Dieguito "El Cigala": Entre vareta y canasta
Sara Baras : Juana La Loca (Vivir por Amor)
Fernando González-Caballos

Friday 10th August, 2001
XLI Festival de Cante de Las Minas. La Unión

Dieguito "El Cigala": Entre vareta y canasta
Sara Baras : Juana La Loca (Vivir por Amor)

There's a new boy in town in the mountains of La Unión, who's not from the region and never knew Rojo el Alpargatero, but his singing is getting the Camaron lovers all worked up. And so it was that at about 11p.m. Ramón Jiménez Salazar, nicknamed Dieguito el Cigala came up on stage at the public market to try win over an audience that was very well-versed in cante. Nevertheless, Diego left his fear and self-doubt in the dressing-room and began with a free-form song - Eterno manantial - a cross between a ballad and soleá por bulerías. Of course! In view of the audience's reaction, the singer from Madrid had no choice but to pull himself together and grind out some siguiriyas. Doing Curro Durse with a Camaron delivery is no easy task and Cigala, aware of this, stood up before adding the closing cante, which was needed. But it looks like some people think that to sing like José Monje Cruz is simply a matter of tonguetwisting, belting it out, and above all, getting up from your chair for the ending. Fortunately, there's a lot more to the legacy of the singer from La Isla, and Niño Josele, aware of this, wasted no time in leading the singer to the proper geographical setting. The knowledge and class of the guitar managed to pick up the singer and escort him through a taranta, a taranto de Almería, and a minera, thereby putting order where before there was none. Camarón is so far removed that it seems like an unattainable goal for those who have become successful using his aesthetic and mannerisms.

Photo: José Albaladejo

Even so, the dynamic entrance to alegrías de Córdoba, once again drew applause encouraging the singer to do the 'contrabandista' verse and end with the 'titirimundis'. In bulerías, Camarón's shadow again loomed large eclipsing the personality of the guy from the Rastro who churned out some 'personal' fandangos at the audience's request before relinquishing centerstage to Sara Baras' company.

Today's most popular dancer arrived at la Unión to present her best show yet with José Serrano in the role of Felipe el Hermoso. And he more than lived up to the expectations held by the organizers when they chose him for the part. As a matter of fact he really blew everyone away, and there were quite a few candidates who got left out.

Objectively analyzing the flamenco adaptation offered by the dancer, we have no choice but to doff our hats to her mastery, because although there are small details that could be improved upon, the choice of forms made for each passage left no doubt. Bulerías, sevillanas, tangos and tanguillos for celebrations and reunions. Rondeña and malagueñas for disagreements and abandonment. Seguiriya, soleá and saeta to express the pain that comes from tragic moments. And why not, Dieguito's improvised interpretation of a vidalita in which the prince and his consort dance an erotically-charged pas de deux.

It's going to be very difficult for Sara Baras to better this work and I would even go so far as to say that in Juana la Loca she has found the role of her life; love, infidelity, disaccord, masochism and all the mystery that Spanish monarchical life has always been prone to, in a flamenco vein of course. On top of this add the contribution of a backup lead by the guitar of Jesús de Rosario - another gem from Madrid's Caño Roto school.

And so, as was to be expected, the closing number was the icing on the cake for an evening in which Sara la Loca finished up dancing por bulerías to a confessed Camarón admirer.