FESTIVAL DE JEREZ 2009. MIGUEL ÁNGEL BERNA, ÚRSULA
LÓPEZ & RAFAEL CAMPALLO, ‘FLAMENCO
SE ESCRIBE CON JOTA’
White land and north wind
Silvia Calado. Jerez, March 9th, 2009
‘Flamenco se escribe con
jota’. Bailador: Miguel Ángel Berna.
Bailaores: Rafael Campallo, Úrsula López.
Flamenco musicians: Juan José Amador and Miguel
Rosendo (cante), Javier Patino and Jesús Torres
(guitar). Aragonese musicians: Lorena Palacios (jota
cantadora), Guillermo Gimeno (Spanish guitar), Alberto
Artigas (mandolin), Josué Barres (percussion).
13th Festival de Jerez. Teatro Villamarta. Jerez (Cádiz,
Spain), March 9th, 2009. 9 p.m.
Rafael Campallo,
Miguel Ángel Berna and Úrsula
López (Photo Daniel Muñoz) |
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An amazing backdrop by Antonio Saura
framed and enhanced the stage. Rafael Campallo, Miguel
Ángel Berna and Úrsula López patiently
listened to the dense sound staging of cantaores and
cantadores from another era, of flamencos and ‘joteros’.
On the left, the Andalusian musicians. On the right,
the Aragonese ones. To the sound of the martinete, Juan
José Amador announces moras. And bailaor
and bailador meet. Each one in his tessitura, but linked
by a genetically shared musical thread. White land of
Seville. North wind of Saragossa.
Rafael Campallo
and Úrsula López (Photo Daniel
Muñoz) |
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And then we witness the return of Rafael
Campallo. After several seasons totally ignored
by flamenco programs, the Sevillian bailaor comes back
wrapped in a new halo of calm. Very sure of his discourse,
he set the audience his challenge with an elegant soleá,
spread out, sprinkled with details and an accomplice
with the throats of the group behind him. And the crowd
pays him their respects. Following a not very subtle
lull, Úrsula
López appears on stage with her beauty heightened
by a coral shawl and a falseta by Jesús Torres.
She is harmony. And her dance might just as easily explain
the jondo as illustrate the crystal-clear voice of the
sweet ‘jotera’ or dialogue with Berna in
a pas de deux in a successful encounter because of the
three and the twelve, and the couple’s compatible
plastic art of the body. The Córdoba-born bailaora
scarcely has a musical motif from the tocaores to shift
gears and change her clothes, and do her utmost to carry
out the difficult role of the solo tientos. But it’s
worthwhile to see how she is able to solve some of the
phases with scarcely a subtle pose.
Miguel Ángel
Berna and Úrsula López (Photo
Daniel Muñoz) |
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The coup de théâtre of
the show - which still has to develop - is ‘Rasmia’
by Miguel Ángel Berna. Those who had the chance
to see the full show in the past edition at Sala Compañía
were already on guard. But judging by the uproar from
the crowd, most of them were taken by surprise by his
hanging dance, his castanet firing, the speed which
makes his feet vanish, the chains of spins, the tension
of his narrative... But above all of those spectacular
factors lies his determination for the dance and music
from his native land to go beyond the mummification
of folklore, and to be situated in that space for art
which Andalusian folk music achieved at least two centuries
ago. Fortunately, allies have joined him in his exploits.
There watching him was filmmaker Carlos Saura (according
to what they say, he’s around here doing some
talent scouting), who immortalized his art in ‘Iberia’.
And from now on, he has the jondo relatives on his side.
They celebrated it together por alegrías…
the kind which in the times of Napoleon’s invasion,
the cantaores heard from the cantadores.
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Miguel
Ángel Berna, Úrsula López
& Rafael Campallo, ‘Flamenco se escribe
con jota’
Photo gallery,
by Daniel Muñoz
Click
the images to enlarge
|
Pastora
Galván, ‘Pastora’
Sala Compañía,
midnight
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Pastora
Galván (Photos Daniel
Muñoz) |
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The bailaora
who has been born after going through the
spin cycle of ‘La Francesa’
is fascinating. The one she used to be,
well, had flamenco flavor, strength and
hips. Like so many others. But this new
Pastora
Galván is endowed with
that something so impossible: being unique.
She has now distanced herself from herself
and also even from ‘Israelism’,
in order to uphold layouts more and more
her own. And it isn’t that she complicates
her life, but rather just the opposite;
she starts off with old-time and even homely
simplicity. Those bulerías are there
which seem to have been taken off the round
table of Titi de Triana. Barefoot, broad-bottomed,
saucy and a pinch vulgar: a brute. And La
Tobala sticking in styles on end... Then
she turns sophisticated and cutting in the
seguiriya, which she endows with steps,
movements and a way of building hitherto
unknown. Bobote beats out the rhythm on
the table for her. David Lagos lends her
his wise cante. The white bata de cola reflects
a blinding light por alegrías, whirling
her with guts and innovative classicism.
The same which she applies to the tangos,
the final flourish of a show which closes
- just an hour long and calling for more
- sketching an endless spiral. And an epilogue:
she sang and Bobote danced for her. Olé. |
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