Text: Rubén Gutierrez

Argentina, Carmen Grilo, Pastora Galván

WOMEN’S INTUITION

Yesterday was Marbella’s turn.  The glamorous capital of the Costa del Sol received the Bienal de Málaga in its theater.  Just like the local politics, it looks like this town’s flamenco fans have also fallen on hard times, because once again we’re in a gloomy space with scant audience.  But the organizers must know what they’re doing, because we were once again treated to a good flamenco show from three young women full of spirit.  

The first of the three to appear was Argentina.  The girl from Huelva is struggling to be taken seriously in flamenco.  Accompanied by Eugenio Iglesias on guitar, with the compás of Bobote and Torombo, she begins with tangos.  The malagueña of Canario and the soleá give a glimpse of her possibilities.  With cantiñas she plays with the sound of waves in Cádiz and Sanlúcar, with touches of mirabrás, and of course the fandangos from her hometown are wonderful.  Without needing to shout, and she was without microphone at that point, we were able to hear her perfectly from the rear of the theater  Argentina could have handled a recital of her own in this festival.

Argentina (photo: Málaga en Flamenco)

Three bewitching ladies

Carmen Grilo brought a different sound.  Despite her youth, the Jerez woman has a voice that sounds like older people from Jerez.  Her weeping deliery transports us to long-ago times we weren’t able to experience.  First she dares to sing a milonga, a style which Jerez singers seldom interpret except for Don Antonio Chacón, and the guitar of José Quevedo “El Bola” is ideal for this purpose.  The Jerez guitarist has a wealth of details that enrich his compositions.  In soleá and siguiriya, she delves into the styles of Santiago and San Miguel, although there is still something missing her cante.  In alegrías and bulerías she is accompanied by her brother Carlos Grilo as well as Luis Cantarote.  A good solid dose of compás rounds out her performance.

The Galvanic universe is present in his dancing

During intermission the stage is readied for Pastora Galván.  The Seville dancer came on with a minimalist group including David Lagos and El Galli singing, and Miguel Iglesias on guitar.  With a sky-blue dress she danced soleá, pulling together sounds of rondeña and romance, all wrapped up with bulerías.  Next, she came on with a beautiful bata de cola of colorful polkadots on black.  The Galvanic universe is present in her dancing, but it’s not an exact copy of her brother, rather she combines Israel’s movements with traditional forms.  As a result, I could have sat until the next day watching her, because she never overdoes the footwork even though she has plenty of technique and compás, and watching her use her arms like a bird about to take flight is quite a pleasure.

Pastora Galván

And reprising the night’s success, the three stars joined forces for fandangos.  Argentina and Carmen Grilo start out taking turns right up to the fandango del Alosno.  After a choral section, Caracol’s “Malvaloca” is the music that lets voice and dance dialogue, closing the night with great success.

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Special MÁLAGA EN FLAMENCO