VIII Festival de Jerez – 27- febrero. 'Pasión y Ley' – Cía de Antonio El Pipa

VIII Festival de Jerez – All
reviews

Dance Antonio el Pipa, Lola Greco. Cante:
Enrique el Extremeño, Manuel Tañe, Miguel Rosendo,
Felipa del Moreno. Guitar: Pascual de Lorca, Juan
Moneo. Violin: Alexis Lefébre. Sax
and Turkish clarinet: Nacho Gil. Percussion:
Sudhanva Rajapogal. Music: David Peña Dorantes.

The first gala show at the Villamarta Theater within the
program of the eighth Festival de Jerez was the responsibility of
the dancer who nowadays is most identified with this very flamenco
town. Antonio el Pipa came to premiere his work “Pasión
y Ley” with some important guest collaborations, most notably
those of pianist composer Dorantes, and of classical and flamenco
dancer Lola Greco.

The mere mention of the word “work” as applied to flamenco
these days is enough to inspire fear, and yours truly suffers the
added complications of generalized disorientation and psychosomatic
rash. Nevertheless, you learn to live with your handicaps and come
to understand the wisdom of never consulting the libretto or searching
for a story line.

His ironic smile dares us to glance
away for one single second.

That said, it would be hard to find fault with the purely artistic
elements of “Pasión y Ley”. To see Lola Greco
is to ascend one rung in the ability to understand the human body
as a vehicle of expression. Her long arms and legs commit impossible
beauty, her torso ties it all together and her eyes, enormous even
as seen from the cheap seats, seem to reveal that she herself cannot
believe the extremities capable of so much expression. María
José Franco, a feminine young woman some of whose movements
recall wrinkled gypsy ladies, is always worthwhile. Singer Enrique
Extremeño continues to draw inspiration from his contact
with Utrera where he has been living for years, and sings for Antonio
el Pipa’s soleá with all the responsibility of a solo
singer, adding his delightful facet as actor. Juana la del Pipa
launches generous doses of her profound voice and her personality
and all El Pipa needs to do is imitate himself. Antonio is the one
dancer everyone loves to hate, and they all love him. “He
always does the same thing”, “some of his movements
are inappropriate”, “he winks and blows kisses to the
audience”. Yes, we know all that, but his performances are
always sold out, his dance is always fascinating and his ironic
smile dares us to glance away for one single second.

The yearning to say a great deal is
foiled by an excess of good intentions.

Between martinete, tangos, rondeñas, soleá, farruca
and tientos, there are some imposing visual elements. An outsized
red butterfly-wing armchair that Enrique Extremeño uses as
his throne, a mysterious sculpture that serves as backdrop, and
the somewhat gaudy multicolored dress with endless ruffles worn
throughout by Franco and which could be a metaphor for the entire
show: the yearning to say a great deal is foiled by an excess of
good intentions.

Everything seems to return to square one for the closing bulerías,
the timeworn gambit of the “fin de fiesta” that we the
audience demand because if not, it’s as if we haven’t
seen flamenco dance, because more than sherry or horses, bulerías
is the Jerez product par excellence, and hey, we’re in Jerez.
At this point you think “who needs all that grandiose ‘work’?…if
they weren’t able to improve the flavor of classic Coke, why
try to reinvent the flavor of Jerez?” But we are indulgent.
In order for there to be a “fin de fiesta”….the ‘work’
must exist.

After
the show at the Villamarta, this first day of the festival was handily
rounded out with Carmen Linares’ recital accompanied by Juan
Carlos Romero at the Bodega Los Apóstoles of González
Byass within the series ‘Café Cantante’.

Photos & text: Estela
Zatania

Theater
Villamarta Program
De Peña
en Peña Program: Trasnoches,
De Peñas, Peña de Guardia
Other
shows(Gloria Pura, Bordón
y cuenta nueva, De la Frontera, Café Cantante, Sólos
en Compañía)
Courses
and workshops

All Reviews