The Spanish National Ballet will open
the 9th Jerez Festival 2005

The international flamenco and Spanish dancing event will be held from
February 25th to March 9th, 2005 in Jerez (Cádiz, Spain)

Flamenco-world.com, November 2005
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

Full program of Jerez Festival 2005

With ‘El Loco’, the Spanish National Ballet (BNE) will open the 9th Jerez Festival 2005, organized by the Villamarta Theater Foundation from February 25th to March 9th, 2005. The event, devoted to flamenco and Spanish dancing, will offer artistic series related to cante and guitar or other instruments. The festival also undertakes a training section - with thirty-six courses - and complementary activities designed as a forum of presentations, chats and debates about everything happening in relation to flamenco.

	'Jerez Puro'. María del Mar Moreno and Antonio Malena

‘El Loco’ is the title of the show with which the Spanish National Ballet, directed by José Antonio, will inaugurate the festival's official program on February 25th at the Villamarta Theater. The show, which is inspired in the life of Félix Fernández García, has choreography by Javier Latorre and an original score by Mauricio Sotelo and Juan Manuel Cañizares, plus bits of ‘The Three-Cornered Hat’ by Manuel de Falla.

Francisco López, director of the Villamarta Theater, explained in the press conference presenting the 9th Jerez Festival that the event will continue to go along the same lines as previous editions in offering the public “a showcase” of what is happening in relation to flamenco and Spanish dancing. At any rate, he specified that it is a “selective” showcase guided by the idea that what must take priority in the shows is the choreographic presence of the dance style it is identified with, whether it be flamenco or Spanish.

Following the presence of the Spanish National Ballet will be the presentation at the Villamarta Theater of the show ‘Jerez Puro’ (‘Pure Jerez’), a production by bailaora María del Mar Moreno and cantaor Antonio Malena, taking part in which are illustrious representatives of Jerez families such as the Moneos, the Rubichis and the Malenas. This production, whose sneak preview at the California Flamenco Arts Festival was a smashing success, is now closing its international tour for this season. Sharing the stage at the same venue will be guitarist Manolo Sanlúcar with ‘Tres momentos para un concierto’ and bailaor Javier Barón with ‘Notas al pie’.

The 9th Jerez Festival will also make room for one of the hits from the past edition of Seville's Bienal de Flamenco: María Pagés with the show ‘Canciones, antes de una guerra’, a reflection upon the wave of violence invading society and whose directing, script and idea are by José María Sánchez. Other shows such as ‘Carmen, Carmela’ - with Antonio Canales, Lola Greco and Diego Llori -, ‘A cuatro voces’ by the Eva Yerbabuena Ballet and ‘Triana, en el nombre de la Rosa’, by the Javier Latorre Dance Company, have been included in this festival following their performance in Seville.

The new creations that will be presented at the 9th Jerez Festival, besides the one starring María del Mar Moreno and Antonio Malena, have a reference in Rafaela Carrasco with the show ‘Una mirada del flamenco’ and Mercedes Ruiz with ‘Gestos de mujer’. It will be the second choreographic show premiering in this festival, given that the first one took place in the seventh edition with the title ‘La música del cuerpo’, in the case of the Sevillian bailaora, and ‘Dibujos en el aire’, with regards to the Jerez-born artist.

Besides the BNE, Spanish dancing will be represented by the Antonio Márquez Company with the show ‘El sombrero de tres picos, Zapateado y Bolero’ and the José Porcel Flamenco Ballet presenting ‘Espartaco’, with choreography by José Granero. In the festival's program taking place at the Villamarta Theater, the cante will focus its attention on José Mercé with ‘Confí de fuá’, his latest album. Another gala combines cante, baile and guitar to close the festival on March 9th, 2005. Taking the floor will be Bernarda de Utrera, Milagros Mengíbar and Paco Cepero.

'Félix el Loco' by BNE

Other series

Besides the Villamarta Theater, the 9th Jerez Festival will have other venues with the aim of spreading all the activity generated by the festival to all the main corners of the city. The Company Hall will host the series ‘Los novísimos’. Devoted to baile, it includes the new generations of artists, but already with a great career behind them. That is the case of Israel Galván -who will be accompanied on cante by Fernando Terremoto-; Juan de Juan; Juan Ogalla; and Belén Maya and Rafaela Carrasco, who will offer a choreography entitled ‘Fuera de los límites’.

The guitar will have the same stage in ‘Bordón y cuenta nueva’ to ponder the performance by José Antonio Rodríguez and Cañizares. To be held at the very venue is the series ‘Solas en compañía’, where the baile of five women will be able to be seen: María José Franco, Rocío Molina, Alicia Márquez, Soraya Clavijo and María Bermúdez.

‘Los conciertos de Palacio’ will alternate guitar and cante in the same show without acoustic amplification. Sharing the stage at the Villavicencio Palace will be Diego del Morao with cantaora Laura Vital; Javier Patino's guitar with Rocío Bazán's cante; Eduardo Trassierra with Juan Zarzuela and Juan Diego with Rosario La Tremendita.

Finally, González-Byass' Bodega Los Apóstoles will welcome Gerardo Núñez on guitar, Chano Domínguez on piano in a trio, the peculiar illustrated lecture by Matilde Coral and Chano Lobato; and the cante of El Pele and El Cabrero in the Singing Café series. Moreover, the participants in this event will be able to go on experiencing flamenco throughout the night at Jerez's peñas.

Training section

Rafaela Carrasco

The dance school of Matilde Coral, Angelita Gómez, José Granero, Javier Latorre, Manolete, Victoria Eugenia, Blanca del Rey, Manolo Marín, Merche Esmeralda, Lola Greco, Javier Barón, El Pipa, Inmaculada Aguilar, María del Mar Moreno, Isabel Bayón, Rafaela Carrasco, Belén Maya, Inmaculada Aguilar, Mercedes Ruiz, Irene Carrasco, Andrés Peña, Juan Antonio Tejero and María José Franco will be in charge of teaching a total of 36 courses with a capacity of 900 places. The Jerez Festival courses are widely popular. Since registration began in early September, about 650 places have been covered (72 percent of capacity), with students coming from 30 countries. On the other hand, complementary activities include presentations, lectures and dialogues in what is called ‘Las tertulias de la Bodega’ (‘Round-Tables at La Bodega’), which will take place in the morning at Bodega San Ginés.

The Jerez Festival is the most important annual event worldwide which has flamenco and Spanish dancing as its exclusive star. It is a series with international reach which increases the number of participants in its diverse activities year after year. This festival has the support of the Ministry of Culture, the Culture Council and the County Council, as well as that of private business, represented by Unicaja, the Wine Regulatory Council, González-Byass, Ono and Diario de Jerez. The quality of the Jerez Festival's offer is recognized by the critics and public alike. In its last edition, a total of 22,100 people took part in the festival, filling the 97 scheduled activities to a capacity of 96 percent.

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