| Cante:
Diego el Cigala and his group, with Diego de Morao, Yelsi
Heredia, Yumitu and Sabu. Gala Flamenca: Dance: Javier Barón,
Merche Esmeralda, Rafael Campallo, Manolo Marín,
Adela Campallo. Cante: Guadiana, Jeromo Segura, Jesús
Méndez. Guitar: Juan Campallo, David Cerreduela,
Javier Patiño. Violin: Alexis Liefevre. Percussion:
José Carrasco.
Text: Estela Zatania
Photos: Rafael Manjavacas
Special "46th Festival
Internacional del Cante de las Minas" - program, reviews,
photos, news...
 The
fourth day of the Festival Internacional del Cante de las
Minas 2006 got underway with the presentation of Antonio
Arco’s book “Cristina Hoyos”, and the
official tribute to the dancer. Hoyos offered an easy-going
talk summing up her life in flamenco, and received the traditional
miner’s lamp from the mayor of La Unión.
At the theater there were weighty matters to be dealt with,
beginning with the tremendously popular Diego el Cigala
whose fame has crossed borders and musical genres thanks
to the extraordinary success of his record “Lágrimas
Negras” (2003), and more recently, “Picasso
en Mis Ojos” (2005) where the singer enjoys the collaboration
of Paco de Lucía.
The large hall was packed to absolute capacity when the
man the American press called “the Sinatra of Flamenco”
got comfortable on the tall stool in front of the mike.
Tonás accompanied by cajón, and soleá
that included some traditional styles declared the singer’s
intention to interpret flamenco through his own particular
vision. Songs from his records continued, rumbas, tangos
with fandangos inserted, boleros such as the classic Dos
Gardenias, taranto por rumba...all with a strong Camarón
jazz identity. The audience is divided. Those who came specifically
to see their idol spare no applause or shouts of praise,
and the flashing of cameras is constant throughout. Others,
particularly those who attended to take in the dance portion
of the show, don’t take well to the avant-garde repertoire
and superstar airs of Cigala, a singer who can well afford
to have airs. For the latter contingent, the nearly two
hours of recital are excessive, and many head for the terrace
bars outside the theater for a beer and snack.
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Diego El Cigala |
Diego El Cigala |
The man the American press called
“the Sinatra of Flamenco”
How are such disparate tastes to be reconciled? This is
the dilemma every flamenco fan must deal with every time
he or she settles into a theater seat for this type of presentation.
Traditional flamenco accustomes you to strong emotions served
up with relatively little sophistication, a double burger
with the works. The most contemporary offerings however
reject the obvious and strive for understated and sublimated
emotion...steak tartare and hold the onions. The same ingredients
subjected to different processes for radically different
tastes.
When the second part began, many seats were not reclaimed.
Presenter Manuel Curao prepares us to receive, in his words,
“flamenco dance without trimming, just classic, traditional
dance”. Well, yes and no. To describe what we were
about to see as if it were an old pair of slippers, is a
slight to five splended dancers to represent two generations.
The presentation number where each one sketches a short
heelwork bit to martinete, sums up the theme of the show,
the moral even: the perfect validity of that which was done
years ago and that which is done now, and the strong thread
that holds it all together and validates both approaches.
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Rafael Campallo |
Adela Campallo |
Rafael Campallo. He works the compás in an innovative
and personal manner. Having overcome his extreme coldness
of several years ago, he now projects self-confidence and
serenity thanks to his absolute technical command and a
sixth sense that lets him know exactly how far the floor
is at any given moment so that he strikes it with a surgeon’s
precision, never overdone, everything perfectly measured.
He knows the possibilities and takes full advantage of them,
never miscalculating. The self-confidence is almost excessive
at times, a touch of humility is always welcome in great
artists, although there’s little to criticize in the
quality of his dance.
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Merche Esmeralda |
Merche Esmeralda |
Merche Esmeralda came out of retirement for the last Festival
de Jerez where she debuted with this show, and here she
is, just six months later, right in form as in her best
years. Veteran goddess of dance, wearing the years beautifully,
black and white polkadot bata de cola because she loves
traditional dance and interprets it majestically. Good dance
does not go out of style.
The perfect validity of that
which was done years ago, and that which is done now, and
the strong thread that holds it all together and validates
both approaches
The tonás of Jesús Méndez that introduce
Adela Campallo’s siguiriya reveal the young Jerez
singer’s admirable maturity – he is an important
representative of the new generation of singers from his
town. Singing for dance has given him the self-confidence
and dimension that used to be missing. But the beautiful
Adela was disappointing with an excess of footwork and lack
of subtlety – acrobatic flamenco dance went out some
years ago. She did not use a bata de cola and pumped up
the sheer physical output considerably.
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Javier Barón |
Manolo Marin & Merche Esmeralda |
A violin introdution precedes the magnificent soleá
por bulería of Javier Barón, at forty-something,
the generational link of the show. Dignified, humble, elegant,
manly without grimaces or mannerisms, gentle sense of humor,
wisdom, evolution, minimalism, command, aesthetic sense,
good taste... Barón is one of Seville’s natural
resources the city has inexplicably failed to tap for the
Bienal.
Manolo Marín. Compact, powerful, wise, with a frisky
artistic personality and face to match, maestro to a whole
generation of dancers including Rafael Campallo, essential
and true. You just want to wrap him up, take him home, miniaturize
him and set him on top of the TV. His duet with Merche provides
unforgettable moments that make any fiesta finale superfluous.
The audience is duly enthralled.
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46th Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas)
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