The Dances: Escuela de Baile would like to thank all of the students involved, both the dancers and those who helped with this show. Nuria would like to personally thank Oliver Giffin, Katharine Giffin and Rowena Ritchie for their hard work teaching and choreographing. Thanks to Susie Otten for all her help with the children’s school.
“Elementos” - Four elements; four styles of flamenco; four different pieces of choreography evoking the elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire. In the beginning there was Earth, here represented with a grounded, powerful siguiriyas. Water, covering the land, is in the style of solea, danced with bata de colas to evoke waves and fluidity. Air, a light yet powerful tangos, constantly moving, refreshing and ultimately delighting. And Fire, in the rythym of bulerias, incessant, fast, powerful. Alegrias – translates as “gaiety”, the style is lively and vivacious, and has great flexibility in its structure. From the region of Cadiz, renowned for its mix of cultures and earthy sense of humour. Solea - the majestic solea is in the profound style and is described as “The mother of the Cante” . Although the word translates as “solitude”, the songs that accompany the dance are often of ardour and love, of seriousness rather than desolation. Siguiriyas – Perhaps the most potent and intense of all the forms of flamenco, the siguiriyas unleashes powerful rhythms and intense emotion. The essence of siguiriyas is wholely gypsy, of persecution, pent-up emotions, denied liberty and love. And relentless, stalking death. “La Mujer de Antonio” In the style of rumbas, the children go to market with their wares. You will not fail to spot “La mujer”! Cheeky and fun, be delighted…
Special thanks to: Seamstresses:
“Carmen” – Inspired by Antonio Gades’ Carmen, we depict a scene from the tabaceleras, where Carmen and her rival are goaded into confrontation. These are women who have lived intensely, passionately and fiercely.
THE DANCES
Francesca Alonso Mel Day Paqui Diaz Vivien Hunt Yoko Isaji Eleanor Melinn Lauron Rantanen Audrey Simcock Annika Strandberg Louisa White Sophi Young Lin Zhang Konnie Shankar Mino Motoi Pauline maloney
Tangos – Not to be confused with the Argentinean tango, tangos is an ancient flamenco form with a rich variety of cante. It can express the whole gamut of human experience. In its modern form, it is funky, stylish, exciting and expressive. Caracoles – a style deriving from to alegrias, developed in Madrid. It has a bright and vivacious air. Some say that the title was derived from the hairstyles of women who danced it, kiss curls that resembled snail shells.
Lighting: Henri Latham-Koenig Escuela de Baile contact details: Email: info@ledb.co.uk Office address: 35 Tintagel, Stanmore, Middlesex, HA7 4SR
Solea por Bulerias – A style distinct from solea, it falls between the slower, deep style of solea and the fast, incessant rhythms of bulerias. It has its own distinct flavour, and a compelling intensity and drive. Tientos - Profound, majestic and sensual, it has a slow and brooding compas, creating a tension that is eventually released in a fiery tangos.
Office telephone: 020 8905 4554 Programme by Ayesha Garrett, Londonlime Web and Graphic Design ayesha@londonlime.net
SATURDAY 18th July
SUNDAY 19th July
First half Elementos incorporating Siguiriyas, Solea, Tangos and Bulerias Alegrias Solea Siguiriyas La Mujer de Antonio Carmen
First half Elementos incorporating Siguiriyas, Solea, Tangos and Bulerias Alegrias Tientos/Tangos Pinocchio Siguiriyas Carmen
-Interval- 15 mins
-Interval- 15 mins
Second half Alegrias Tangos Caracoles Solea por Bulerias Juan Ogalla Sevillanas
Second half Siguiriyas Guajira Solea por Bulerias Tarantos Juan Ogalla Sevillanas
PROGRAMME
Dancers Solea por Buleria Layil Barr Machiko Bodera Céline Brousse Sasi Conte Sajeewa Dissanayake Melin Edomwonyi Helen Farrelly Merrilees Fay Vanessa Franklin Ayesha Garrett Alicia Graham Yoko Isaji Helena Ivins Fariyal Khatri Sue Khosravi Olesya Khromeychuk Magdalena Krzeslak Ben Lalague Mac Macmillan Magdalena Majan Verena Menichelli Cova Montes Sauceda Joanna Potter José Rosa Vita Rubina Asami Shaw Prerna Shrivastava Natalie Solgala-Kaz Michelle Wilkins Elizabeth Wilson Valentina Zoghbi
Alegrias
PERFORMERS
Leah Barnett Laia Collazos Paula Dougill Gema Enseñat Helen Fazey Franca Fraternali Elena Garonna Irene Garonna Abigail Gollicker Zoe Hind Kate Hodal Jenny Holmes Suzanne Holtom Natalie Hull Shira Klasmer Ouma Mauree Swetam Mauree Kaeko Nakagawa Aimie Paris-Jones Barbara Pizziconi Joanna Potter Ceri Radford Mandy Smith Jane Taylor Celia Tsirpis Elina Vilar Beltrán Mariko Yuzaki
Tarantos Sarita Bansal Mel Day Aila Floyd Emma-Paola de Haas García Reiko Hattori Jennifer Hersch Jo Heywood Dominic Hough
Wind Vivien Hunt Amanda Lathia Annya Marte Eri Miller Susie Otten Rowena Ritchie Vicky Rodriguez Phillip Schöne Audrey Simcock Annika Strandberg Natalie Tronenko Nikki Wong
Siguiriya Katharine Giffin Oliver Giffin
Carmen Carmen - Sarita Bansal Carmen’s Rival - Annika Strandberg Carmen’s sidekicks - Susie Otten, Vicky Rodriguez Rival’s sidekicks (ditto) - Verena Menichelli, Angie Pulido Don Jose - Manfredi Gelmetti “Chorus”, including understudies: Bev Allen Mansi Amin Layil Barr Bethany Burrow Nathalie Cabrier Sasi Conte Mel Day Cecile Diener Farah Fahmy Rosa de Graaf Monique Hanjaree Jennifer Hersch Helena Ivins Magdalena Majan Vita Rubina Asami Shaw Alison Whitehouse
Elementos
Mansi Amin Sarita Bansal Reiko Hattori Susie Otten Vicky Rodriguez Nikki Wong
Fire Mansi Amin Sarita Bansal Mel Day Reiko Hattori Jo Heywood Dominic Hough Amanda Lathia Annya Marte Eri Miller Susie Otten Natalie Quici Vicky Rodriguez Phillip Schöne Nikki Wong
Siguiriya Mansi Amin Sarita Bansal Céline Brousse Bethany Burrow Nathalie Cabrier Michelle Carter Sasi Conte Tersia Crispim Cecile Diener Farah Fahmy Rebecca Glyn Blanco Indira de Graaf Pascale de Graaf Rosa de Graaf Alicia Graham Emma-Paola de Haas García Kaorina Mac Macmillan Kaori Murakami Susie Otten Ritsuko Ozaki Richard Rabe Vita Rubina Phillip Schöne Natalie Solgala-Kaz Joan Vis Zosia Zaleska
Earth
Solea
Mel Day Jo Heywood Dominic Hough Amanda Lathia Annya Marte Eri Miller Natalie Quici Phillip Schöne
Francesca Alphonso Nicole Baldock Hena Chaudry Jenny Chodera Gillian Crow Yulia Egorova Kseniya Elfimova Catherine Elliot Alexandra Finlay Supapim Gajasevi Neeru Garg Gavin Gribbon Zoe Hind Yoko Isaji Lourdes Kerr Fariyal Khatri Artemis Kouloumari Cath Long Kate Maynard Sarah Nicholson
Water Jennifer Hersch Vivien Hunt Rowena Ritchie Sam Audrey Simcock Annika Strandberg Natalie Tronenko
Meryem Oz Esther Papineau Kit Patrick Vivian Perez Shannon Pomakov Joanna Potter Richard Pucci Deanne Reynolds Mami Shioda Stephania Silveira Olivia Tattarletti Yoshiko Yamatuchi
Caracoles Bev Allen Mansi Amin Catherine Blizzard Ayesha Garrett Alexandra Grieve Alison Grieve Monique Hanjaree Lisa Hendry Helena Ivins Tanuja Karunarathne Satomi Kendrick Sue Khosravi Miyako Macgovern Lesley Mills Parvati Nair Natasha Claudie Ravoninjatovo Kate Ricketts Gopa Roy Vita Rubina Asami Shaw Sarah Thompson Isabel Vasseur Ande Vekinis Alison Whitehouse Elizabeth Wilson
Solea por Buleria Bev Allen Sarita Bansal Mel Day Aila Floyd Emma-Paola de Haas García Reiko Hattori Jennifer Hersch Jo Heywood Dominic Hough Vivien Hunt Amanda Lathia Annya Marte Eri Miller Susie Otten Angie Pulido Natalie Quici Rowena Ritchie Vicky Rodriguez Phillip Schöne Audrey Simcock Annika Strandberg Natalie Tronenko Nikki Wong
Alegria Sarita Bansal Bethany Burrow Nathalie Cabrier Mel Day Farah Fahmy Manfredi Gelmetti Jo Heywood Eri Miller
Farah Nayeri Natalie Quici Vicky Rodriguez Eriko Sakata Audrey Simcock Annika Strandberg Nikki Wong
Isabel Otten Tamara Sie-Fernandez Lydia Herrera Alexandra Pinilla Taylor Ines Alexandre Jazmin Sauca
Pinnochio
Tientos Sarita Bansal Henrietta Bewley Valentine Boisnard Stefanie Borkum Nathalie Cabrier Mel Day Monique Hanjaree Jo Heywood Vivien Hunt Veronica Kinsler Daniela Luengo Verena Menichelli Pia Molina Susie Otten Rowena Ritchie Phillip Schöne Annika Strandberg Nikki Wong
Tango Holly Hughes Claudia Hobbs Marta Glyn Blanco
Eva Alexandre Atlanta Anley Amy Newton Lily Ritchie Evalina Nkonda Georgia Dearing Mateus Fabiani Milli Jones Farah Shah Emilia Butler Alcat Arun Newmark Scarlett Heyes Yasmin Ghobadian Emilia Evans Munton Marika MacMillan Eve Erikson Eve Clark Isabelle Haynes Hopkins Hannah O’Brien Leila Newmark Kayla Spurlock Stella Webb Elliot Wright Pinocchio - Vicky Rodriguez Gepetto - Richard Rabe
Alegria Caroline Winter Stella Webb Alya Howard Cecilia Jones Lola Grainger Lily Otten Seah Polya Marie Maloney Hannah O’Brien Molly McCourt Stephanie Pinilla Taylor Mia Marshall Tamara Sie Fernandez Umi Myers Alexandra Pinilla Taylor Luisa Armandine Lydia Herrera Sarah-May Murphy Justine Stummel Caterina Caulfield Adriana Yunda Sharereh Haddadi Shahrazad Matthews Ines Alexandre Claudia Hobbs Jazmin Sauca
Guajira Silvie Castro Anya Hurcomb Rosi di Traglia Jazmin Sauca
Lydia Herrera Nell Hewetson Daisy Jones Claudia Hobbs Lily Otten Stefanie Pinilla Taylor Holly Hughes Isabel Otten Marta Glyn Blanco Tamara Sie Fernandez Alexandra Pinilla Taylor Ines Alexandre
La Mujer de Antonio Alba Villalobos Heredia Evie Blizzard Cecilia Jones Ella Winter Ines Fournis-Lerma Maya Marek Roxanne Elphick Kelsey Saavedra Eva Afework Leela Newmark Gabrielle Dennis Roberta Smith Cristina Richards Aitana Moore Minna Gillett Charlie Taylor Barca Stella Webb Sarah May Murphy
Beatriz Luque Adriana Ibale Alessio Di Traglia Amaru Rodriguez Ben Cameron Charlie Rafael Campbell Maya Fabiani Caroline Winter Sedona Williams Adriana Yunda Edie Gillet Charlotte Trujillo Justine Stummel Georgina Slaymaker Caterina Caulfield Lola Grainger Hannah O’Brien Shahrazad Matthews Alya Howard
Guest artists Juan Ogalla (dancer) Manuel de Malena (singer) Marco El Salmonete (guitar & cajon) El Callao (guitar) El Despeinado (guitar) Jasmin Villalobos (singer) Tito Heredia (guitar)
Flamenco Spectacular on DVD
If you would like a record of tonight’s show, DVDs will be available soon. To reserve a copy of for other enquiries regarding professional video production, please contact:
gp.video@ntlworld.com or info@ledb.co.uk (La Escuela de Baile)
(Please ensure that you quote which night’s performance you require)
About Escuela de Baile Escuela de Baile was founded in 1990 and has been uniquely successful in popularising the art of flamenco. Its work has been written about by many newspapers and magazines, and its classes and intensive courses have also been featured in TV and radio programmes. Escuela de Baile provides the opportunity to study flamenco dance throughout the year at all levels, from Beginners to Professional. With more than 15 evening classes for adults during the week and highly popular children’s classes at the weekend, it has over 200 students and is the largest flamenco school in the UK. Flamenco is a folk art, not the preserve of the academy, so we are pleased that currently the youngest member of the school is four years old and the oldest over sixty. As well as its regular classes Escuela de Baile runs intensive dance courses, with internationally renowned performers visiting from Spain to teach in London and at the annual summer school in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, deep in the heartland of flamenco. Now in its 20th year, the school brings its work to the Peacock Theatre for the third time. The teachers, accompanists and students hope that the audience will enjoy the show and be infected by their enthusiasm for the joy of dancing flamenco.
THE SCHOOL
Classes at Escuela de Baile
Find us on
Nuria García Nuria García is Head Teacher and Artistic Director of La Escuela de Baile, the United Kingdom’s largest flamenco school. The school was founded in 1991 and is currently located in Chalk Farm. Nuria also teaches at the summer school of top Spanish dance school, El Centro de Baile Jerez, and at workshops and master classes for Sadler’s Wells and the Barbican. As a child, Nuria trained at a full time dance school and she has studied in Spain under some of the most revered teachers, including Manolo Marín, La Tati, Josele, Adrian Galia, Antonio Canales, Marco Flores, Manuel Liñán, Javier Latorre, Angel Muñoz, Eva Yerbabuena, Rosario Toledo, Rafaela Carrasco, Belén Maya and Rocío Molina. Nuria is a Royal Academy of Dance trained teacher and holds the Instructora de Baile qualification from the Sociedad de Baile Español (Spanish Dance Society). She teaches at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, The American School in London and many well known dance schools in the UK and abroad. Several of Nuria’s students have won important dance awards, including the Greater London Arts “Young Dancer of the Year” and the Barclays Youth Dance regional award. A number of her students have joined professional dance companies in Spain and in the UK, and some have won scholarships to full time dance schools.
Nuria has worked as head choreographer for advertisements (including Sony and Nissan) and music videos (including Siouxsie and the Banshees, Miguel Gallardo, Robert Palmer and the Gipsy Kings). She has also choreographed for theatre and opera productions, including Harvey Goldsmith’s Carmen and Opera 80 (now the English Touring Opera). Nuria’s TV choreography work includes About Face, Red-Hot and Blue, and Music Makers, and documentaries featuring her work include ‘Y’ Flamenco, Opening Shots and Capital Woman.
THE SCHOOL
Nuria has danced in many top flamenco companies, including Paco Peña’s, Juan Martín’s, Fiesta Flamenca and Grupo de Jerez, and has toured extensively in Europe. For 5 years, Nuria worked in the avant-garde flamenco and contemporary performance group Von Magnet, which led to several television appearances.
If you aren’t off to Spain... SUMMER FLAMENCO CLASS TIMETABLE IN LONDON with
Gemma de la Cruz
Starting 20th July 2009
Mondays:
Tuesdays:
Wednesdays:
Thursdays:
6.30 - 8.00
Technique 1
8.00 - 9.30
Lower bulerias (1&2)
6.30 - 8.00
Sevillanas
8.00 9.30
Body Technique
6.30 - 8.00
Technique 3
8.00 - 9.30
High bulerias (2&3)
6.30 - 8.00
Technique 2
8.00 - 9.30
Tangos (2&3)
One class: £11 pounds Two classes on the same night: £20 Bulerias and tangos are diferent every day All classes accompanied by a guitarist Classes held at: Haverstock School, Haverstock Hill Chalk Farm (opposite Chalk Farm tube station) Buses: 24, 27, 168 More information: 0208 - 9054554 7795166590
IGD Images is proud to be photographing this Flamenco show. Images will be available for purchase directly from the site (address below)
Located in London, IGD Images is available for all kinds of commissioned photographic work. Our diverse experience has made us comfortable in nearly every photographic situation, from photojournalism, to location fashion work. Employing professional photographers and using the latest professional Canon cameras and lenses, IGD Images offers experience, competitive pricing and quality products If you have a specific job you’d like to discuss with us, please contact us via email, we will be happy arrange a meeting to discuss your individual needs.
IGD Images Email info@igdimages.co.uk Web address www.igdimages.co.uk
REHEARSAL
REHEARSAL
Learning Flamenco Bethany Burrow
I’m not Spanish. I don’t speak Spanish (well, I can get a cerveza and a bocadillo de queso at a push and I know my derecha from my izquierda, but that’s about it). I don’t have sleek dark hair, a voice like sandpaper or a disposition for wearing flowers about my person at every opportunity. However, I do count myself as a flamenco dancer. Like many people, my first encounter with flamenco was on a package holiday to Spain as a young child. My inherent desire to be a princess allowed me to be mesmerised by the beautiful ladies in their spotty, frilly dresses and led to my parent-funded holiday souvenir being an 8-inch doll in a rather stately looking flouncey lace gown (which is potentially still in my parents’ attic). As a little girl, I was into ballet and went to classes every week. I was never going to be a ballerina, but learning the steps gradually helped me to overcome severe malcoordination and gain confidence in my physical abilities. On another family holiday, this time to Tunisia, my mother saw a poster advertising a show to be given by the “Ballet de la Ville de Seville” in the local amphitheatre. Thinking it would be a suitable diversion for her ballet-mad 10-year-old, she bought tickets and we went along expecting tutus and men in tights. After what seemed like an interminable delay (which I was later to find out was just “flamenco time”), the “ballet” turned out to be “baile” – flamenco and Spanish classical dance of the highest quality. From the moment the dancers walked on to the stage, I was hooked. One of the dancers lost her shoe and carried on dancing, and I could see that she was enjoying herself in spite of her lack of footwear (and, as I have now realised, the potential danger to the toes of her bare foot!) Fast forward nearly 15 years and I had just moved to London to begin a new job. During the intervening years, I hadn’t had pictures of flamencos on my bedroom wall or bought all the latest Paco Peña CDs, but the desire to dance flamenco had never subsided. I was invited by some friends to go to a ceilidh at Cecil Sharp House in Camden and on the way to the bar I took a wrong turning and bumped into a flamenco lesson. The very next day, I searched for the class on the Internet and found “La Escuela de Baile”, Nuria Garcia’s school. I started the next week and have now been learning for seven years. Since then, the school has moved a couple of times, but the dedication of both the teachers and the students has not changed.
LEARNING FLAMENCO
Some of my best friends are those I have met through flamenco. In my classes there are people from all over the world, of all different ages, races, faiths and backgrounds, but one thing unites us all – the introverted passion which expresses itself extrovertly through dance. Every single person in those classes has their own flamenco story – what’s yours? Starting any new activity can be as daunting as it is exciting. Some people start with friends or their partner but many, like me, just turn up on their own. Some of them have a lot of dance experience, many have absolutely none. It would be dishonest to say that my years of ballet training as a child had not helped with learning flamenco, but my flamenco friends with no history in dance have not been hindered by it and it is important for those who dance regularly to treat flamenco (or any other new discipline) with the respect it deserves – do not expect to waltz (pardon the pun) into an advanced class on day one and be able to keep up! If you are interested in starting flamenco but you are apprehensive about that first lesson, bite the bullet and just go along – all the classes I’ve ever been to have been friendly and welcoming, especially where beginners are concerned. Many new flamenco dancers worry about getting the right kit and what to wear to their first classes. There is no need to lay out lots of cash before your first lesson – it is best to try a few classes before you think about buying shoes or boots, a skirt and all the other less necessary but equally tempting paraphernalia. That way you can tap into your teacher’s knowledge base to make sure you get the equipment that is right for you. For your first few lessons, you will need shoes with a slight heel (including for men) if you have them, but don’t worry too much if you don’t. Anything between about a one-and-a-half and a twoand-a-half inch heel will suffice, and don’t wear your best party shoes – everyday street shoes are not designed for repeated stamping, and there is a chance they might not be up to the task. Girls should wear a long, full skirt but, again, don’t worry if you don’t have one; it is better to wear comfortable trousers than a skirt that is not full enough – you won’t be able to move properly. Men should wear comfortable trousers, and everyone should wear something to class that they feel comfortable in – there’s no need to dress up like you’re going to the féria for every lesson (unless you want to, of course!)
When (not if!) you become hooked on flamenco, you will need to think about getting proper flamenco shoes or boots. Girls’ flamenco shoes look like mary-janes and the boots that the men wear are a bit like cowboy or gaucho boots; both usually have nails driven into the toes and heels which produce the sound and affect the way the shoes grip onto the floor. For the ladies, a practice skirt is another important purchase (but less important than shoes – if you have to buy one thing at a time, buy the shoes first). There are many different brands and styles of shoes, boots and skirts available and a quick Internet search will throw up the many websites offering mail order services; most have very clear sizing information and will make up shoes and skirts based on your exact measurements if you would like. If budget is an issue, ask your teacher if they know of anyone who is selling shoes or skirts second hand, or try eBay. It is important for all flamenco dancers to feel involved in the art. Even as a beginner, you should try to go to as many shows as you can and see as many different dancers as you can. As your studies progress, you will learn to see the differences between dancers’ styles and, more importantly, learn which ones you like and which you dislike. This will help you to develop your own style as you learn. There is a lot of flamenco going on in London and throughout the UK. In London, Sadler’s Wells, the Peacock Theatre and the Barbican, to name but a few, often host some of the best dancers and musicians (including the annual London Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells), and the Peña Flamenca de Londres (the London Flamenco Club) offers monthly shows in a more intimate setting. Nationwide, there are peñas in many towns and cities, from Norwich to Hebden Bridge and from Leeds to Bristol and dance companies from Spain and the UK often tour – look out for details in the local press. In addition, your teacher may be able to tell you about other shows involving the more advanced students and professionals from the local flamenco community. Another way to get exposure to the very best dancers is to do an intensive course with a visiting teacher. La Escuela de Baile offers four or five day courses in London at Christmas and Easter, as well as two six day courses in Jerez, Spain in the summer where you can get the total flamenco experience, with classes in the morning and some organised trips to local flamenco haunts in the evening, and there are several other organisations offering similar courses. Starting flamenco was a life changing experience for me. It has given me strong friendships, made me fitter and helped me through some of the tougher times of my life. Dancing has given me the opportunity to dance on a West End stage, to meet and learn from my flamenco idols and to learn to perform better in difficult circumstances. It has allowed me to express myself and find my own style while giving me a pressure valve for the stresses of every day life.
LEARNING FLAMENCO
You don’t have to be Spanish, speak Spanish or fit any of the flamenco stereotypes to start flamenco dance; anyone can enjoy it and that is the most important thing. They say you regret the things you don’t do more than the things you do – if there’s even a tiny part of you whispering that it wants to give flamenco a try, then give it a go. After all, there’s nothing like a good stamp after a hard day’s work!
Screening Duende: Finding Flamenco on Film Parvati Nair
In the breathtaking opening scene of Carlos Saura’s film, Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding, 1983), Antonio Gades leads a rehearsal for a dance performance of Lorca’s play of star-crossed gypsy love. Gades moves like lightening, his body cutting the purest of lines in the air, his eye razor-sharp… ‘¡Arriba los riñones!’ he roars like a torrent at his dancers: ‘Lift your kidneys!’ The camera pans the studio, allowing us to see Gades and his group of dancers as they are reflected in the mirror. Through the lens, we frame the performance as it is being staged. Both film and flamenco are crafted before our eyes. How many of us, I wonder, first encountered flamenco live and how many of us first saw it on film?
La leyenda del tiempo (Iñaki Lacuesta, 2006)
As most aficionados will recall, the growth of interest in flamenco across the globe was in no small way linked to the international success of the film director Carlos Saura’s now canonized trilogy, Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding, 1981), Carmen (1983) and El amor brujo (Love Bewitched, 1986). These landmark films did more than merely propagate flamenco as an art form. They also confirmed for flamencophiles around the globe what the Spanish film industry already knew: namely, that flamenco is photogenic and lends itself imaginatively to film narratives. It also provides, in life as onscreen, a language of the body through which much becomes possible: constructing new modes of expression, seeking authenticity in a shifting and changeable world, structuring a way of being that is linked to sound and silence, to beat and counterpoint… perhaps even using flamenco as a mirror in which to find new perspectives on life.
FLAMENCO IN FILM
For Saura, a film director whose remarkable and prolific career spans the years of the Rito y Geografía del Cante (Rite and Geography of the Song) period of the dictatorship to the present, this trilogy was a small part of a long engagement with flamenco as performance, as well as with art and politics. This preoccupation meant that Saura’s lens has shifted seamlessly over the years from fiction film to documentary, the boundaries between these two genres blurred by his repeated insistence through cinematic means on the overwhelmingly constructed (and therefore alterable) nature of dance, cultural narratives and politics. What is more, Saura’s films seldom focus simply on flamenco. Inevitably, in what is no doubt a gesture of Iberia (2005) deliberate disregard for the politics of Francoism that sought to separate, categorize and contain art from politics, Saura offers the screen as a space in which flamenco comes into contact with other art forms: theatre, Spanish classical ballet, literature, opera. These hybrid crossings of art-forms underlines Saura’s politics of openness and highlights the creativity with which he explores forms of fusion, always supported by scrupulous attention to artistic rigour and discipline – hence his choice without exception of performers of the highest calibre, such as Antonio Gades, Cristina Hoyos, Sara Baras, Enrique Morente, etc. Notable amongst these are: ¡Ay Carmela! (1990), a tragic-comedy set in the Civil War that follows the fate of a troupe of pro-Republican entertainers taken prisoner by the Nationalist forces, where the actress Carmen Maura (well known for her performances in Almodóvar’s early films) plays the part of a flamenco-style cabaret performer; Sevillanas (1992), a film with, among many others, the unforgettable Lola Flores and Paco de Lucía, that traces the practice of sevillanas through diverse styles and settings; Flamenco (1997), an exploration of flamenco via over three hundred performers, many of whom are key names in their profession, such as Joaquín Cortés, Manolo Sanlúcar, Lola y Manuel.; Salomé (2002), a film that follows the Dos y danza company as it rehearses the flamenco ballet rendition of this Biblical tale and brings it to final performance; Iberia (2005), which records a suite of dances inspired by the work of the Spanish composer Isaac Albéniz. Saura is without doubt the director who has made most films about flamenco. This considerable corpus, however, is only part of a wider focus on music and dance forms that have hitherto been minority art forms and have survived in the shadow of dictatorships. To understand Saura’s films and the politics of music and dance, we need to watch not solely his flamenco films, but also his Tango (1998), set in post-dictatorship Argentina and, very recently, his Fados (2009), an exploration of this under-recognized musical form from Portugal, a country that both neighbours Spain and endures, like Spain, the
ghosts of a former dictatorship. In all these instances, Saura’s focus on music and dance translates into a politics of recognition for those who were shadowed by an unflinching politics of the right. Despite his international acclaim, Saura is by no means the first Spanish film director to feature flamenco onscreen. Flamenco made its presence onscreen almost as soon as the technology of sound had been mastered. Going back to the 1930s, therefore, to before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, the director Florián Rey and his actress/wife Imperio Argentina, no doubt two of the most iconic names in Spanish cinema from that time, called upon flamenco in such box-office hits as Morena Clara (Fair Brunette, 1936). Their presentation of flamenco was distinctly folkloric, Iberia (2005) contrasting the civilized world of the upper class male protagonist, an attorney, with that of the dark-haired and rustic gypsy girl who erupts into his life. The female protagonist of Morena Clara is in every way the opposite of her male counterpart: she is unlettered, passionate, instinctive and seductive. Flamenco comes naturally to her and she epitomizes a key myth that has so successfully propelled flamenco through the centuries: that of authenticity. The depiction of flamenco in these early films follows the genre of costumbrismo, a movement in Spanish literature and culture to portray regional and local types. Such costumbrista-style films inevitably located flamenco alongside the gypsy, thus helping to perpetuate many of the stereotypes attached to this community. El cine folklórico, or folkloric cinema, as this genre came to be called, continued after the Spanish Civil war and played a central role in the revival of the film industry in the wake of the Spanish Civil War, which lasted from 1936-1939. Morena Clara was remade in 1954 by the director Luis Lucío, this time starring none other than the unforgettable Lola Flores Polígono Sur (Southern Polygon, 2003) and, once again, the film captured a Spanish audience who, in the midst of economic hardships, sought light entertainment from the lively interjections of flamenco in film. Those were the early years of Francoism, when the regime had yet to meet any major opposition from artistic and cultural spheres. However, since flamenco was seen as folkloric and thus ‘entertaining’ and entirely marginal, its inclusion in cinema potentially offered a space for filmmakers to include comments, gestures and suggestions that would otherwise perhaps have been forbidden by the severe censorship that was in place in the country. In the depressed climate of post-war Spain, this did not happen at once. It was only after 1950 that the younger generation of filmmakers (ironically, they were trained in the Film School set up by the regime, who were well aware of the ideological potential of film), in particular Juan Antonio Bardem and Luis García Berlanga, turned to neo-realism in film to seek out ways of critiquing the regime. Interestingly, Berlanga’s Bienvenido Mr Marshall (Welcome, Mr. Marshal, 1952), a hilarious mockery of the Francoist bid, back in the 1950s, to secure economic aid from the United States through the Marshall Plan, uses flamenco-style folklore as a means of highlighting to the Americans the impoverished and rustic ‘charm’ of Spain. This was an ironic response to the old guard in the Spanish film industry, a definite signal that younger filmmakers, such as Berlanga, had come to see that flamenco has been exoticized as folklore in a bid to dupe the public and distract them from more pressing social and political concerns. Bienvenido Mr Marshall was also one of the first films to make it to the international film circuit, as it was Spain’s official entry to the Cannes Film Festival, where it won a special mention. It was a while, though, before flamenco films really came to the fore. Flamenco-lovers will be pleased to know that Spain’s first Oscar went to none other than Los Tarantos (1963), starring the inimitable Carmen Amaya and Antonio Gades. This tale of love between the children of Salomé (2002) two feuding families follows the storyline of Romeo and Juliet, but relies on flamenco as the measure of worth. Flamenco here is far more expressive as the language of passion than any of the dialogue. Amaya, an iconic name in flamenco and the first woman to dare to dance the farruca, till then a male prerogative, plays the part of the feisty gypsy mother of the boy in love. The bulería, as the most ‘authentic’ of gypsy dances, takes on a special force here as it expresses the power of passion, as well as gypsy identity and honra (honour). Carmen Amaya also starred with Antonio Gades in the first La flor de mi secreto (1995)
film version of El amor brujo (Love Bewitched, 1967). Her own prowess as a flamenco dancer was later made into a biopic by Jocelyne Ajami in her film Queen of the Gypsies (2003), a film that traces both Amaya’s extraordinary talent and the equally extraordinary events of her life.
FLAMENCO IN FILM
Following the transition to democracy in Spain, flamenco in film was rescued from its rustic Agujetas, Cantaor (Agujetas, The Singer,1999) containment and revamped to epitomize the vibrancy of a country that was modern, forward-looking and keen to redefine itself. By the late 1970s, the world of flamenco had both grown and changed hugely. The release of Camarón’s album, La leyenda del tiempo (1979), a reworking of Lorca’s poem through a fusion of flamenco, rock and jazz, had met with huge opposition from the purists of flamenco, and equally huge acclaim from Polígono Sur (Southern Polygon, 2003) those who were eager to branch out and experiment. In the rapidly changing cultural scene of the transition to democracy (1978-1982), flamenco offered an ideal medium in which to experiment with fusion. By then, singers such as Enrique Morente had established themselves in Madrid and were looking for ways to push the edges of the cante without losing its soul. They also looked, as Saura has done with his films, for inspiration in other art forms, such as poetry and theatre. Changes in flamenco took place across the country, alongside another hugely exciting and innovative cultural movement in Madrid, la movida madrileña, in which the film director Almodoóvar played a defining part. Many an Almodóvar film will feature a flamenco score or two in its soundtrack. Flamenco fusion groups such as Ketama and Barbería del Sur, began to sprout in the 1980s. Flamenco and film both changed in tandem with Spain. Tradition was married to innovation. More specifically, films such as Chus Gutiérrez’s Alma gitana (1999) play with the idea that flamenco can both be acquired from birth and hence ‘in the blood,’ so to speak, and learned (reassuring for those of us who are nongypsies!). This too is a love story based along the Romeo and Juliet theme, depicting a forbidden relationship between a gypsy girl and her Spanish boyfriend. Once again, flamenco – she is born to it, while he struggles to learn it in none other than Madrid’s respected academy of Amor de Dios – is the language of passion. The difference, though, is that this time there is a Volver (2006) happy ending. The film puts flamenco forward as mobile, fluid, open to the possibilities of fusion. It also places flamenco at the heart of Spain’s cultural renewal. The female protagonist is played by Amara Carmona, daughter of the flamenco guitarist Juan Habichuela. Her cousins Antonio Carmona and his group Ketama feature in the film. Once again, the screen becomes the canvas in which flamenco is played out. As practitioners of flamenco, this family is not alone in entering the world of film. The dancer Joaquín Cortés features in Almodóvar’s La flor de mi secreto (1995) where he unleashes an electrifying performance in the course of playing a secondary part. He later acted in Gitano (2000), a film that suffers from a dismal plot, and so survives on the sheer strength of its soundtrack and dance sequences. More recently, and now with undeniable worldwide visibility, we have the climactic scene in Almodóvar’s film, Volver, where Penélope Cruz, herself less known as the trained Spanish dancer that she is than as an actress of international standing, skilfully delivers the bolero sung by the gifted singer Estrella Morente. Since this film came out, who can now listen to ‘Volver’ without seeing this scene in the mind’s eye? Flamenco, film and the idea of fusion all come together onscreen. Carmen (1983)
There are documentaries, too, that seek to trace developments in flamenco. The fame of many a performer is confirmed by the capturing of his or her legacy on film. If, at one time, the no less than twenty-six videos of the television series Rito y Geografía del Cante (Rite and Geography of the Song) were the chief means through which one could visually trace the course of flamenco in the twentieth century and learn who the ‘greats’ were or what their style was like, then this is no longer so now. We have DVDs of Camarón in performance, of Estrella Morente and countless others. There are DVDs too of the numerous flamenco competitions, the Bienial of Sevilla, etc. Two documentaries, however, stand out as essential viewing for all flamenco lovers. They are the French anthropologist Dominique Abel’s Agujetas, Cantaor (Agujetas, The Singer,1999) and Polígono Sur (Southern Polygon, 2003). Agujetas, Cantaor focuses on the singer Manuel Agujetas, the intractable and thorny exponent of deep song, born in Jeréz de la Frontera, whose cante was, quite
literally, forged at the blacksmiths. An enigmatic character, Agujetas both helped make flamenco international through his early links with French recording companies and yet remains hard to know, unforgiving and reclusive. Estranged from his family, despite Volver (2006) having fathered numerous children from a first marriage (his son Antonio Agujetas and daughter Dolores Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding, 1981) Agujetas both carry on the family traditions, established by his father Agujetas Viejo, of deep song), Agujetas now lives with his Japanese wife, who is a flamenco dancer. Abel films Agujetas as he sings to a small and exclusive audience of connoisseurs of deep song in his local peña. The scene is electric. The song may come from him, but equally, it is sustained by those who listen. If ever flamenco were more a desperate cry from a wounded throat than a song, then Agujetas makes it so. Polígono Sur also takes us to another exceptional flamenco setting, that of a locality on the southern edges of Seville, a slum-like quarter of cramped, prefabricated housing, which is now home to the displaced gypsy community that once populated Triana, mythical heartland of flamenco. In this dusty, disregarded edge of Seville, we find some exceptional flamenco families, for example that of Rafael Amador, of the group Pata Negra. For these people of the margins, flamenco becomes a mode of survival, a route to travel and get out of their circumstance. Occasionally, this does really happen, as when Amador makes it to the States to try out some fusion with jazz: more often, it happens imaginatively. Abel’s films allow us to glimpse flamenco as a way of life. It acts as a nexus for community and sustains those who take part, regardless of whether they perform, watch or listen. What is also interesting about these two films is the fact that they focus on gypsy contexts. Music and dance, it would seem, are chief ways in which gypsy identity is constructed and maintained. This idea is also the basis for the film When the Road Bends: Tales from a Gypsy Caravan (Jasmine Dellal, 2006) which follows the trials and tribulations of an international group of Roma performers, as they tour several countries in a bid to define gypsy-ness through their performances. Chosen from Romania, the Balkans, Spain, India and Turkey, the gypsies explore their culture and their heritage through exchanging music. They have, in fact, not much in common, except perhaps the nostalgic imagination of gypsy rootlessness. Amongst them – and Fados (2009)
Flamenco films are not always just about performers. They can also be Alma gitana (1999) about what beguiles us so in flamenco. One such film is the highly recommended, When the Road Bends: Tales from a Gypsy Caravan (2006) though still little known, La leyenda del tiempo (Iñaki Lacuesta, 2006). As the title suggests, the film is resonant with nostalgia in its references to the late singer Camarón de la Isla. Its very setting in La Isla de San Rafael, off the coats of Cádiz and birthplace of Camarón, is heavy with haunting. Palpable, too, is heart of mourning. This tiny island hosts two solitary figures: that of a little gypsy boy who loses his power to sing when his father dies and a Japanese woman who has come all this way with the dream of ‘learning to sing like Camarón.’ Despite the profusion of testaments to his memory, Camarón himself is more unreachable than ever in his place of origin. So too the capture of the song. This is a film about the elusiveness of flamenco and about the dream of flamenco, that remain alive and mobile, even as flamenco is ardently pursued by millions through practice, rehearsal and performance. This is also, therefore, a film about us, the scattered communities of flamencophiles, flamencoholics and flamenco seekers, who have embarked on a long and winding road to find flamenco. Parvati Nair is Professor of Hispanic Cultural Studies at Queen Mary, University of London. Email: p.nair@qmul.ac.uk
FLAMENCO IN FILM
very Andalusian at heart, despite it all -- is Antonio El Pipa, a flamenco dancer from Jeréz, together with his aunt, Juana la del Pipa, who supports him by singing.
Taking the Train to Spain Keith Garrett
We dropped the cars off, headed back to Arrive relaxed, not stressed... Barcelona where we Splurge on a Gran Clase 2-berth had booked a cheap sleeper, and your compartment comes with a private toilet & youth hostel for the shower. Dinner with wine & a night. One of our group continental breakfast are included was a football fanatic so in the fare. A hot shower and she dragged us along to breakfast on the trainhotel really see my first live football sets you up for the day... match ever which was really impressive. A nice meal and out to enjoy some of the night life of Barcelona. Tip from Seat61.com
Whether its for environmental reasons or because you want a more relaxing journey, a train ride to Spain can make for a wonderful way to start any holiday. With a friends 30th approaching and a cheap place for us to stay in Moria near Valencia we went about planning our train trip.
The Eurostar from London St. Pancras is a great way to start any journey, the refurbished station has everything you need to kill time while you wait for your friends, including A lovely breakfast at the hostel and we a champagne bar. Those used to flying headed out to explore Barcelona by will be amazed at how quickly it goes day. Hours were spent eating, drinking, from queueing to departure. Booking in shopping, sight-seeing, lazing on the advance makes a big difference to the beach. When we finally got back to the price and brings the First Class ticket overnight train we were all ready for dinner so we booked two down considerably. These tickets are tables in the restaurant. We had some really nice wine and the generally available around three months food was excellent. Some of us hit the train bar for a bit before before the departure times, mark the heading back to our bunks. date in your diary so you have your pick of the seats, especially A nice early start in Paris meant we could get a Seat61.com is a website which tells you if traveling as a large group as we lot of sightseeing done. We went to the Louve, how to get by train or ferry from the UK were. had crepes, went under the Eiffel tower and to just about anywhere in Europe, whether had a boat trip. Some went into Notre Dame. it’s Dublin or Barcelona or further afield The real beauty of train travel isn’t like Istanbul or Athens. It also tells you how the extra room, the ability to walk We had done enough and were ready to veg to travel by train worldwide, whether it’s around in real comfort, the bar out on the Eurostar back home. Singapore to Bankok on the Trans-Siberian area (although some of my friends railway to China and Japan or coast to might argue) or the reduced waiting Our journey was an amazing event that we coast in the USA or Canada. times, its being able to break up the talked about as much as our holiday. Instead It assumes you know nothing and it talks journey easily and at very little extra of being treated like a piece of baggage on a you through what the options are, what cost, and Paris is a beautiful city to cheap flight we had booked seats with plenty the best train times and routes are, how spend a night or two. of room for our luggage near us. We broke the much it will cost and where is the best journey up and had a lot of fun along the way. place to buy tickets. www.seat61.com Whether or not you decide to stay Life is a journey, not a destination.
TRAIN TO SPAIN
a weekend in Paris or move straight on to the next leg is a personal one, for us Paris was just a place to grab a meal before getting on to the sleeper train that would take us to Barcelona. Once on the sleeper train with our luggage safely stowed in our rooms it was down to the train bar for some drinks. Barcelona rolls into view early the next morning and after a hearty breakfast, Spanish style, we moved onto the final train leg - a high speed train to Valencia. If you miss the in flight movies of your plane journey’s you’ll be happy to hear that this leg not only has good quality air conditioning (something you need on Spanish trains) but also films playing for most of the trip. Hiring cars in Valencia gave us freedom to move around for our holiday and took us the final short hop to our villa. Whether you retrace your steps for the return journey or vary it (perhaps in this case going back via Madrid) is up to you.
LONDON Portsmouth Plymouth Eurostar Trenhotel sleeper trains
PARIS
Main connecting trains Ferries (Brittany Ferries)
A Coruna Santiago de Compostella Vigo Porto
Oviedo
(P&O)
Santander
Bilbao
Hendaye/ Irun Pamplona
Ourense Burgos Valladolid
Salamanca
Zaragoza Tarragona
MADRID
Coimbra Toledo Lisbon
Badajoz Cordoba Seville
Lagos
Cerebere/ Portbou Figueres Girona Barcelona
Valencia Murcia Granada
Palma (Majorca) Ibiza
Alicante Cartagena
Faro Jerez Ronda Cadiz Malaga Almeria Algeciras Gibraltar
Dance Anatomy
Express
your mind and body through flamenco!
Intricate rhythms and complex choreography stimulate and refresh the mind, as well as reduce mental stress.
Flamenco gets the heart into shape! It builds endurance and improves blood pressure, resting pulse rate and cholesterol profile.
A fun way to lose weight and improve tone, increase self confidence, and make lifelong
Muscle strength and flexibility in the back and abdomen is improved, including those important pelvic floor muscles. Good posture and balance are developed, which is handy for flamenco turns. Clothes start to fit better too!
friends!
The lower limbs become powerful and flexible. Strengthening of these weight bearing bones can help to prevent Osteoporosis.
* Stretching pre and post dance practice will reduce injury to the muscles, ligaments and tendons. Try some classes in ballet, yoga or pilates to improve core strength. * Knees should be slightly bent in flamenco. Knees are the main shock absorber of the vibrations produced by the percussive stamping of feet. Bent knees reduce lower back strain as well. * Strong, supple ankles promote precise and rapid footwork, as well as absorb shock. It is important to stretch the muscle and ligaments around the ankle. Imagine standing on one foot and drawing imaginary circles in the air with the big toe of your other foot. * Protect your feet with proper fitting flamenco shoes.
Shoes that are too tight or too loose can lead to bunions and calluses, as well as poor distribution of the movements of the muscles, leading to foot ache and injury. * Shoulders play an important role in accenting the dance. Typical flamenco movements involve the shoulder in an outwardly rotated position, with the arm pushed back. Shoulder dislocation can be prevented by improving the strength of the muscles and tendons around the shoulder joint (known as the rotator cuff ). * Try to attend technique classes regularly, as well as choreography. Good technique is fundamental in preventing injury and progressing as a dancer.
These are the views of Dr. Prerna Shrivastava, who is a GP and a dancer in the show and is intended to be general advice. Please consult your doctor for further information regarding your individual needs.
DANCE ANATOMY
TOP TIPS TO AVOID INJURIES
Photos: Jean-Charles Valienne
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