CUMBRE FLAMENCA METRO DE MADRID 2006. MARÍA PAGÉS

Flamenco of the people

S.C. Madrid, September 11th, 2006

‘Flamenco Republic’. María Pagés Company. Director: María Pagés. Bailaoras: María Pagés, María Morales, Sonia Fernández, Mar Jurado, Isabel Rodríguez. Bailaores: Emilio Herrera, José Barrios, José Antonio Jurado, Alberto Ruiz. Musicians: Ana Ramón (cante), Ismael de la Rosa (cante), José Carrillo ‘Fyty’ (guitar), Isaac Muñoz (guitar), Chema Uriarte (percussion). 2nd Cumbre Flamenca Metro de Madrid 2006. Nuevos Ministerios Station. Madrid, September 11th, 2006. 10 p.m.

	María Pagés (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Flamenco now has a weekly pass to take the Madrid subway. And María Pagés was the first one to use the ticket. The Sevillian bailaora recovered the most easygoing show from her repertoire, ‘Flamenco Republic’, to inaugurate the 2nd Cumbre Flamenca Metro de Madrid, a free festival which is being held until Friday, September 15th inside Nuevos Ministerios Station. Neither the noise of the trains, nor the announcements of the next departures over the loudspeakers, nor the stifling heat, nor the uncomfortable odor of the engines. Nothing could spoil the party for the company, much less for the crowd which packed the over six hundred seats of such a peculiar stage, ready to forget their hurry for a while and indulge in art.

And the thing is that María Pagés made it easy. ‘Flamenco Republic’ has the virtue of making what is complex simple. Though joking is her guest, she doesn’t skimp on depth. What ovations for the star bailaora’s arm-waving seguiriya or the bailaores’ vehement farruca. Such a hearty reaction by the crowd was a draw with the ones before the apparently more frivolous pieces: the dynamic alegrías and choral bulerías, the fun duel between castanets and canes (Manuel Soler always present in one’s memory), the lively grand finale por tanguillos...

María Pagés’ style is really direct. One of her weapons is body music, and being percussion, it hits home right away. Another is expressiveness, especially in the case of the creator’s solos. Few adjectives are left to describe the idiosyncrasy of her arm waving. She rounds off the scene with the dynamics and the visual of the choreographic work, and even details such as that of the in-fashion wardrobe. There’s no time to catch their breath for the crowd, who in spite of everything join in to be part of the scene, celebrating that flamenco can sometimes be of the people once more.

Compañía María Pagés (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

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