Flamenco

Last night and today we are in Jerez de la Frontera.  This is the home of sherry and one of the most famous equestrian schools in the world.  We made a visit to some of the standard tourist sites, a sherry bodega, the local cathedral, the Alcazar etc.  They were all very interesting and we will fill you in on them as time permits. 
   

Jerez also claims to be the home of flamenco.  This is open to questioning as is the origin of the art form itself.  Jerez is at the end of a two week flamenco festival which occurs this time each year.  There are many different forms of flamenco from very informal performances to significant theatrical events.  (See the Wikipedia entry for a broad view.) 

Tonight we saw a theatrical performance by Maria Pages and her company.  She is a world renowned artist and gets rave reviews wherever she goes.  She has several videos on YouTube including the one at the following link:

http://www.mariapages.com/en_videos.html 

This will give you an idea of what we saw but it does not come near capturing the power and fire of the show we saw tonight.

 Although Barbara is an afficianado of ballet, classical music, and especially opera, I am not.  Before we went to the theater, I recalled the one live flamenco show I saw 47 or 48 years ago on a dinner date with a student dental hygenist.  I do remember I enjoyed the energy and passion of that show.  

The performance this evening was absolutely engaging.  The Spanish guitar played aggresively and firmly combined with voices, often plaintive and always passionate, complemented the rhythms of the booted feet and the palmas (hand clapping).  The round, deep tones of a bass added another layer.   Then, of course, was the visual effect.  First in the ensemble performances, eight dancers, four men and four women, moved with precision and grace, their costumes flowing with them,  yet each movement was powerful and passionate.
 
The principal dancer, Maria Pages, first appeared in black tights.  Her body was a powerful instrument played with grace, agility, and energy.  Her later appearences  included the more traditional costuming one thinks of with flamenco.  Each of them flowed gracefully yet powerfully and precisely, again expressively and sultry. 
 
At the end of the show, the audience, obviously more knowlegeable than I, clapped and stomped in a flamenco style, as the troupe made repeated curtain calls for 5 or 6 minutes.  

After a short and very upbeat encore it was over.
Much of the audience milled around in the lobby and in a small plaza outside the theater.  They, and we, had all been part of something very special.  

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