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El Güito.
Manuela Carrasco.
Photo: Paco Manzano 
Carmen Cortés.
Photo: Paco Manzano
Blanca del Rey.
Photo: Vicente Escudero, Pastora Imperio and Antonia Mercé La Argentina
Vicente Escudero.
Photo: Colita
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FLAMENCO DANCE MANUEL MERIDA.
The early forms of flamenco date from approximately 1750. Nevertheless, it
is not possible to speak of flamenco dance as we know it today, since there is
an intermixing of popular dances, flamenco dance and the bolero school. Flamenco
would gradually become the dominant style, getting richer with the contributions
of the other genres in a period of great splendor for the Andalusian dance. In
Andalucía people would dance all the time, anywhere and for any reason.
From a professional point of view flamenco dance would become consolidated
in the parties organized by the schools of dance of Seville, as well as in some
typical places such as the Granada caves of Sacromonte.
Most of this information has come to us through the chronicles of foreign
travelers (especially English and French travelers). One of the most interesting
accounts is reported by Charles Davillier in his "Viaje por España",
published in 1862 with engravings by Gustavo Doré. In the "Salón
de Recreo" directed by Luis Botella, in the Seville street of Tarifa, a show
of "local dance" is held. The show has started at 8:30p.m. Amparo Alvarez,
"La Campanera" was dancing the "jaleo" from Jerez accompanied
by a very bad blind violinist. Since, with such a bad accompaniment, the bailaora
had to stop dancing, Davillier tells the blind player to lend his instrument to
a man in the public who has offered himself to replace the violinist: "he
seemed delighted to be able to free himself of his job and we gave the instrument
to Doré who started playing the jaleo in an incredibly inspired way. Our
great artist is simply a first class violinist. La Gampanera, becoming electrified
by Dore's bow, took out the best of herself and finished the "jaleo"
under the clamor of the most enthusiastic applause, a good part of which was due
to the improvised violinist".
It would be later on, in the "cafes cantantes" (Gaft Chantant),
at the end of the XIXth century and the beginning of the XXth century, when flamenco
dance, as well as flamenco guitar and flamenco singing, would take its actual
shape and would acquire its "final" personality. Professionals are forced
to face the public every day and to compete with their colleagues to get the public's
applause. There is an important technical evolution. Men dance mainly with their
feet (2El Raspao", Antonio "El Pintor", "Frasquillo",
"El Estampío") and the "bata de cola" (long dress with
a train) for women makes its appearance when dancing some women dress like men,
for example "La Cuenca". Among the most popular bailaoras (female dancers)
we find "La Malena", "La Macarrona", Gabriela Ortega, "La
Quica"; among the bailaores (male dancers), Antonio "el de Bilbao",
"El Viruta", Faico, Joaquín "el Feo".
By the 191O's, flamenco becomes more and more present in the theater Performances
by Pastora Imperio, "La Argentina", La "Argentinita", "La
Nina de los Peines", "El Mochuelo", who offer their art in programs
of other genres or at the end of movie programs or comedy plays.
In the period of flamenco opera, the singing, the dance and the guitar inlay
in comedies with a local or even flamenco essence.
It is also in that period when "La Argentina" creates her company
with Antonio "el de Bilbao" and with Faico, touring all over America,
and making their debut in the New York Maxime Elliot's Theater in 1916, where
they present the Enrique Granados' choreography of Goyescas.
In 1915 Manuel de Falla composes for Pastora Imperio "El Amor Brujo"
with a libreto by Gregorio Martinez Sierra. This work is the starting point of
flamenco ballet, although the first company of Spanish Dance is created by La
Argentina in 1929. Six years later, La Argentina puts together the first entirely
flamenco ballet, with her version of "El Amor Brujo". Antonia Mercé
was accompanied by Vicente Escudero, Pastora Imperio and Miguel Molina as the
most outstanding artists of her show.
Vicente Escudero himself leading his own company performs in New York in 1932.
Encarnación Lopez, "La Argentinita", creates flamenco and
folkloric sceneries that would take her to the highest summit of Spanish dance:
El Café de Chinitas, Sevillanas del siglo XVIII, Las calles de Cádiz,
El romance de los pelegrinitos... She recruits the top artists of that time: "La
Macarrona", "La Malena", Ignacio Espeleta, "El Niño
Gloria", Rafael Ortega, etc. She also grasps the importance of scenography
in ballet and asks great artists to make the decors. Salvador Dalí, for
example, made the setting for El Café de Chinitas, a show presented by
"La Argentinita" in New York.
When La Argentinita dies in New York in 1945, she is replaced by her sister;
Pilar Lopez, who is responsible for such outstanding creations as the "bailes
de la caña", the caracoles and the cabales.
Since the 1930's and for three decades,
the strong personality of Carmen Amaya, an artist who cannot be classified in
any trend or school stands out. Because of her constant tours all over Europe
and America and her participation in many movies, Carmen Amaya is an internationally
respected bailaora.
The couple formed by Antonio and Rosario
stands out because of their choreographies and the way they perform their dances.
They are the most representative personalities of flamenco and classic Spanish
dances, both in Spain and outside our country. Their presence In America for a
period of twelve years, with seven seasons in New York, has contributed to this
fact.
Encouraged by Edgar Neville, director
of the film "Duende y misterio del flamenco", Antonio creates his dance
"the martinete" for the movie.
Other great personalities of flamenco
ballet include Mariemma, José Greco, Alejandro Vega, Rafael de Córdoba,
Manolo Vargas and María Rosa.
After some time, flamenco ballet becomes
worn-out and it declives; directors lack new ideas and the choreographies are
repetitive. Therefore the bailaores who come afterwards fry to find a different
evolution by presenting concepts that are more theatrical than in the previous
period the show is no longer just dance; but gesture, color, hght, dialogue.
The great personalities of this new
period of dance-theater are Antonio Gades ("Bodas de Sangre", "Carmen"),
Mario Maya ("Camelamos naquerar", "Ay, jondo", "Amargo",
"El amor brujo") and José Granero ("Medea", "La
Petonera").
Cristina Hoyos has recently separated
from Antonio Gades group and with her own show, deprived of any plot; she composes
an admirable montage which has been acclaimed in dance shrines such as the Paris
Opera.
The birth of the tablaos, at the end
of the 1950s, put forward a new singing, guitar playing and dancing school where
all pretenders to an important position would toughen during the following decade.
In the group of dance professionals
trained there, some would join the existing dance companies or would create their
own one. others would combine the tablao with the new stages brought about by
the ruling flamencology: the festivals. From the tablao and the different contests;
which at that time had a high prestige, the artists would access the festivals,
where, although the dance ranked second after the cante, the public could get
to know the new outstanding figures. At the end of the 60s, flamenco was going
through a neoclassic period, as the critic Agustin Gomez defined it. The classic
style, the old fashioned art were highly valued, while baroque styles and innovation
were avoided. Antonio Mairena, who had obtained in 1962 the "Llave de Oro
del Cante", (Golden Singing Key) in Cordoba, was in command. In this context;
Matilde Coral reaches the summit of the dance. Her old and rhythmical air; her
unpolluted flamenco style; her appearance, living image of Pastora Imperio; her
rounded arms and her shawl matched perfectly well with the period. In Córdoba,
she would win two awards (1965/1968), the "Chair of Flamencology of Jerez"
awards her in 1970 another national prize and Seville would end up giving her
the "Llave de Oro del Baile" (Golden Dancing Key). The parallelism between
Antonio Mairena and Matilde Coral was thus institutionalized by flamencology.
There were at that time personalities
such as "El Mimbre", brother of Matilde Coral, "El Farruco",
Rosa Durán, Curro Velez, Rafael "El Negro", Carmen Mora, Loli
Flores, "La Tati", Manolete, La Chana, Mariquilla, Trini España,
Los Pelaos, Merche Esmeralda, Manuela Vargas, Regla Ortega, Carmen Montiel and
others we have already mentioned, some were newcomers, others were finishing their
career.. but a cyclone was to come: a women from Seville; born in 1958, with a
haughty, excessive, temperamental dance. The drive and power of Manuela Carrasco,
broke with everything. Since her final blow in 1973, the dance in the Andalusian
festivals was called Manuela. The importance of her personality was made evident
by the number of disciples she had and still has. The strength of her feet, the
vigor of her movements astonished the public; who, by a majority, appointed her
master of the stages.
With Manuela we arrive to the present
time. A magnificent time where artists of the most "orthodox" school:
Pepa Montes, Milagros Mengibar, El Güito, El Mistela, Angelita Vargas, La
Tolea, Meme Reina, Concha Calero, La Toná, Juan Ramirez, Inmaculada Aguilar,
Ana Parrilla, Blanca del Rey, Pepito Vargas or Ana María Bueno, who are
very different from one another since each of them has his or her own personality,
cohabitate with artists who are more innovative and daring, such as Antonio Canales,
Javier Barón, Carmen Cortés or Javier Latorre.
With them, the future of the dance
is guaranteed and the history goes on with Juana Amaya, Joaquín Grilo,
Maria Pagés, La Yerbabuena, Beatriz Martin, Lalo Tejada, Joaquín
Cortés, María del Mar Berlanga, Isabel Bayón. It is true
that there is a lack of dance companies, such as the ones in the old times, where
so many of the present masters found their way. There is a lack of coherent support
on the part of the Administration. We need programmed events where dance could
find its place. If things do not get better, the dance will still get higher,
but on a plane, looking for that saving contract in Japan.
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