2003 FESTIVAL DE JEREZ
Sara Baras: Mariana Pineda (Villamarta Theater)

The Child Grows

Silvia Calado Olivo. Jerez, March 11th, 2003
Photos: Daniel Muñoz
Translation: Joseph Kopec

And the curtain fell. The seven-year-old child, who is so quickly growing, went to sleep. The 2003 Festival de Jerez closes with a more than positive result, according to data offered by its director in the last get-together at the San Ginés Winery. Paco López explained that 19,540 spectators participated in the ninety-four activities scheduled, which means a twenty-two percent increase over the previous edition. Far from blindly triumphal interpretations, López made clear what the weaknesses are at this gathering specialized in flamenco dancing and Spanish dance. On the one hand, he emphasized the financial difficulties, since except for Jerez City Council - patron of the Villamarta Theater Foundation, the festival's organizing body -, no public administration has made any contribution to the budget, which could be around 750,000 euros; and the participation of private companies is still small (Unicaja, Ono, Jerez Wine Regulatory Council and González Byass). On the other hand, he also referred to "a greater effort in communication that will have to be made in the future, although there are already 45 accredited media companies present, of which 17 percent are international; and to a desirable greater implication by the city in the festival, not only by the residents, but also by the institutions responsible for the promotion of tourism.

Regarding the contents of Jerez's festival, Paco López made it clear that "we start with a reality: the world of flamenco dancing in itself cannot offer thirteen quality shows a year, since international demand doesn't allow it". Added to that is the proposal to "develop a project for the masses, from the viewpoint that the audience will be more or less educated, but is never wrong". And, according to this reasoning, since they weren't wrong any day, since night after night the theater ended up clapping por bulerías, the program was very accurate in its diversity.

Sara Baras

It happened on the closing evening, too... Sara Baras ended up making the Villamarta Theater rise to its feet with 'Mariana Pineda', a macroproduction which, although it tiptoes through Lorcan drama and, still more, through its political implications, shows a coordinated collective effort in the staging. In the foreground is the brilliant music composed by Manolo Sanlúcar which fluently leads the work with guitars, percussion, string and wind instruments; as well as the scenography and lighting, which generate, with the game of jealousies and mirrors, pictures of very beautiful esthetics in different layers. More in the middle distance is the script, which makes the story completely incomprehensible despite having a traditional reference; and both the choreographic and interpretative work by Sara Baras, excessively fickle and sparing in resources. Nor does the dance corps, especially the collaborating male faction (José Serrano, Luis Ortega and Miguel Cañas), contribute much brilliance to the whole. Pleasant, digestible, Apollonian, professional and nice, one would say. A perfect equation to leave a smooth, slightly oversweet little flavor in the aftertaste of the final curtain. The seven-year-old child is already dreaming of growing up.

magazine@flamenco-world.com