Antonio el Pipa. “Pasión y ley” Villamarta Theater, Jerez de la Frontera. Friday, February 27th, 2004. 9:00pm

Dance Antonio el Pipa, Lola Greco. Cante: Enrique el Extremeño, Manuel Tañe, Miguel Rosendo, Felipa del Moreno. Guitar: Pascual de Lorca, Juan Moneo. Violin: Alexis Lefébre. Sax and Turkish clarinet: Nacho Gil. Percussion: Sudhanva Rajapogal. Music: David Peña Dorantes.

The first gala show at the Villamarta Theater within the program of the eighth Festival de Jerez was the responsibility of the dancer who nowadays is most identified with this very flamenco town. Antonio el Pipa came to premiere his work “Pasión y Ley” with some important guest collaborations, most notably those of pianist composer Dorantes, and of classical and flamenco dancer Lola Greco.

The mere mention of the word “work” as applied to flamenco these days is enough to inspire fear, and yours truly suffers the added complications of generalized disorientation and psychosomatic rash. Nevertheless, you learn to live with your handicaps and come to understand the wisdom of never consulting the libretto or searching for a story line.

His ironic smile dares us to glance away for one single second.

That said, it would be hard to find fault with the purely artistic elements of “Pasión y Ley”. To see Lola Greco is to ascend one rung in the ability to understand the human body as a vehicle of expression. Her long arms and legs commit impossible beauty, her torso ties it all together and her eyes, enormous even as seen from the cheap seats, seem to reveal that she herself cannot believe the extremities capable of so much expression. María José Franco, a feminine young woman some of whose movements recall wrinkled gypsy ladies, is always worthwhile. Singer Enrique Extremeño continues to draw inspiration from his contact with Utrera where he has been living for years, and sings for Antonio el Pipa’s soleá with all the responsibility of a solo singer, adding his delightful facet as actor. Juana la del Pipa launches generous doses of her profound voice and her personality and all El Pipa needs to do is imitate himself. Antonio is the one dancer everyone loves to hate, and they all love him. “He always does the same thing”, “some of his movements are inappropriate”, “he winks and blows kisses to the audience”. Yes, we know all that, but his performances are always sold out, his dance is always fascinating and his ironic smile dares us to glance away for one single second.

The yearning to say a great deal is foiled by an excess of good intentions.

Between martinete, tangos, rondeñas, soleá, farruca and tientos, there are some imposing visual elements. An outsized red butterfly-wing armchair that Enrique Extremeño uses as his throne, a mysterious sculpture that serves as backdrop, and the somewhat gaudy multicolored dress with endless ruffles worn throughout by Franco and which could be a metaphor for the entire show: the yearning to say a great deal is foiled by an excess of good intentions.

Everything seems to return to square one for the closing bulerías, the timeworn gambit of the “fin de fiesta” that we the audience demand because if not, it’s as if we haven’t seen flamenco dance, because more than sherry or horses, bulerías is the Jerez product par excellence, and hey, we’re in Jerez. At this point you think “who needs all that grandiose ‘work’?...if they weren’t able to improve the flavor of classic Coke, why try to reinvent the flavor of Jerez?” But we are indulgent. In order for there to be a “fin de fiesta”....the ‘work’ must exist.

After the show at the Villamarta, this first day of the festival was handily rounded out with Carmen Linares’ recital accompanied by Juan Carlos Romero at the Bodega Los Apóstoles of González Byass within the series ‘Café Cantante’.

Photos & text: Estela Zatania

Theater Villamarta Program
De Peña en Peña Program: Trasnoches, De Peñas, Peña de Guardia
Other shows(Gloria Pura, Bordón y cuenta nueva, De la Frontera, Café Cantante, Sólos en Compañía)
Courses and workshops

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