2004 JEREZ FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
Farruquito. 'Alma vieja'

Fit of the madding crowd

Silvia Calado. Jerez, March 4th, 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz
Translation: Joseph Kopec

Artist credits. 'Alma vieja' ('Ancient Soul'). Farruquito: baile, choreography, original idea, lyrics, music, production, musical direction, artistic direction. Antonio Fernández 'Farruco', Pilar Montoya 'La Faraona', Barullo, Polito, Adela Campallo, La Hachara: baile. Montse Cortés, Encarna Anillo, José Valencia, El Canastero, Antonio Zúñiga: cante. Román Vicenti, El Perla: guitar. Manuel Molina: guest artist. Villamarta Theater. Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz, Spain), March 4th, 2004. 9 p.m.

	Farruquito (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Impressive. Farruquito's appearance at this Jerez Festival was impressive. The Sevillian bailaor is a phenomenon of the masses, an idol of fans (more than of enthusiasts), a people agitator. And is he so now that television has come in (and it is not that there is anything bad in that)? Certainly last year, when he shared the bill with Diego Carrasco at this same forum, the crowd's reaction was a great deal milder. What occurred last night was paranormal for flamenco, worthy of a pop star concert. And the thing is that the show was both on and off stage. Each pose, each finishing touch, each pirouette by Farruquito and Farruco were responded to with fits of collective hysteria. There were no olés, but directly shouts.

Though it is impossible to explain the irrational, many factors influence this exaggerated reaction: the child prodigies, the family unity, the physical beauty, the show, the striving for effect... And of course, the immense artistic value of the head of the company. Farruquito's art is enormous. He glides across the stage like a panther on the lookout, prevailing over the entire area as if he were a tile, he contains time, he creates tension, he feeds the wait chewing over the music until he bursts into an impetuous eruption which, nevertheless, is perfectly precise. Farruquito's silence, that strolling around of his with the serenity of an old man is bloodcurdling. And in that which in flamenco is called feeling, he is a generous expert. His brother Farruco lacks age perhaps; he is now a boy in search of himself, who experiments with his unlimited faculties and who still lacks temperance. The 'clone' cousins Barullo and Polito are another two future successors of the school, the proof that the family has a lot to say... Not to mention El Carpeta, the tiny brother, whose final kick was anxiously awaited by the gasping crowd.

Ancient Soul

All of it happens in the setting of 'Alma vieja', a show which glosses and deifies Farruquito, the current patriarch. Manuel Molina, as a sort of minstrel, tells the story with his poetic cante and his rebellious guitar. The company's presentation takes place in fandangos entitled 'of Your Majesty', the only number that the photographers were able to immortalize. Next was the potbellied Aunt Pilar who offered her solo number, bulerías full of grace. The baile which has eaten up all of Farruquito's efforts lately is the farruca, in search of his history. He resolves it elegantly, with the sobriety required by this style of northern origin. The piece's snag was in the cante, so excessive that it lost skill. In fact, the bad quality of the cante is this show's greatest snag... And that would have been a sin in Jerez had there been enthusiasts instead of fans. The first half ended with the 'Soleá en tres décadas' by Farruquito, Farruco and Barullo, three similar visions of a single style that literally drove the audience mad. The second half started off amidst murmurs, cheers and sighs with alegrías prompted by Adela Campallo and La Hachara attired in white flamenco dresses with a train and which Farruquito picked up dressed in the same color. "How beautiful you are, son!", Matilde Coral shouted to him from her seat. The scene was taken up afterwards by Farruco, who danced a taranto together with his aunt. She sang the finishing touch through tangos to him herself. "I sing to my Farru and he falls asleep". The theater roars with pleasure; it is hard to reconcile the silence between scenes. The seguiriya 'Mi sombra' is inspired in a dream in which Farruquito's grandfather Farruco appears to him. He dances it tremendously, breaking down the rhythm, listening to himself, accompanied at times by the entire bailaor troupe. The minstrel returns to tell the end of the story. Manuel Molina is listened to, since he tells, since his lament is from within. Once everyone had done his little turn, he stood up and sang to Farruquito, "what I feel for you". Picture perfect. The theater crumbles. The crowd left exhausted, brimming with stimuli... so numerous and so dense. Impressive.

Manuel Molina (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

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