FESTIVAL DE JEREZ 2006. MANUELA CARRASCO/ BELÉN MAYA/ ÁNGEL MUÑOZ

A journey through flamenco dancing

Silvia Calado. Jerez, February 25th, 2006
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

‘Un sorbito de lo sublime’. Manuela Carrasco Company. Manuela Carrasco, Torombo, Rafael de Carmen: baile. Manuel Molina: guest artist. José Valencia, Antonio Zúñiga, La Tobala, Samara Amador, Juan José: cante. Pedro Sierra, Miguel Iglesia: guitars. José Carrasco: percussion. Teatro Villamarta (9 p.m.). ‘Dibujos’. Belén Maya: baile and choreography. José Luis Rodríguez: music and guitar. Manuel Gago: cante. Teatro de Guadalcacín (6:30 p.m.). ‘Cinco sentidos’. Ángel Muñoz: baile and choreography. Cañizares: guest artist. Nantha Kumar: Indian tabla. Paco Arriaga: guitar. Miguel Ortega: cante. Charo Espino: clapping. Mario Carmona: percussion. Sala La Compañía (midnight). 10th Jerez Flamenco Festival 2006. Jerez (Cádiz, Spain), February 25th, 2006

An intense day of baile at Festival de Jerez 2006. A journey with three stopovers through today's flamenco dancing...

First stop. Belén Maya. Despite the relentless rain and the remoteness of the venue, there was not a single empty seat at Teatro de Guadalcacín. The bailaora was presenting ‘Dibujos’, a simple show of bailes inspired by the music of guitarist José Luis Rodríguez. And dozens of course pupils were anxious to see her dance. When she put the metronome in motion and appeared in a green dress, it was chilling. She had come out of the celluloid and that baile through bulerías which has traveled the world so many times over within ‘Flamenco’ by Carlos Saura had finally materialized. The blackboard indicated the second piece would be ‘Trémolo’. Belén Maya appears barefoot, dressed in a blue bata de cola, giving away such light, exquisite movements that it was hard not to let out a sigh. The train of the dress ate up her legs. A beached mermaid who dances from the waist to the eyes. Transition numbers and on the fourth one, the bailaora turns more flamenco for the rondeña. Full creativity in the movement. Interlude to the rhythm by the two ‘clappers’ with a wink of humor. The bailaora returns and sketches out her paths, drawing lines with chalk. Baile through tangos as canasteros as they are contemporary. She seeks out the curve. José Luis Rodríguez becomes an accompanist for cante, a cante with limitations in the taranto, since it doesn't accompany the baile... the baile lets itself be inspired by its sounds. And it's never expressed better than in the alegrías with a bata de cola at the end. The bailaora seeks the old-time picture, the girlish flirtation... but without ever giving up her personal and future trademark. She made the audience fall in love with her. And that, despite facing the stage with a double injury in her back and forearm. Nothing got in the way.

	Manuela Carrasco (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Middle stop. Manuela Carrasco. The second stop of this trip is like Victoria in London or Atocha in Madrid; that hub where every track meets. Where you reach when you come from afar. And where you have to depart from when you're going anywhere. Manuela Carrasco dances, showing how it's done. So many lines have already been written about how she stands firm and raises her arms to the heavens... that a couple more need to be written once again. When she appeared on stage, wrapped in a spectacular embroidered shawl, the theater went dead silent. The denial of motion and time. Just presence. First, she danced the taranto. Beautiful, powerful. Simple and effective in the heel tapping. Moderation from her feet upwards. José Valencia sings a martinete forward. Heart-felt within before bursting forth with the entire fullness of his voice. Light is shed and a group of thirteen artists appears sitting on chairs. The regard is aimed at a single point. Little bits from everyone. Torombo dances. La Tobala sings. Pedro Sierra plays. Manuel Molina does his untitled art. A standing poet with a guitar. And Manuela Carrasco, who gets up to dance for him in a dark green dress and bullfighter's jacket. “Bailaora, sketch me with your arms”. Coarse realism. Olé. A breather from so much emotion with the participations of bailaor Rafael de Carmen and festive cantaora Samara Amador. But Manuela Carrasco comes back through alegrías. She dances. How beautiful it is when the entire background rises and she reinterprets the rise, remaining entirely still. The interlude breaks up the show's thread, but it's replaced by touches of art from the trio consisting of Pedro Sierra, La Tobala and Samara Amador through tangos. The seguiriya by Rafael de Carmen is a mere formality. SOLEÁ. Manuela Carrasco is soleá. Seismic, telluric, wild. The adjectives aren't necessary. Close your eyes. Feel it.

Ángel Muñoz (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

End of the line. Ángel Muñoz. The last stop was scheduled at Sala La Compañía, that majestic temple where baile is pondered with the solemnity of a religious ritual. The Córdoba-born bailaor opened the ‘Solos en Compañía’ series in the company of a first-rate guest: maestro Cañizares, who he has gotten along with well for years. They know they mutually inspire each other and that they have an absolute respect for tradition in common, as well as the seriousness and professionalism with which they face flamenco. But they were not alone. Coming to call on the origins was Indian tabla maestro Nantha Kumar, who opened the show with an overwhelming solo through seguiriyas and bulerías. In the end, the tabla takes a look at flamenco in its full dimension. Ángel Muñoz didn't want to miss the chance to take advantage of it to give the farruca new color. He began it in silence, standing firm and marking neatly. And little by little the music joined in, commanded by Paco Arriaga's guitar. The bailaor sketched out a choreography full of nuances and subtleties, a novelty within the canons. He danced it with elegance, power, manliness and precision. The musical interlude really made sense with a guest like this. Cañizares led the crowd to fantasy and trance with the ballad. Music from another galaxy. And afterwards, he made it vibrate with that rumba which is now a legacy of recent guitar history. The group appears compact, at ease, ripe to share. No sooner does the rhythm of the soleá through bulerías begin than Ángel Muñoz appears, wearing a black suit. He needs more stage. At the peak of the bulería, Cañizares replies to him. The bailaor listens to him, absorbs and offers a balanced show of technique, personality and feeling. The audience's applause is a sincere accomplice, as much as the company's little grand finale. End of the line.

Ángel Muñoz C0mpany with Cañizares (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

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