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FESTIVAL DE JEREZ 2007.
ANTONIO MÁRQUEZ COMPANY
Dance triangle
Silvia Calado. Jerez, February 26th, 2007
‘SMS: me gusta ser mujer’/
‘La vida breve’/ ‘Bolero’. Antonio
Márquez Company. Dancers: Antonio Márquez,
Currillo, Trinidad Artíguez, David Sánchez.
Dance corps: Daniel Fernández, Javier Sánchez,
José Antonio Torres, Francesco Bucchi, Juan Francisco
González, Rocío Chacón, Johana Flores,
Carmen Alférez, Carmen Robles, Merche Recio, Verónica
Torrico, Verónica Soriano, Lucía Padilla.
Guitar: Antonio Sánchez, David Durán. Cante:
Gema Caballero. Percussion: Rafael Hermoso. 11th Festival
de Jerez. Teatro Villamarta (Jerez, Cádiz), February
26th, 2007. 9 p.m.
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Antonio Márquez
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz) |
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Antonio
Márquez came once more to fill the absence
of Spanish dance in today’s dance showcase. And
he did so three-fold. In the first part, he made room
for the show ‘SMS: me gusta ser mujer’ by
Nuria Leiva. And in the second part, he juxtaposed ‘La
vida breve’ by Manuel de Falla and ‘Bolero’
without transitions. The work by Leiva presupposes denunciation
against “the social reality of housewives”,
using a mixture of dance styles - flamenco, Spanish, modern
- and theater not free of irony. Despite how forced and
dead easy the situations laid out were, many women in
the crowd could identify with them, applauding wildly.
Of course, many others found the approach despicable,
inasmuch as it manicheanly uses the cliché we understand
as having been overcome. Though regardless of the opinions
we come across which the undertone of the show might stir
up, the forms are well wrought, not so much in the musical
as in the dance and the dynamics.
A break and a change of pace. The company
returned to itself with a twin bill focused on the classical
Spanish repertoire. First, ‘La vida breve’
by Manuel de Falla, in a version of the original from
1913, to which it adds a pas de deux starring Antonio
Márquez himself and Currillo. And the truth is
that his flamenco pieces usually don’t work, especially
in a context, that of this festival, full of reliable
specialists. He works out classical Spanish dance more
successfully, above all the group pieces which are so
visual and colorful, so nearly symmetrical and understandable.
And in between, solos for showing off, with and without
a covered torso. He presented ‘Bolero’ without
transitions. On the repetitive piece by Maurice Ravel,
he outlined his classic menu of solos, duos, trios and
groups, inspired on more than one occasion by the version
of the same piece done by Maestro
Granero for the Ballet Nacional de España (Spanish
National Ballet). Like every time he attends this festival,
he knew how to satisfy the appetite for Spanish dance
felt by a specific section of the crowd.
Los conciertos de Palacio Series.
José Valencia
José
Valencia
(Photo: Daniel Muñoz) |
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The deep echoes left in
the air by José
Valencia must still be lingering around
the castle. At nightfall, without a microphone
and with the mere accompaniment on toque by
Juan Requena, the Lebrija-born cantaor opened
his heart to an audience that knows him more
for his numerous collaborations as an accompanying
cantaor. Now there was nobody in front of
him and he enjoyed himself (and caused enjoyment)
on the occasion exceedingly. He sang por malagueñas
and fandangos, followed the path of the soleares,
tasted the cantiñas de Pinini, delved
deeply into the seguiriyas, relaxed por bulerías
and blew the oxygen he had left into a couple
of martinetes. He thus personalized the tradition
of cante, inspired by the maestros of broad
echoes, but taking them to his terrain with
temperance, maturity and feeling. The audience
welcomed him with unusual warmth, responding
to the most intense moments with resounding
olés. |
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| Solos en Compañía Series.
Juana Amaya 
(Photo: Daniel
Muñoz)
Juana
Amaya performed at Sala Compañía
with her deep-roots baile, brimming over with
might and charisma. The Sevillian bailaora
was accompanied by her daughter Nazaret Reyes
on baile, and Luis Moneo and El Galli on cante,
among other artists. The venue ended up much
too small for Juana and her die-hard fans.
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| And tomorrow... Rocío Molina,
Úrsula López, La Macanita
Women wholly star in the
fifth day of the festival. In the evening
at Sala Compañía, Córdoba-born
bailaora Úrsula
López premieres ‘Abriendo
caminos’, a show with which “I
start my own way solo, after working so many
years in companies such as the Compañía
Andaluza de Danza and the Ballet Nacional
de España”. There will also be
a premiere at the Teatro Villamarta, with
a new show by Rocío
Molina. Though at first the show ‘Pasos
contados’ was scheduled, in the end
the Málaga-born bailaora will offer
‘Almario’. As she announced, “you’re
going to see a rather powerful change in image”,
with regards to her previous appearance at
the festival with ‘El eterno retorno’.
And she assured that she’s coming on
strong: “Right now nobody can stop me”.
Also promising energy is La
Macanita in her show at Bodega de Los
Apóstoles at midnight. The Jerez-born
cantaora will do a varied repertoire of cante,
of course, including the soleá, seguiriya,
bulerías “and something off my
latest album, ‘La luna de Tomasa’”.
A journey in which she will recall the maestros
who inspire her: from Fernanda de Utrera to
La Paquera, with Camarón, Agujetas
and Caracol in between. The Jerez-born artist
promises a new album for this year. And whoever
still has time may go to the Centro Andaluz
de Flamenco (Andalusian Flamenco Center),
where a series of showings begins of the documentary
series, already released on DVD,
‘El Ángel. Musical flamenco’,
with footage of Camarón, Fernanda and
Los Amador, among others.
Rocío
Molina pays tribute to historical figures
of female flamenco dancing at Festival de
Jerez 2007
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