2004 JEREZ FLAMENCO FESTIVAL
El Güito. 'Mis recuerdos'

Yesterday

Silvia Calado. Jerez, March 8th, 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz
Translation: Joseph Kopec

Artist credits. 'Mis recuerdos' ('My Memories'). Baile, choreography and direction: El Güito. Lead bailaora: María Vivó. Dance corps: Eliecer Truco, La Popi, Begoña Castro, María Martín, Rafael Peral, Isaac de los Reyes, Raúl Ortega, Nino de los Reyes. Cante: José Jiménez, Leo Triviño, El Ciervo. Guitar: Felipe Maya, Basilio García, Leo de Aurora. Villamarta Theater. Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz, Spain), March 8th, 2004. 9 p.m.

El Güito

Just as Manolete did a few days ago with the farruca, El Güito dressed up his much-praised soleá as a show. The bailaor entitled it 'Mis recuerdos' and dedicated it "to Pilar López, a dance institution in Spain", as he had already done - in the maestra's presence - last year at Madrid's Albéniz Theater in the setting of the 'A corazón abierto' ('Open Heart') Festival. To do so, he came surrounded by a group of four bailaores and four bailaoras, with María Vivó as the guest artist. Together with Luisillo's daughter, who has been a member of the Rafael Amargo Company in the last few seasons, he danced the first seguiriya, a number which laid down the guidelines for the show: dusting off his everlasting offer. The positive thing about the reiteration is that it enables neophytes and the nostalgic to still see live the baile that used to be done decades ago.

	María Vivó

Following the introductory number, the dance corps continued the martinete, working diagonally. Next, El Güito offered his first solo number: the farruca, the baile that marked an entire generation of those sponsored by La Argentinita's sister, inspired in the Faíco family. With three guitars, the dancing evolved in a sparing, clean, sober way. The four bailaoras played the lead in a taranto of very low quality, flat, with academic dancing failing to go beyond mere exercise. The wardrobe flunked out. As did the group of cantaores. María Vivó had the chance to shine in a soleá through bulerías which, in contrast, was vibrant, with character, with mastery of the stage and of communication with the crowd, though not very clean at times in the technique and somewhat expired in style. The guys in the company came back through alegrías and the gals through the same as the guest, but backwards. The audience, who ignored the obvious lack of preparation, liked the style. Coming last was El Güito's soleá, his trademark. And the finishing touch, at the audience's request, was the grand finale through bulerías, where everyone finished. The exercise acquired by memory turned out to be dark, lusterless, a prisoner of nostalgia. The good old days were not always better.

Globalizing

Coinciding with the series 'De la frontera' ('Border'), with which the Jerez Festival gives foreign flamenco offers a chance, the round-table at the wine bar put the subject 'Flamenco and Globalization' on the table. Miguel Marín, promoter of the USA Flamenco Festival; Daniel Muñoz, director of Flamenco-world.com; and Japanese artists Mami and Hiro acted as participants. Daniel Muñoz explained how the website, which already receives nearly a million and a half visits per month, has sketched out the flamenco map and "continues discovering a new geography" in which not only is Japan visible, but also Europe, Latin America, China, the Orient... And he pointed out that "the public and buying power aren't the same thing since, for example, in countries like Argentina and Brazil there's a huge public, but there isn't an economic infrastructure enabling people to afford flamenco". Miguel Marín told that he has observed "how the foreign audience shies more and more away from exoticism and the esthetic". And proof of that has been "José Mercé's impressive success this year in New York". He added that the 'Big Apple' already considers this annual festival to be "one of the most important cultural events for the city".

Mami, Hiro, Andrés Marín and Rosalía Gómez

This viewpoint was shared by Mami and Hiro, who noted that "in Japan enthusiasts are beginning to consider cante important, something fundamental if you want to plunge deep into flamenco; since now what they are doing is to imitate Antonio Canales or Sara Baras". Also coming up was the subject of the benefits of flamenco being backed in the world by the label 'world music', since "it enables flamenco to be measured with other types of music, for it to defend itself with its difference", Daniel Muñoz said. Marín and Muñoz emphasized in their participation that going abroad provides flamenco artists with a way to make a living, that "flamenco is not competitive on the international market in relation to other arts" and that, far from corrupting, flamenco's relationship with other expressions is enriching. When the time came for the radicals present in the room, watchdogs of we don't know what, to vociferate their indignation towards we don't know what, Rosalía Gómez, the moderator, concluded by judging that flamenco is not anyone's exclusive heritage; "it belongs to human beings". And that is the real globalization.

magazine@flamenco-world.com