XII FLAMENCO FESTIVAL DE BERLÍN

Text: Estela Zatania
Photos: Gijsbert Copier

Dance: Jairo Barrull. Cante: Tomás de Perrate, Fabiola Pérez, Javier Heredia, Rubio de Pruna. Guitar: Antonio Moya.

The last day of the Berlin Flamenco Festival saw a packed “house” at the large terrace of the Pfefferberg-sommergarden where all week long the mood has been family-oriented and laidback, with flamenco fans and newbies, all sharing the desire to sample the best Spain has to offer, and not only in flamenco:you see more wine than beer being drunk, there are long lines for tapas of cured ham, Spanish tortilla and paella and crowds gather round the stands of dance accessories and other related items.

Tomás de Perrate

For the closing night, the organization opted for the most traditional sort of group: dance, cante and guitar as you would see at any gathering of Spanish flamenco followers. It’s interesting to note that this multicultural city has received the visit of few large-scale flamenco dance companies, Andrés Marín being one of the best-known and most-admired dancers.

The organization’s desire to discover and support young artists

The first part of the program was a sampling of the results of twelve intensive courses offered during the festival by guest artists. Each teacher, his or her group, and a wide variety of choreographies, followed by the show “Herencia” organized by guitarist Antonio Moya, a celebration of flamenco from Utrera and surroundings, featuring singer Tomás de Perrate, and the surprising dancing of Jairo Barrull from Morón de la Frontera. The group was rounded out with the excellent young singer Rubio de Pruna, and the festive singing and dancing of Fabiola Pérez and Javier Heredia. The festival’s artistic director had explained earlier the organization’s desire to discover and support young artists, and this group more than filled the bill.

Jairo Barrull, Antonio Moya, Rubio de Pruna

When the singers take turns with tonás, four voices, one by one, a capella, there is total silence throughout the packed patio, and Tomás de Perrate provides the first strong emotions reminding us of his legendary father. Jairo Barrull arrives on the scene with an explosion of compás and energy, and the audience shrieks in uncontained delight. They have no trouble assimilating the siguiriya of Rubio de Pruna, and when Tomás sings some bulerías in minor key, sincere applause seems to indicate that some new flamenco fans will remember this night as their first contact with the artform. Fabiola sings tientos tangos for a change of pace, and Javier Heredia gives another lesson in how to say more with less, expressing all the force of the compás in a wrist movement, a look, a sigh; he’s got about four moves that are to die for.

Tomás de Perrate interprets the flagship cante of Utrera, the soleá, with the unmistakable sound of his town and family, and the sensitive accompaniment of Moya who provides many winks to Morón-style playing. Between nibbles of tortilla and sips of Rioja, the couple next to me inquires: “Is dis flamenco puro?”I nod affirmatively so as not to break the silence, and they responde “aaah... is gud!”

Leonor Leal fue una de las artistas invitados que ofreció un cursillo

Jairo returns to drive the audience wild with his Farruquito-style intense dancing, and with the voice of Rubio de Pruna, he manages some wonderful moments, although most people would have liked to see him dance a bit longer. Tomás, and then Fabiola, sing bulerías, and I begin to wonder if it isn’t an overdose of basic cante for this audience. It’s not easy to transfer the intimacy of a private flamenco gathering to an outdoor theater in Berlin, but the closing fiesta finale with Rubio and Moya joining in the dancing, and the effusive audience reaction, indicates the program was squarely on the mark.

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