spanish National Ballet opts for "a
creators program" for its new repertoire

The company brings back 'Concierto de Aranjuez' by Pilar López and premieres shows by María Pagés, Manolete, Teresa Nieto and Florencio Campo

Silvia Calado Olivo. Madrid, December 19th, 2002

"The idea of the Spanish National Ballet (BNE) is not to lose its traditional line, but to open itself up to the plurality of today's Spanish dance". Andrés Amorós, managing director of the National Institute for Scenic Arts and Music, explains Elvira Andrés' work philosophy since she took the reins of the company in March 2001. The dancer and choreographer, guided by three main lines -"repertoire, great works and creators"- presents a new program consisting of a revived 'Concierto de Aranjuez' by Pilar López, the revival of 'Fuenteovejuna' by Antonio Gades and the premiere shows 'Entreverao' by Manolete, 'Ilusiones FM' by María Pagés and 'Mareas' by Teresa Nieto and Florencio Campo.

Spanish National Ballet in 'Fuenteovejuna'
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

The star of the new program, which the BNE presents at Madrid's Zarzuela Theater between December 20th and January 12th, 2003, is the revival of 'Concierto de Aranjuez', a choreography created in 1952 by Pilar López for the composition by Joaquín Rodrigo. The importance of this work lies in the fact that the maestra has worked side by side with the company to put the show together, twenty years after its last performance and half a century after its conception. Elvira Andrés stresses the BNE's gratitude to the sister of La Argentinita for "her complete devotion". López does not rule out future collaborations although she sidesteps the offer with a sense of humor. "I sing one song: I'm too old to love you, I'm too old for choreographies".

The maestra looks back in time to narrate the genesis of this work: "When I heard 'Concierto de Aranjuez' in the fifties, I fell in love with that incredibly beautiful music and I intended to choreograph it according to what the music said to me. I respect all ideas but I have to fall in love with the music to choreograph it". Starting from the piece, "I decided to make a little guide to the concert's three movements: dusk, night and day". The problem was the setting: "It is supposed to take place in the Gardens of Aranjuez, but the name had me unsettled; I wanted to get oriented". When she asked maestro Rodrigo the reason for the name, he answered: "Well now, I could just as well have put Concierto de Cuenca". So she had to manage to "dress it up" with the help of Víctor Cortezo.

Pilar López, who says she has won "undeserved" success for this choreography, did not receive the invitation by Elvira Andrés with much enthusiasm. "I'm very terse. When she asked me if I wasn't glad, I answered: me, not at all. But I realized that I couldn't disappoint her". The maestra, who had been away from dance for some time as a professional although not as a spectator, doubted the validity of the show: "It seemed to me that it might be daring at this point in time, since life and dance have changed...". Even so, she "would have been sorry" to refuse as moreover it was the Spanish National Ballet: "If it were from Bucharest I would have said no". She made her decision and feels satisfied with it: "All my life I'll remember the good times rehearsing with the ballet; it rejuvenated me and enlivened me for devotion, professionalism, affection, respect". The 'Concierto de Aranjuez' now presented by the BNE, with Lola Greco as guest artist and José María Gallardo as solo guitarist, is completely faithful to the original, despite the fact that there are no films. And that is why Pilar López doubted "that it could be of interest nowadays". However, the reaction of audiences and critics wherever this work has been performed fortunately contradicts the maestra, a show which in Elvira Andrés' opinion "is in the history book of Spanish dance".

Pilar López, Elvira Andrés, María Pagés, Manolete,
Teresa Nieto and Florencio Campo (Photo: Silvia Calado)

Along the same lines of recovery and homage is 'Fuenteovejuna' by Antonio Gades, included in the company's repertoire since November 15th, 2001 at Seville's Maestranza Theater. In contrast with these two examples of revival and great works, the BNE premieres new creations made to measure. The ballet's artistic director defines 'Entreverao' by Manolete as "a very special, extremely personal work for our lead dancers". The Granada-born choreographer and bailaor, a veteran collaborator of the company, has put together a farruca for two dancers whose name responds to the fact that "I'm a flamenco artist but I understand a lot about other types of dance, so it's a mixture of flamenco, Spanish ballet and ballet". The number unfolds to the music of José Luis Montón.

Along the same lines of creators is the show by María Pagés. 'Ilusiones FM' is a work where, despite the adaptation to the format of a great company, "neither does the flamenco lose its individuality", nor does the Sevillian bailaora and choreographer, winner of the 2002 National Dance Prize, stray from her "choreographic line". To do so, she had the help of her usual team: José María Sánchez as scenarist and stage manager, Rubén Levaniegos and Manuel Soler as authors of the flamenco music, Dominique You in design and lighting and costumes by Rosa García. And starting with the team and a musical selection covering songs by Ravel, Louis Armstrong and Charpentier "the ideas flowed". María Pagés thought "that a ballet which has enthusiasm, should have fun. And so she wanted to "tell a story, vindicating fantasy, irony and divertimento through dance".

The third show of the new creators section arises from the tandem formed by Teresa Nieto and Florencio Campo. The choreographic pair, which is part of the Arrieritos company, deem a challenge this work which "is a risky wager, for being a language different to the usual one". 'Mareas' creates an encounter between contemporary dance and flamenco, although Nieto explains that "I never set out to do fusion; it wasn't premeditated but rather intuitive. I found out that I was doing fusion because I was told". Florencio Campo adds that it is a personal work, "but by several people, which is possible through open-mindedness, the capacity to compromise, and tolerance".

Pilar López (Photo: Silvia Calado)

Pilar López, new creator

If it were the fifties, sixties or seventies, Pilar López would surely have been one of those chosen by the Spanish National Ballet today for its repertoire of new creators. At the age of ninety and surrounded by today's flamenco choreographers, Pilar López is proud of how she broke free: "I dared to take on five preludes by Debussy, since I was pretty progressive in my time". And not only with the French composer. The maestra assures that she was the first one to sing 'Se equivocó la paloma', "well before Serrat, in a suite that I premiered in Buenos Aires in the early fifties". Nor is this show's story free of boldness. Pilar López recalls that at that time in Argentina "the authors' society demanded native music. To me it seemed like a lack of respect, but if not, I couldn't perform. I did an Argentinean suite that started off with a chacarera, which is like a tanguillo from Cádiz; I started dancing straightforward tanguillos and then a cart with a gaucho came out with the same rhythm, then a samba, then 'Se equivocó la paloma' was sung and then the malambo was danced, which is a zapateado except with spurs". Nor is the red tape of bureaucracy safe from the story's boldness, for when the work was performed in Madrid in 1952, "with the courage I'm made of, I put up the bill on Gran Vía 'Argentinean suite. Se equivocó la paloma. Lyrics: Rafael Alberti'. And nobody said anything". The Cádiz-born poet was in exile...

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