Choreographer Javier Latorre, guitarist Cañizares and composer Mauricio Sotelo take part
in this show about bailaor Félix el Loco with libretto by Francisco López

S.C. Madrid, September 2004
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

‘El Loco’ “is going to mark a new era for the Spanish National Ballet (BNE)”. With these words Javier Latorre sums up the importance of the BNE's new project, which will premiere at the Royal Theater in Madrid on Monday, September 6th, 2004. With an original idea, libretto and stage directing by Francisco López - director of the Jerez Festival -, the show is the result of the work of a team consisting of choreographer Javier Latorre, guitarist Cañizares, composer Mauricio Sotelo, and scenography and wardrobe designer Jesús Ruiz. Together, they dust off the tragic story of bailaor Félix el Loco, taking it as the framework to express the idea of “the madness of creation” by means of the style of dancing and music.

Félix Fernández García, Félix el Loco, was a Sevillian bailaor of humble origin who, as Francisco López - who has directed the flamenco ballets ‘Réquiem Flamenco’ and ‘La Fuerza del Destino’, among many others - relates, “went down in dance history for his relationship with Serge Diaghilev”. The director of the Russian Ballets hired him to teacher Spanish dances to his dancers when they were putting together ‘El sombrero de tres picos’ ('The Three-Cornered Hat') by Manuel de Falla in London. It is told that he was blinded when he found out that he would not play the role of The Miller, reserved for Massine, and the day of the premiere at the Alhambra Theater on July 22nd, 1919, he lost his sanity and fled. The police found him dancing a farruca inside the church of Saint Martin in the Fields. From then on, he was confined to an insane asylum in Epson with catatonic schizophrenia and remained there until his death in 1941.

Articulating “upon this minimum historical base” is ‘El Loco’, the production which “is going to change the image of the Spanish National Ballet”, as recognizes José Antonio, who takes the reins of the company for the second time, taking over the post from Elvira Andrés, who approved this project. The show's central idea, according to López, is that of madness, but understood as “creative passion, as a struggle between desire and reality; madness from the viewpoint of man and his demons”. He points out that he “was interested in doing a parable about creation and what happens when a small-town flamenco is thrown into other dynamics”.

To materialize this idea, he has had an exceptional crew. Contemporary composer Mauricio Sotelo has taken care of half of the music and unifying Manuel de Falla's fourth with guitarist Cañizares' other fourth. “I've composed orchestrated music springing from an inner abyss”. He calls his music “very flamenco”, although Latorre - for whom he had already composed the music for ‘Rinconete y Cortadillo’- jokes by saying that instead of a farruca, he has done a ‘facurra’. The truth is that Sotelo has done “a research project on old cante, which he has made an x-ray of, a ghostly job”. The difference lies in the fact that the voice springs from the saxophone of Swiss musician Marcus Weiss. He calls his compositions “eclectic, a kaleidoscope of musical styles”. Stricter with flamenco is Cañizares, “one of our great guitarists and composers; he's very flamenco and knows the tradition, but has a very current vision”. The work next to the choreographer also stands out, since “it's not a question of putting dance on top of music, but rather creating a common flamenco style”.

Javier Latorre is delighted with the project, according to him, “the most important one I've gotten involved in in my career”. Maybe that is why he dedicates it to the memory of Antonio Gades. “For someone who devotes himself to dancing, if you talk about madness he's right at home, since you have to be very crazy to devote yourself to this”. He stresses that in his work “the search has been harsh”, with the aim of meshing the different styles that are tackled: from fresh flamenco to the most old-fashioned, with Spanish classical and the bolero school in between. One of the difficulties came when solving ‘El sombrero de tres picos’, since “it was hard for me not to go to the choreographies by Antonio Ruiz and José Antonio which I performed in their day”. Latorre, who is now at Seville's Bienal presenting his company's show ‘Triana, en nombre de la Rosa’ and premieres the first flamenco musical ‘Los Tarantos’ in Barcelona, mentions the work of the dancers, “who've put their nose to the grindstone and are having a really good time”. Regarding the libretto's author, he affirms that “he's done an impressive job in structuring and conception. I think we've managed for a story very hard to tell and understand to be understood perfectly”.

Also having contributed to it is Jesús Ruiz, in charge of designing the scenography and wardrobe: “This show's scenography is an exercise in suggestions. All the places that are recreated are in Félix's mind and are intangible; it is therefore a dynamic, ethereal show”. With regards to the wardrobe, he points out that “it's the extension of movement, the note of color contrasting over the monochrome space”.

‘El Loco’ premieres at Madrid's Royal Theater, with performances on September 6th, 7th, 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th, 2004. On these days, the score will be performed live by the Madrid Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Josep Pons. Later on, this great production will go on a tour of great stages. The following date is scheduled for November at Barcelona's Liceu. Francisco López hopes “that what the audience receives is what we've put into it: emotion. I want it to be a beautiful show, but touching”.

magazine@flamenco-world.com