Antonio Canales 'OJOS VERDES' & 'LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA'

Antonio
Canales
«OJOS VERDES» y
«LA CASA DE BERNARDA ALBA»
Lope de Vega Theater, Seville. September
25th-28th, 2003. 9:00 pm

Dance: Antonio Canales, Juan de
Juan, David León, Daniel Navarro, Nacho Blanco, Oscar
de los Reyes, David Romero.
Cante: Herminia Borja, Rafael de Utrera, David de Morón.
Guitar: José Jiménez El Viejín,
Daniel Méndez.
Percussion: José Carrasco

Like all geniuses,
he doesn't always
get it right, but when he does,
it's a memorable occasion.

Few flamenco dancers have received such bad press within Spain
as Canales. Too much heelwork they say, too avant-garde, too
contrived or stylized. Nevertheless he is a dancer that has
fascinated me since long before he became a star when I saw
in him conceptual purity tempered with creative curiosity
and a high technical level. Like all geniuses, he doesn't
always get it right, but when he does, it's a memorable occasion.

For those who are unfamiliar with Federico García
Lorca's «La Casa de Bernarda Alba», it's a sober,
somber, complex and hermetic tale, a Greek tragedy set in
Spain, and extremely appropriate for the fashion in flamenco
dance of recent years to reject any openly passionate manifestation
in what would seem to be an over-zealous attempt to erase
the hackneyed image of ruffles and tambourines. The females
stopped wearing earrings and flowers and their dresses lost
ruffles until they were peeled down to nightgowns. Both men
and women dancers limited their wardrobe to basic black and
tones of gray which, combined with the fashionably sparse
lighting and the black backdrop…well let me tell you, there
was precious little you could see of the goings-on.

Casa de Bernarda Alba	Antonio Canales es Bernarda Alba

La Casa de Bernarda Alba falls within this dark fashion and
despite the innovative idea of an all-male corps de ballet
for an all-female cast of characters, not to mention the blessed
genius of Canales and a company of top professionals, it doesn't
quite satisfy as flamenco, although it works quite well as
theater. There is a great deal of dance accompanied only by
percussion, and when the sound of two guitars relieves the
monotony, then it is the cante, or singing which arrives in
stingy portions. An attractive work with several theatrical
turns that are frankly excellent, the delightful contrast
of Mariana Cornejo with her tanguillo de Cádiz and personality
to match, and the magnificent backup of guitarists El Viejín
and Daniel Méndez.

Politely enthusiastic applause, a fifteen-minute intermission
and back to the future, or at least an alternative to all
the darkness that has dominated the recent history of flamenco
dance with few exceptions. Immediately you notice the new
aesthetic with Canales dressed in white suit and hat suggesting
old Havana and a guajira. But no, that's what programs are
for and this one says Ojos Verdes is inspired in the work
of Morón poet Fernando Villalón and his image
of Andalucía, «plains and mountains, desert and
snow, sweet rivers and salty sea». Sounds like a job
for National Geographic, who dreams up this stuff anyhow?
No problem, just so long as it doesn't get in the way of art…and
Ojos Verdes turns out to be good ol' traditional flamenco,
with no script or cast of players, modern without being abrasive
or pretentious, and above all, well-done.

El Grupo.[Ojos verdes]	Antonio Canales [Ojos verdes]

There's a cante solo by Rafael de Utrera, also dressed «Cuban»
for siguiriya. Too bad the stage director (Sergio Spinelli)
saw fit to decorate such a basic cante with billowing smoke
that wouldn't quit, and the musical director (not specified
on the program) incorporated not only altered tuning on the
guitar, little bells and a djembé, but also applied
a high-speed rhythm that miraculously didn't distract the
singer who followed his noble path unrushed, with intensity
and a good, flamenco-sounding voice.

The uneven
but abundant genius of don Antonio Canales.

This Canales loves to dress up and play parts, and a fine
job of it he does. For soleá he appears dressed as
a picador, leftovers from his «Torero» work perhaps.
This leads to a «fin de fiesta» which isn't the
end at all. The typical circle, each one doing his little
dance or song, but it tastes fresh and the artistic level
is admirable. Another cante solo, this time from David de
Morón, bulerías, dynamic and sounding of his
hometown. Soleá apolá and Canales dances as
only he can, inspired, original, intense, feeling good. The
real fin de fiesta is tangos and once again we see how God
really is in the details when a couple of people appear with
campero jackets thrown over their shoulders suggesting nights
of cante under the stars.

Notable are Juan de Juan's dancing, the expressive voice
of singer Herminia Borja, El Viejín's guitar and of
course, the uneven but abundant genius of don Antonio Canales.