XVII Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco de Córdoba- Arte que hace historia. Winners night in Córdoba

Great expectations and cameras galore for the closing gala
night of the great Festival de Córdoba 2004. The future arrived
to this Andalusian capital, and for the first time the event would
be broadcast via Internet – the implications were impossible
to overlook. Two hundred and twenty individuals, including some
prestigious professionals, had passed through the weeding-out process
to yield 11 winners in the specialties of cante, dance and solo
and accompaniment guitar, and these survivors would show off their
outstanding abilities to the whole world, live, direct from Córdoba’s
stately Gran Teatro.

As is the custom, veteran performers were in charge of presenting
the prizes. Living legends such as Mario Maya, Manolo Sanlúcar,
Fosforito, Matilde Coral and Serranito filed across the stage to
congratulate the winners and lend their considerable prestige.

Gabriel Expósito ( Manolo Sanlúcar prize)	Juan Antonio Camino ( Pepe Marchena prize)	Jesús Chozas ( Antonio Mairena &Cayetano Muriel prize)

But a series of performances that ranged from competent to embarrassing,
left many of us scratching out respective heads: Is this really
the best there is? Are these people worthy of sharing the honor
of a Córdoba prize with people like Juan Talega, Fernanda
de Utrera, La Perla, Paco de Lucía, La Paquera, Chano Lobato,
Manuela Carrasco, Manolo Sanlúcar, Mario Maya, José
Mercé, La Yerbabuena and so many others?

No one likes to sour the victory of people who fought and sacrificed
so much to achieve a specific goal, but the dimension of the disappointment
is too great to be kept silent, and it can only be hoped that measures
will be taken so the next edition which has been pushed up to 2006
in order to fall on the festival’s fiftieth anniversary, will
be worthy of its fame.

Antonio Porcuna EL VENENO ( D. Antonio Chacón prize)	Yeyé de Cádiz ( Camarón prize)	Rosario 'La Tremendita' ( Manolo Caracol prize)

The
guitar competition was the least controversial. Gabriel Expósito
in solo guitar, and Eduardo Trassierra, winner in the last Bienal
who carried of the accompaniment prize, were technically impressive
as is only fitting of the year 2004, if a bit short in artistic
expression.

In cante, the most interesting moments were provided by veterans
Jesús Chozas with his tonás that earned him the Antonio
Mairena prize, and fandangos de Lucena and jaberas for the Cayetano
Muriel prize, and Yeyé de Cádiz with his alegrías
for which he received the Camarón prize.

Eduardo Trasierra
(Juan Carmona Habichuela prize)

In dance there was more to grumble about. The obvious predilection
of the judges for a type of dance that was outdated, commercial
and at times undignified, would have been less important had there
been a higher level.

The performance, in other ways competent, of Belén López
(Mario Maya prize), was marred by an openly commercial choreography,
and cheap makeup, costume and hair-do that were a poem of bad taste.
At 17 years old, we can only hope she finds a look more in keeping
with her talent.

Lola Pérez ( Matilde Coral prize)	Soraya Clavijo ( Carmen Amaya prize)	Belén López ( Mario Maya prize)	María Borrull ( Antonio Gades prize)

Young dancer Soraya Clavijo who won the Carmen Amaya prize, closed
the night in a more dignified way with her bulerías and the
gala would up with the announcement of the next edition as well
as the desire on the part of the organization that UNESCO declare
flamenco a world heritage, an objective curiously at odds with the
presentation that then officially came to a close.

Text: Estela
Zatania
Photos: Rafael Manjavacas