The show will be staged until August 23rd 2003 at the Generalife gardens in Granada

Flamenco-world.com, July 2003

'Yerma', Federico García Lorca's story of a childless woman's anguish and frustration, is brought to life in a new dance production by Cristina Hoyos. The bailaora and choreographer from Seville, with the help of artistic director José Carlos Plaza, presents her dance company's interpretation of the Lorca drama as the jewel in the crown at the third 'Lorca y Granada' season, jointly organized by the Andalusian Ministry of Culture and Granada city council. 'Yerma' will be performed every evening at the Generalife - the gardens of Granada's Alhambra - until Saturday August 23rd 2003.

'Yerma' Front cover

Flamenco renews her ties with the poet from Fuentevaqueros in the province of Granada. In the last Lorca and Granada season, the Compañía Andaluza de Danza interpreted Lorca's 'Bodas de Sangre'; this year it's the turn of Cristina Hoyos company to première her production of 'Yerma'. The show, based on Lorca's play of a married woman who yearns for motherhood to no avail and struggles to maintain her dignity, will be performed in the magnificent Generalife gardens, alongside the world famous Alhambra palace. Last year the Nasrid palace gardens saw Antonio Gades' emblematic adaptation performed to forty thousand people, with sell-out performances every night.

Cristina Hoyos has chosen newcomer Susana Casas as the first 'bailaora', while the veteran artiste herself plays the role of the old pagan woman. "If I played Yerma, the audience would say it's hardly unusual to not bear children at my age." This serves to confirm Cristina Hoyos's plans to "start leaving the starring roles to others" and begin planning for her retirement, "slowly and all in good time" as she often says.

The central theme of the drama is summarized by José Carlos Plaza: "Yerma is deeply entwined with nature, with the countryside, and her tragedy is being condemned to form a sterile and unproductive part of nature." The artistic director from Madrid takes an existentialist view of this story, "her cry is the cry of emptiness from her abandoned soul." Under his direction around twenty artists portray Lorca's work on a set which was the brainchild of Paco Leal, emphasizing the aridness of the story, and framing the marriage of Lorca's theater with flamenco, using dance to cement the two together. Seguiriyas, tanguillos, soleares and peteneras are the styles with which Lorca's work is woven.

'Yerma'