2006 NÎMES FLAMENCO FESTIVAL. FARRUQUITO Y FAMILIA / TOMÁS DE PERRATE

Intense home stretch

Silvia Calado. Nîmes, January 28th, 2006

‘Farruquito y familia’ (‘Farruquito and Family’). Farruquito, Farruco, La Farruca, Pilar la Faraona, Barullo: baile. Pepe de Pura, María Vizárraga, Mara Rey, José Anillo, El Canastero: cante. Román Vicenti, El Perla: guitars. Théâtre de Nîmes. Nîmes (France), January 28th, 2006. 9 p.m.

The home stretch of the festival multiplies flamenco's scope in Nîmes. While the theater is shaken three times by the Israel Galván cyclone, it is also the time for master classes and illustrated lectures. On Saturday morning, Israel Galván took over the theater's classroom to teach a double master class. Farruca and seguiriya shared the time of the three-hour class by the Sevillian maestro, winner of the 2005 National Dance Prize. Thirty-some students (one of them, male) had the chance to get to know first-hand the base and the main mechanisms of both styles, as well as to feed on the brimming creativity, generous energy and wise advice of the artist who triumphed at this venue two nights ago with ‘La edad de oro’.

Israel Galván. Clases de Seguiriya y Farruca (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Tomás de Perrate y Diego Carrasco ilustran la conferencia de Ricardo Pachón (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

The didactic side of the festival continued in the afternoon at the auditorium of the Hôtel Atria, with a lecture by producer Ricardo Pachón entitled ‘Las fronteras del flamenco’ (‘Flamenco's Frontiers’). The differentiation the lecturer pointed out between traditional flamenco and flamenco fusion was illustrated by cantaor Tomás de Perrate, who as an exception was accompanied on guitar by Diego Carrasco. The Jerez-born artist returned to his beginnings, that of an accompanying guitarist subject to the rules... when he used to be nicknamed Tate. Together, they reeled off styles like the seguiriya and the soleá in an old-fashioned way, in the purest Utrera style, as Pachón likes to say, there on the left bank of the Guadalquivir. A sip of the past to create awareness of today.

	Farruquito durante el ensayo (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

A little while later, now at the festival's main stage, Los Farruco burst in. Neither the persistent rain, nor the strong wind, nor even the notice of the presence of cameras to record a DVD - the reason why the photos of Farruquito illustrating this article correspond to a brief photo session during the sound test - discouraged the audience crowding the theater. But not everyone managed to accept the presence of the camera crane. Every time it obstructed the view, there were shouts in protest. And the thing is that the emotions are skin-deep when it comes to this family with faithful followers in the south of France. The ovations showered throughout the entire show, a compilation of individual pieces and duos by Farruquito, his brother, his cousin, his aunt and his mother, by the way, with skillful lighting.

The head of the clan had his best moment through soleá, when he appeared more resolute and mature. The same piece was continued by La Farruca, who provided the height of the gala. Feline, sensual, powerful, experienced, measured-out. The evening offered a chance to display her budding art to the teenagers of the house: Farruco, with an attempted guajira with an outlandish Caribbean postscript in a duo with Pilar la Faraona; and Barullo, with energetic alegrías. All of them were seconded by five cantaores, who in line with the tone of the show, laid their stakes on the extreme and acrobatics. Now then, enjoyed to the max by the audience, which gave a final ovation to the tiniest member of the family, El Carpeta, invited to take part in the grand finale. A mini eight-year-old bailaor who, with the guts of an old man, offered the French crowd a couple of genuinely impressive little steps through bulerías. They repeat on Sunday with two shows at 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., plus a master class with Farruco on Sunday morning at the theater's studio... which gives an idea of the prestige they enjoy in this land.

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