XIII Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla . 'Alicia' Cia. Los Ulen, Rosario Toledo y Kiko Veneno

Dance: Rosario Toledo, Manuela Ríos, Manuela Reyes,
Daniel Navarro, Pedro Córdoba. Cante: José Valencia,
David Palomar. Guitar: Miguel Iglesias, Paco Iglesias. Percussion:
Javier Viana. Scriptwriter and director: Pepe Quero.

Sitting in Seville’s Lope de Vega theater the night
of Sunday, September 19th, in my cushy seat facing the stage as
is logical, I was inundated with that uncomfortable sensation we’re
all familiar with: “what am I doing here?” It’s
not a state of mind that augurs well for an easy review. We’ve
commented on occasion about the admirable diversity of shows included
in this Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla, but all things have a limit
and it’s possible the idea of mounting a flamenco show based
on Lewis Carroll’s classic “Alice in Wonderland”
might just have gone too far. Nevertheless…

You could say the first number, which looks like something from
an old-style Broadway musical, is entertaining if not flamenco.

You could say this is a light-hearted work in which all the actors,
because beyond dancing, singing or making music each of the characters
is interpreting a part, do their best to find the theatrical angle
without entirely abandoning their flamenco personalities. In what
other flamenco show can you see guitarists wearing bow-ties and
waistcoats and the singers in absurd hats? “Rinconete y Cortadillo”
explored the comic possibilities of flamenco, but in that aspect
at least it was a long way from this surrealistic fantasy.

You could say Rosario Toledo is a splendid dancer and singer José
Valencia gets right into his part unabashedly offering one of the
show’s highpoints when he doesn’t even go out of character
to sing tonás.

The characters do their best to find
the theatrical angle without entirely abandoning their flamenco
personalities

You could say there are some charming moments, like the White Rabbit’s
bulerías dance with the singer’s voices overlapping
one another, or the Caterpillar who sings malagueña while
an outsized hookah belches thick clouds of smoke and Alicia’s
shrinking episode is represented by a large bata de cola which only
seconds earlier was a short dress.

You could highlight the alegrías in which the flavor of
Cádiz blends with the image of British schoolchildren at
play, or the ability with which the five dancers juggle various
roles.

One could admit to having been genuinely concerned when the compás
of siguiriyas was marked by the sound of sharp snapping scissors
brandished in both hands by the Queen of Hearts and her entourage…eight
pairs of scissors in movement, with swift turns and heelwork…this
is no dance, this is a circus act!

We’ve gone through Greek and Shakespearian tragedies done
to flamenco – perhaps now we must brace ourselves for a series
of classic juvenile stories. The mind boggles…Pinocchio? (the
personality of papa Gepetto, the old shoemaker, could be explored)…the
Roadrunner? (persecution and the rewards of perseverance)…Batman?
(the cape!)

You could say this work does not belong in Seville’s Bienal
de Flamenco except for a juvenile audience, just as scheduled for
three days this month at the Teatro Alameda.

Text: Estela
Zatania
Photos: Manny Rocca