FESTIVAL DE JEREZ 2007. ISRAEL GALVÁN
· MELCHORA ORTEGA
Once upon a time, disgust
Silvia Calado. Jerez, March 9th, 2007
‘Arena’. Israel
Galván: baile, choreography director.
Alfredo Lagos: guitar. David Lagos: cante. El Eléctrico,
Carlos Grilo: compás. Guest artists: Diego Carrasco,
Diego Amador, Charanga Los Sones, Ensemble de Percusión
de Andalucía. Special collaboration: Enrique Morente
(cante on video). Gastor hornpipe: Mercedes Bernal. Artistic
director: Pedro G. Romero. Stage director: Belén
Candil. 11th Festival de Jerez. Teatro Villamarta (Jerez,
Cádiz), March 9th, 2007. 9 p.m.
Once upon a time, bailaor Israel
Galván came out on stage at the Teatro Villamarta
as the guest of guitarist Gerardo Núñez.
And it so happened that many left the theater early, beside
themselves with insults and indignation. Following the
performance, in the dressing room the
bailaor admitted that he liked “on stage, for
people to see me as filth”. Well, he understood
that his show might disgust people. And that wasn’t
so long ago; scarcely five years ago. Time having gone
by, the truth is that one spectator got up and shouted
“the hell with it!” and a few others left
discreetly, but the rest of the audience sealed the performance
of ‘Arena’ with applause, cheers and hoarse
cries of “genio!”, “genius!”.
Israel Galván on 'Arena'
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
And the thing is, a lot has happened
in just five years. The show, which premiered
at Bienal de Sevilla 2004, is part of a sort of trilogy
together with ‘La edad de oro’ and ‘Tabula
rasa’ (performed at Festival de Jerez 2006, but
in a secondary series), which has even been paid tribute
by the Sevillian festival with a retrospective in its
last edition, once the bailaor was awarded the National
Dance Prize, of course in the category of ‘creation’.
Moreover, as a choreographer, he created for his sister
Pastora the show ‘La francesa’, another story
which has provoked disgust, love and hate. And now he’s
busy working on ‘Apocalipsis’... next to nothing.
That is to say, the Israel Galván
experience leaves nobody indifferent... though it’s
repeated, believe it. ‘Arena’ is different
the first time from the second, third or fourth. That’s
the thing about polyhedral artists, the ones who understand
the world in more than three dimensions. There’s
always a detail, a sensation, something new which is discovered,
a gesture which had been missed. And if it’s the
first time, the impact is guaranteed. There were those
who upon leaving didn’t even manage to speak, still
with their mind on the stage. It turns out that this show
is a personal vision of the world of bullfighting, including
the bull, matador and the crowd, that crowd capable of
calling for death straight out.
Click
the images to enlarge |
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| Israel
Galván
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
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Israel
Galván
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz) |
Israel
Galván
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz) |
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| Israel
Galván
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
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Israel
Galván
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz) |
Israel
Galván
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz) |
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Singing Café Series. Melchora
Ortega · Mariana Cornejo
Melchora
Ortega
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz) |
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Festival de Jerez 2007 comes
to an end. And it has already closed the magical
stage of Bodega de Los Apóstoles, following
the performance by cantaoras Melchora
Ortega and Mariana
Cornejo. The Jerez-born artist, ancient
and mighty. The one from Cádiz, witty
and mature. The last evening at the Singing
Café, which this year starred women’s
cante, whose echoes have lingered in order
to age with the wine.
CD:
Mariana Cornejo. Tela Marinera
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And tomorrow... El Junco ·
Manolete · Agujetas
El Junco. Sala Compañía (7 p.m.)
Manolete / Agujetas. Teatro Villamarta (midnight)
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