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XI FESTIVAL DE JEREZ
José Valencia
Palacio de Villavicencio. 1900h
Text: Estela Zatania
Photos: Paco Sánchez
Cante: José Valencia.Guitar: Juan Requena.
On Monday the Festival de Jerez initiated the series “Los Conciertos del Palacio” with a cante recital by singer José Valencia.
 Last year at this festival it was hard not to find the singer from Lebrija in any of the dance shows, that’s how much in demand José Valencia is.For years flamenco fans have been wondering how it’s possible a singer of his characteristics – wonderful flamenco voice, solid compás, personality and knowledge – at the age of 32 has still not made a solo recording.The answer is easy: for a variety of reasons, record companies no longer record “cante con guitarra”, a euphemism that indicates the absence of pop songs, silky choruses, instrumentation and percussion.José Valencia doesn’t stray from the classic line, and make no mistake, “classic” doesn’t have to mean stuck in a rut imitating something from the past.Valencia is a dynamic, vibrant singer who loves cante and is always chasing after the duende.
Lebrija is closer to Jerez than Seville, and José Valencia’s artistic personality and approach is also much more akin to Jerez.Everything he interprets exudes energy and intensity, and in the cozy setting of the Villavicencio, with no amplification, his message came through loud and clear. He lent his powerful voice to malagueñas with abandolao cante and a wide assortment of soleares. “WATER!” he suddenly shouts out to no one in particular in the same direct, spontaneous way he sings. Cantiñas of Pinini are delivered decisively, smelling of moist earth and having the force of more important forms. In siguiriyas his booming sound finds the perfect vehicle and the outbursts of emotion are authentic.Bulerías are taken at a moderate speed with styles from his hometown and learned in a thousand fiestas. The guitarist isn’t up to the level of the cante, but the mini recital is nicely rounded out with the martinetes the singer uses to end.
COMPAÑÍA ANTONIO MÁRQUEZ
Teatro Villamarta
26 de febrero
Dancers: Antonio Márquez, Currillo, Trinidad Artíguez, David Sánchez and corps de ballet. Guitar: Antonio Sánchez and David Durán. Cante: Gema Caballero. Percussion: Rafael Hermoso. Artistic director: Antonio Márquez. Text: Manuel Moraga
Photos: Paco Sánchez ANTONIO MÁRQUEZ’ TRADEMARK ”
It’s not easy to ignore a dance company that moves twenty performers around the stage and has been touring the world for more than ten years. This type of dance is very demanding, and in general, attracts less attention than flamenco because technical prowess is not always valued by the general audience. But Antonio Márquez does manage to connect with his large audiences thanks to the spectacular nature of his choreographies which never skimp on quality. His love for dance, the professional discipline and a strong personality are his trademark. The audience at the Villamarta Theater compensated him for all that effort in the best possible way: with generous applause.
In “SMS Me Gusta Ser Mujer” (script and choreography by Nuria Leiva) we’re served a social protest in favor of women’s equality. Perhaps it comes off as a bit superficial, when you consider the importance of the issue, and a few too many clichés are employed, but the work stands on its own legs and connects with the audience. The tragicomic tone helps communicate the message which is delivered via diverse flamenco rhythms and brings the first applause of the night.
The classic pieces Antonio Márquez is so fond of come in the form of “La Vida Breve”, which has alegrías tacked on by Currillo, a maestro also worthy of note.With a powerful flamenco quality and elegance, Márquez and Currillo enjoy this small concession before delving into the work. This is where Antonio is really at home and he manages to squeeze out the choreographic possibilities of each situation.
 Almost without realizing it, we’re suddenly immersed in the extreme cadences of Ravel’s “Bolero”. This composition challenges the choreographer to struggle against the melodic monotony.Antonio Márquez knows this and makes use of rhythm and contrast, in the choreography, staging and wardrobe. The lighting plays an important role is this piece, although I have the feeling of having seen it with a less lavish production on previous occasions. Areas, colors, textures and steps blend together in the hypnotic atmosphere of the bolero, and Antonio Márquez demonstrates his precision, elegance, power and charisma. The Antonio Márquez trademark. The audience again broke into effusive applause, the last of the night.
Before wrapping up this article, I’d like to highlight something that was said at the midday press conference by Matilde Coral when she complained that Antonio Márquez hadn’t performed in Seville.And so it is, as acknowledged by the Seville dancer and choreographer who is one of our most important references in the internation dance arena, with a Nureyev prize included. It’s paradoxical that Jerez, considered by many the last bastion of orthodox flamenco, has featured Antonio Márquez on several occasions, while cosmopolitan Sevilla has never had him.
Juana Amaya
Sala La Compañía. 12 midnight
Dance: Juana Amaya, Nazaret Reyes. Cante: Luis Moneo, David “El Galli”, José Anillo. Percussion: Tete Peña.
Juana Amaya from Morón de la Frontera has the type of artistic personality that gets people hooked. For her diehard fans, it makes no difference what she does, and you just want to keep your eyes on her because when you’re lucky enough to hit on a good night, the rewards are great.In this sense, Juana is an irregular artist and everything I write about her – don’t say you weren’t warned – is completely subjective.
Three singers, two guitarists and a cajón was the recipe Juana Amaya used to serve up her powerful dancing and temperament. After a brief presentation with Juana and her daughter Nazaret, the mother danced siguiriyas with characteristic intensity.A lengthy guitar solo diluted the ambience set in motion by Juana, and next up, Nazaret danced alegrías. From a very early age the girl had impressive command, and now, as a young adolescent, she’s a size “P for petite” version of her mother.Dressed in white polkadots on black, with a red scarf around her neck, she danced with the self-confidence of an experienced adult.
Next, her mother danced soleá. It’s the slower than molasses in January tempo young dancers call “the old style”, but in actual fact this slowing-down only became fashionable toward the end of the 1960’s – “old-style” solea was often taken at a clip.On the one hand, the slowness adds drama to the dance, and allows guitarists to develop more elaborate melodies, but the cante tends to suffer from loss of coherence.Juana gets carried away with an overdose of footwork and the cajón muscles in with a sound (noise?) that becomes annoying.
All that remains is the classic fiesta finale. Fifty short minutes of dancing triggers negative comments from some audience members who expected more bang for their bucks, but for diehard fans it was another opportunity to enjoy Juana Amaya’s wonderful dancing.
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