FESTIVAL DE JEREZ 2007. MANOLETE •
AGUJETAS • EL JUNCO
A look back
Silvia Calado. Jerez, March 10th, 2007
1st part. Manolete:
baile. Bailaoras: Judea Maya, Susi Parra, Mónica
Fernández. Bailaores: Pol Vaquero, Isaac de los
Reyes. Cante: Joni Cortés, Pepe Jiménez.
Guitar: Felipe Maya, Basilio García, Juan Jiménez.
Cello: Batio. 2nd part. Agujetas: cante.
Antonio Soto: guitar. Kanako: baile. 11th Festival de
Jerez 2007. Teatro Villamarta (Jerez, Spain), March 10th,
2007. 9 p.m.
Manolete (Photo: Daniel
Muñoz) |
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No matter how much you experiment and
come and go... you always have to go back to the origins.
And at a festival with a firm perspective as a showcase
for every trend, for every age, the figure of maestro
must take up an outstanding place. The light was already
lit a few days ago with the performance by Toni el Pelao
and La Uchi, and it was lit up again last night, both
in the baile and the cante. Just like Blanca del Rey and
Fosforito in the first edition, Manolete and Agujetas
shared the bill to put the icing on the cake of the festival.
The message was clear: here are the references, this is
where we come from.
Manolete
also came to recall the generation of bailaores who three
or four decades ago opted to honor the figure, calmness
and simplicity, though each with his personal ‘revolution’.
Last night, the Granada-born bailaor again remembered
his farruca, his version starting with the canon by Los
Pelaos, and his alegrías. He burst with sobriety
in his two bailes and showed how to fill a stage with
just enough elements. The way he has of covering the stage
from side to side as if he were floating, with forms nearly
of a classical dancer, was a delight. The lighting should
have been more attentive to his face, since it’s
a part of his dance expression. Besides three guitars
and cante, he put a cello in the group, giving the accompaniment
a touch of ‘distinction’. The interludes were
filled with a lackluster performance by a five-member
dance corps, of which the two men led up to a face-off
por bulerías, in contrast to the maestro’s
unhurried movement.
Agujetas
had already started his ‘show’ the day before
at the press conference, where he dished out vulgarities
galore. Tamer on stage at the Teatro Villamarta, he also
had a few needles ready, but he fortunately focused more
on the cante. “Flamenco is being lost, like nature”,
the Jerez-born cantaor said, cheered on by his many followers,
among which there is everyone from peña members
to punks. Needless to say, he sang por soleá, seguiriyas,
fandangos, seguiriyas, bulerías, soleá,
tientos, seguiriyas, seguiriyas. And the thing is that
he’s more about cantes than styles. As usual, his
way of performing was impressive, with natural distortion,
bending the rules, taking us back centuries, but it wasn’t
his best night. Nor was his guest list well-chosen; first
his son Antonio, without even the physical conditions
to be on stage. And then his wife Kanako, who he made
dance the bulería. “Lyrics and finish”,
he commanded her abruptly. But those little touches of
a ‘good savage’, saying “mehmo”
(fool) instead of “mismo” (same),
were what most livened up the crowd remaining. There were
also many who left.
Agujetas (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
Solos en Compañía
Series. El Junco
If at the inauguration of
the festival it was Antoñito el Camborio,
on the closing day it was Juan José
Jaén ‘El Junco’. The lead
dancer of Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía
went to Sala Compañía to make
good solo. Accompanied on cante by David
Lagos and David Palomar, who have nearly
been ‘fixed’ cantaores in this
edition, he opted for the traditional format,
dancing seguiriyas and soleá por bulerías.
The Cádiz-born bailaor gave priority
to speed, over-effort and display of technique,
in detriment to the musicality, consolidation
and message. But he knew how to be convincing.
He had the support of bailaora Susana Casas,
who offered a delicate solo baile por alegrías
with a bata de cola and shawl, and accompanied
the bailaor in the grand finale por bulerías,
which at the same time was the grand finale
of this eleventh Festival de Jerez.
El Junco
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz) |
Susana Casas
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz)
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