2003 FESTIVAL DE JEREZ
The Antonio el Pipa Company: From the Earth (Villamarta Theater)

Cante over Dancing

Silvia Calado Olivo. Jerez, March 5th, 2003
Photos: Daniel Muñoz
Translation: Joseph Kopec

Covering up Antonio el Pipa on stage is nearly impossible, almost. Unless he himself sets the stage for that to happen. And that's just what he did for his premiere this year at the Villamarta Theater, making himself at home with a high-level, native cantaor duo. The grandeur of Fernando Terremoto and El Torta, joined in the comfortable space given to them, nearly made the setting forgotten, a show of disjointed juxtapositions which the Jerez-born bailaor, the artistic director and choreographer, had christened as 'De la tierra' ('From the Earth').

Antonio el Pipa and Tía Juana

El Pipa's shadowed silhouette appeared por seguiriyas, accompanied on cante by Fernando Terremoto, to the side, under a zenithal light. His voice full, mature, resounding. The hands, arms, pose, presence. "Olé to purity!", shouts the crowd that attends each of the premieres at the Jerez "Bullring" as if it were a liturgical ceremony, an ineludible social act that grants citizenship here. El Pipa loves himself, and that is why people love him. And he enjoys himself, sometimes even forgetting the dancing, that dance of his from the feet up. Three cantaors stretched the number 'Quebranto' ('Affliction'), soleares por bulerías by Manuel Tañé, José Valencia and the terribly deep Juana la del Pipa, accompanied on the guitar by Pascual de Lorca and Juan Moneo. With the title 'Inquietudes' ('Restlessness') the bailaor came hand in hand with El Torta -already welcomed with applause in the first phrase - por alegrías. The cante, direct and skillful, well-achieved. The dancing, soft, obvious. The crowd, thinned out. 'Heredero' ('Heir') was another cante number, this time performed by Terremoto Jr., who warmed up with old preciosity por malagueñas and rounded off with some fandangos at the top of his lungs. "Long live the dynasty!"

El Pipa danced again, and the cantaora and soleá also returned. Aunt and nephew, both in black, challenged each other in a duel of cante and dancing, which drifted towards bulería... and that's where the dancing found a place to exude flavor. The spotlight shifted again, this time towards El Torta, who took up the local bulería, before coming out up front on stage, surrounded by a double cannon of light, to give it his all por tonás (despite the limitations of the microphone). 'Sones de fragua' ('Forging Sounds'). Behind the curtain, everything was ready for the party in a semi-circle. Everyone took the floor in turns, of course. Everyone received an ovation, including the potbellied kid. And El Pipa letting himself be overshadowed.

For teaching with rules

The evening at the Villamarta Theater had been prolonged for two and a half hours. By that time, the berza (a dish of vegetables and pork sausages typical in lower Andalusia) which the organization had fueled the press with here was already more than digested. The night crowd, that of Don Antonio Chacón, could toast to the revival... and to the reflection on, of course, dancing, that subject which is continually being analyzed at this festival. Several hours earlier at the San Ginés Winery, Javier Latorre had presented his 'Rinconete y Cortadillo', a version of the novel by Cervantes before which its creator asks for "nobody to hold back when laughing". The Valencian spoke about the team which has accompanied him in this adventure and also about himself. When asked about a possible appearance on stage, he answered that he had "no matter pending on stage. I'm now interested in creating, teaching, writing... tackling other aspects of my profession. I'm not rejecting a role in tune with my physical condition, but I'm not going to dance just anything".

It was precisely on the aspect of teaching that Victoria Eugenia and Rocío Coral conversed, moderated by the anthropologist Cristina Cruces. A fundamental conclusion came out of the words of both teachers, one of Spanish ballet and the other of flamenco: the need to institutionalize teaching of flamenco with rules. In passing, interesting subjects were touched such as the lack of continuous training since, as Matilde Coral's daughter explained, "there aren't many professionals studying"; the homogenization of dancing between men and women; the cultural obstacles hindering boys from studying dance, which led maestra Victoria Eugenia to say that "it should be mandatory for everyone to learn how to dance at school"; the growing interest in learning flamenco dancing beyond Spain's borders; that being a professional performer does not necessarily prepare one for didactics; and of course, the defense of the Seville school's precepts. There was enough to talk about until dawn...

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