FESTIVAL DE JEREZ 2007. PREMIERE

María del Mar Moreno explores the female condition
of the bailaora at Festival de Jerez 2007

José Luis Montón creates the music for ‘María, María’, which premieres on February 24th

S.C./ Flamenco-world.com, January 2007

Two years after ‘Jerez Puro’, María del Mar Moreno premieres once again at Festival de Jerez. ‘Maria, María’ is, according to the Jerez-born bailaora, a summary of “sensations of mine... and of any woman”. Figuring in the lineup as guest artists are guitarist José Luis Montón - composer of the music -, cantaor Antonio Malena, cantaora Ana Salazar and bailaor Juan Ogalla. The new show will see the light at the Teatro Villamarta on February 24th.

	María del Mar Moreno (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

María del Mar Moreno looks inside to create ‘María, María’, designing nearly a self-portrait. The Jerez-born bailaora seeks the origin of her love affair with flamenco, confronts Jerez’s localism with Paris’s cosmopolitanism, delves into the continuous debate on love, is inspired by El Serna’s cabales, but also by María Callas.

In order to put together these contradictions, she has the help of stage director María Martínez de Tejada, who “provides the entire show with psychic and musical coherence”. Taking care of the music is José Luis Montón, an artist who she re-encounters after several years without working together. The musician sketches out a soundtrack on which the essence of Jerez is present, but also “my obsession with Paris”. And that’s where Ana Salazar comes into play, with a new version of ‘La vie en rose’, in which accordionist Gorka Hermoso also plays and dancing are Rocío Marín, Julián Vicente and Juan Ogalla, a guest artist who also performs a farruca and pas de deux with the star.

The Jerez part is represented by cantaor Antonio Malena, besides the rest of the members of his company: Luis de Pacote, Juanillorro, Luis de la Tota, Santiago Moreno and Antoñito Malena. But there will also be a “board” of gypsy women from Santiago who, as in their professional life, will have to give her their blessing. It was precisely to her hometown, which is home to the festival and a cradle of flamenco, that she entirely devoted her company’s previous show, ‘Jerez Puro’, which in its premiere in 2005 was worthy of the public’s prize at the festival.

magazine@flamenco-world.com