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FESTIVAL DE JEREZ 2008. NUEVO BALLET ESPAÑOL,
‘SANGRE’
Pop dance
Silvia Calado. Jerez, February 24th, 2008
Nuevo Ballet Español,
‘Sangre’. Baile, choreography, directing:
Ángel Rojas, Carlos Rodríguez. Dance corps:
Iván Martín, Emilio Ochando, Cristian Martín,
Aitor Hernández, María López, Cristina
de Vega, Pilar Arteseros, Pilar González, Ana Agraz.
Cante: María del Mar Fernández, Emilio Florido.
Guitar, music: Gaspar Rodríguez, Daniel Jurado
(+ Antonio Rey). Percussion: Diego Álvarez. Violin:
Ángel López de Roda. Cello: Nicasio Moreno.
Flute: Elisa de la Torre. Stage design: Anselmo Gervolés.
Lighting: David Pérez. 12th Festival de Jerez.
Teatro Villamarta. Jerez, February 24th, 2008. 9 p.m.
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Nuevo Ballet Español.
Carlos Rodríguez
(Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
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A parallelism could be made with pop
music to speak about ‘Sangre’. The new show
by Nuevo
Ballet Español, which has taken a timeout from
the season at Madrid’s Teatro Albéniz to
attend Festival de Jerez, has every feature to reach the
greater public, even though it sacrifices depth to do
so. The company seems to have consciously elaborated a
marketable product, which is entirely relevant out of
consideration for survival, since it isn’t usual
for a private ballet to hold up on the fateful cultural
scene of this country for fifteen years. And judging by
the crowd’s devoted reaction, it has gotten things
entirely right.
The show is based on fusion, form and
entertainment. Spanish classical, contemporary dance and
flamenco dancing are intermingled to shape a particular
style which materializes in pieces that are now bright
and colorful, now virtuous. Prevailing in the group work
is the dynamics, the color, the pretty, the non-stop motion.
In the individual, the stress is on exhibiting technique,
with a little discreet use of the mechanisms that bring
on applause. And there was a lot of it throughout the
night … even to the beat in the middle of the show.
Both Carlos Rodríguez and Ángel Rojas brandished
the same weapons, outdoing themselves with each onslaught
in quantitative and technical matters.
The musical accompaniment was entirely
in tune with the dancing. Guitars and other strings, flute,
percussions and cantes also played in the fusion of ingredients,
always with flamenco rhythmics and a pinch of pastiche…
now Mecano, now Lole
and Manuel, now Cañizares. Like the baile,
the entire group did its utmost for the show to be constantly
soaring, without breathers, without flagging. A tone which
the lighting and stage design also encouraged. And that
display dazzled the crowd, who enjoyed themselves like
at a concert by a hit group. So in ‘Sangre’,
the audience is nearly part of the company.
Nuevo Ballet Español.
Ángel Rojas
(Photo Daniel Muñoz)
Marcos Flores,
Sala Compañía
And then came the flamenco
dancing. Awaited with great expectation, the
magnificent winner of the National Contest
of Córdoba’s past edition triumphed
at the Sala Compañía. Marcos
Flores demonstrated the obvious; that he is
one of the great talents of today’s
and tomorrow’s flamenco dancing. The
Cádiz-born artist gathers all of the
features to be so, both in form and substance.
Brilliant in technique, in presence, in expression,
in stage composure … the audience was
howling. And he relied on just a guitar, two
cantaores, two clappers and adjusted lighting
… now then, all of it always interacting
with the dancing. Farruca, martinete and alegrías
are, for the time being, his credentials.
Marcos Flores has arrived.
Marcos Flores
(Photo Daniel Muñoz)
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And tomorrow ...
• Isabel Bayón, ‘La puerta
abierta’. Teatro Villamarta (9 p.m.)
• María José León,
‘5 generaciones’. Sala Compañía
• Miguel Lavi / Niño Seve. Palacio
de Villavicencio (7 p.m.)
Isabel Bayón
(Foto Daniel Muñoz) |
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Isabel
Bayón finally presents ‘La
puerta abierta’ in Jerez. A show which
the Sevillian bailaora defines as “a
space of freedom”. She was accompanied
at the noon press conference at Bodega de
San Miguel by the show’s stage director,
Pepa Gamboa, who explained that “it’s
a show which seeks emotion, which offers a
very unbiased vision of flamenco, which seeks
the artist’s interior and exterior”.
To which Bayón, who has already presented
shows such as ‘Del alma’ and ‘La
mujer y el pelele’ at the Teatro Villamarta,
added a reflection on her state as an artist:
“After thirty-three years in the business,
I feel I’m at a good moment; I’m
doing interesting things and I still have
things to say”. Also having a chance
to speak about their performances was bailaora
María José León, who
presents ‘5
generaciones’ at the Sala Compañía
together with her father, cantaor El Ecijano;
and Jerez-born cantaor Miguel Lavi, who shares
the bill with guitarist Niño Seve in
the evening at Palacio de Villavicencio. Following
the artists’ presentations, the round
table gave room to the structural side of
flamenco. And a book was presented which compiles
the lectures at the technical days ‘Los
festivales flamencos en el mundo. Ritos, rotos
y retos’, which took place last year
at the Centro Andaluz de Flamenco (Andalusian
Flamenco Center). As revealed by Olga de la
Pascua, director of the aforementioned center,
Francisco López, director of Festival
de Jerez, Javier Puga, director of the Mont
de Marsan Festival, and Silvia Calado, author
of ‘El
negocio del flamenco’, the encounter
is already achieving results, since the first
association grouping the genre’s main
festivals will soon make itself known.
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