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“Humble and simple in every aspect of her life,
but on stage she would transform into this
unique being...like a strange force...”

I was with Carmen from 1949 until 1963, especially between ’59 and ’62...friendship and work were the common bonds. I remember she was very shy, even childish at times.

She would insist on doing silly things, like putting on a bathing suit of mine that was much too big for her...or climbing up an olive tree to pick olives that were still green in the garden of the house they supplied for the whole company in Palm Springs, and then packing the olives, all of us laughing the whole time...although her husband wasn’t as kind to her as she deserved. She was very quiet and only when she felt extremely comfortable did she open up to her friends.

She had this thing about using mascara, ‘Estrellita’ brand, this kind you had to spit into the box...she’d rub the little brush in the mascara and smear it on her eyelashes making a mess of her face and cracking everyone up, including herself. She was never without her unfiltered Camels.

She had no friends on stage, she was such a serious professional she wouldn’t accept anything that was less than perfect. But as soon as the rehearsal or show was over, she’d turn into a friendly, loving, caring person, so generous that she’d give you whatever she had at that moment.

She was very superstitious about throwing salt over her shoulder, and another funny thing (that I share with her), was she couldn’t stand to see nuns from the back and had to go running ahead of them to look at them from the front, which always got us laughing like mischievous children.

Pepa en su época con Carmen Amaya

“To have had children, at least one, that would
have been the biggest thing in the world for her”

Being famous and having money, those things meant nothing to her...all she cared about was her family, her work and her company. She was humble and simple in every aspect of her life, but on stage when she would transform into this unique being, with incredible magnetism, like a strange force...

She never denied being Catalonian, despite identifying so strongly with Andalusian gypsies, especially in Granada. I didn’t often hear her speak in Catalonian, but once in a while. She never spoke about politics nor ill of anyone. When she was touring abroad she was always homesick for Spain and longed for the tour to end so she could return for a while. Argentina was another country she spoke of with fondness, as well as Mexico.

“Good cante was her weakness...and she would
have been the happiest person in the world had
she been able to sing serious flamenco cante”

Once in a while as happens to all of us sometimes, she needed a place for herself, to be alone with peace and quiet, which wasn’t that easy with all her sisters, nephews, etc... To have had children, at least one, that would have been the biggest thing in the world for her. Her life came down to work, rehearsals, family...although she was always being invited to an endless round of parties and get-togethers...but what she really wanted was to be alone with her husband and to receive the attention she expected and deserved. Before getting married it was Paco, her brother, who gave the orders...he would send her back to the hotel as soon as the show ended, he’d decide where, when and how things were to be done and he took care of hiring people...she didn’t seem to have much to say and accepted everything her brother decided, like a good gypsy woman, until her husband Juan Antonio took Paco’s place.

“She liked doing the dances to orchestra, she
really enjoyed it even though it wasn’t her ‘thing’”

Good cante was her weakness...she would have been the happiest person in the world had she been able to sing serious flamenco cante. She loved to go window-shopping, for clothing, shoes...something she was rarely able to do because of all her professional obligations. She clearly knew what was important in life, but always wanted to give more than she was able, which is possibly what led to her illness and premature death. She felt unwell at times, but never imagined it was anything as serious as it turned out, or if she knew, she never let on. She didn’t take care of herself...eating when she could, whatever there was, which more often than not, for various reasons, might just have been a can of sardines...in general, she wasn’t very demanding for herself and adapted to any situation.

“Dancers Faíco, el Farruco y Juan el Pelao were
often mentioned as having been extraordinary”

She was very strict for rehearsals, demanding yet patient, repeating things as many times as necessary to get it right, which meant you went on stage with tremendous confidence. She would command with her eyes, and sometimes she would tense her jaw and stare intently, shaking her head and pacing around as if she were taking stock. No one dared suggest anything to someone like that, it would have been unthinkable. I have no doubts that she could have mounted a show on her own...and if someone went off in the palmas, she knew right away who it was, without even looking. I never saw her rehearse on her own – if she wanted to, she would do it while the rest of the group was rehearsing, but most often, not even that...her command of what she did was so complete. And every day her dance would be different in one way or another.

She liked doing the semi-classical Spanish dances, really enjoyed them even though it wasn’t her “thing” so to speak. It was like a pastime for her... Of dancers, Faíco, Farruco and Juan el Pelao were the names she always mentioned as extraordinary. Of guitarists, her favorite was always Sabicas, without a doubt, and there were sentimental ties between them which for one reason or another did not flourish. She liked Antonio Mairena a lot, and it’s well-known that she tried to hire him.

“I don’t think Carmen would approve of today’s dancing, although she was incapable of openly criticizing anyone”.

Many professionals don’t really know just who this genius was, and some seem to feel there’s a lot of exaggeration about her, but only those who saw her dance realize how important she really was. Perhaps some are aware of the dramatic changes Carmen Amaya brought about in women’s dance...and I’d even say in men’s. With very few exceptions, I don’t think Carmen would approve of today’s dancing, although she was incapable of openly criticizing anyone, it’s wasn’t her style.

I remember one day she wanted to use the washing machine in Palm Springs and even though we warned her not to put in too much detergent, she put so much the soap bubbles spread through the house and we laughed so loud even the neighbors wondered what was up. We had to disconnect the washing-machine and everything else in the middle of all that chaos, and call for help to get rid of it all with a vacuum to be able to clean up the awful mess she made. The memory of that anecdote triggered laughing fits for days and weeks...

I was living in Los Angeles when I got the news that she had died, perhaps the first terrible shock of my life. I heard it on television and although I already knew she was ill, I couldn’t imagine that someone so outsized and so loved could ever be absent from this world.

Pepita Fúnez

Next week read part four of the series “Carmen” with the
comments and memories of Sara Lezana..
.

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