It just gets better and better!
The audience's reaction to this year's Puerto Flamenco performance Dos Pies, Dos Manos, Una Vida, was overwhelming - definitely the best edition ever. The energy on stage was tremendous - a show filled with action and oomph! When Jesus Herrera danced...
The audience's reaction to this year's Puerto Flamenco performance Dos Pies, Dos Manos, Una Vida, was overwhelming - definitely the best edition ever. The energy on stage was tremendous - a show filled with action and oomph! When Jesus Herrera danced his solo Solea number he impressed us. His masculine figure was a picture of strength. His gypsy style was raw and spontaneous and his energy could not be restrained. He then joined Antonio Castro and Francesca Grima in a Solea Por Buleria which was done with impeccable synchrony. In spite of this, I preferred to watch Jesus Herrera alone because his spirit of improvisation is ideal for a solo number.
Jose 'El Tremendo' and Tamara Lopez sang a Taranto and a Cartagenera respectively. These two palos form part of the Levante styles which feature only in loquacious vocal exhibitions, the most elaborate in flamenco which I can confirm was the case here.
Guitarist Eduardo Trassierra played his solo with soft, decisive notes. Trassierra played his own composition of a Taranta which culminated into a Buleria. Here we are talking of switching from a four count beat to a six, which says it all. I was also informed that Friday's performance was slightly different - Eduardo Trassierra's strength is his inventiveness. His tunes filled the still summer atmosphere of the Palace courtyard until the audience cheered him with a deafening applause.
Francesca Grima's performance of Alegrias was very energetic and yet precise. Wearing a pink and green Flamenco dress with flowers adorning her upstyle, the bailaora took the stage by storm in this cheerful and vigorous dance. Alegrias is a "happy" rhythm as the name itself suggests. The moves were very upbeat and the coordination was timely. The accompanying musicians followed her pace steadily and the piece was ideal to show off the bailaora's strong points. Her force was very much conveyed as it takes a fit dancer to manage a dance of approximately 15 minutes long with a constant energy level throughout. The footwork was strong with clear sounds and the strength in her arms was outlined by the arm movements which followed her feet instinctively, never dropping an inch below the desired level, never lingering one second to make the next move. This year's performance required lots of stamina.
The next solo was Antonio Castro's seguiriya and I can safely say it was probably the most striking number, at least in my opinion. Antonio Castro wore a suit to dance in which is very reminiscent of what I saw in Jerez. It might come across as a minute detail but try and imagine keeping the dance going in the middle of a Maltese heat wave wearing a suit. Another striking feature in this dance was the sound of the bailaor's "digs". The "dig" or planta describes the footwork movement in which the dancer strikes the foot down with his sole or tip area. Antonio Castro has a signature dig. It was fantastic and I don't think I ever heard such clear strong footwork before. His seguiriya portrayed a rare knowledge of compas such that he stuck to the rhythm without failing to lose control and get carried into another less correct rhythm. This bailaor's talent was simply breathtaking. His technique is clean and classical. He gave the audience a taste of an experienced dancer.
What we missed this year was Andrej Vujicic's solo on Cajon which could have been added to give us more music and fewer dances.
The buleria a palo seco, which ended the fiesta, was another of the memorable moments of the night. This piece is what I like to refer to as a sort of impromptu style because the musicians, singers and dancers also did their bit together, besides alone while sitting round a table as though they were casually having a chat. It was very typical of what one would see at a peña in Spain and it felt very raw indeed. Keeping the time of the 12 count rhythm just by banging on the table (an alternative to the more conventional palmas), the artistes each had their role in the merry making of this scene. Bulerias is a mocking rhythm and the fun of this style was very obvious to the audience. The cast was really enjoying it to the full.
What I'd like to mention here is that I noticed a certain maturation or "artistic growth" in Francesca Grima and Andrej Vujicic this year. I got this vibe from the very beginning of the show but when they started to sing solo in the last number I further confirmed my suspicions that Flamenco is not just dance for Francesca and not just Cajon for Andrej. They both have a steady voice and it was nice to see their continuous effort to improve their artistic talents. Each artiste had his moment alone in this piece and each artiste took up another role besides his own.
After all Flamenco is dance, song and guitar for all Flamenco artistes - dancer, singer or guitarist alike. This kept the show rolling into a climax until they walked off the stage in a traditional Flamenco way to the audience's standing ovation.
Jose 'El Tremendo' and Tamara Lopez sang a Taranto and a Cartagenera respectively. These two palos form part of the Levante styles which feature only in loquacious vocal exhibitions, the most elaborate in flamenco which I can confirm was the case here.
Guitarist Eduardo Trassierra played his solo with soft, decisive notes. Trassierra played his own composition of a Taranta which culminated into a Buleria. Here we are talking of switching from a four count beat to a six, which says it all. I was also informed that Friday's performance was slightly different - Eduardo Trassierra's strength is his inventiveness. His tunes filled the still summer atmosphere of the Palace courtyard until the audience cheered him with a deafening applause.
Francesca Grima's performance of Alegrias was very energetic and yet precise. Wearing a pink and green Flamenco dress with flowers adorning her upstyle, the bailaora took the stage by storm in this cheerful and vigorous dance. Alegrias is a "happy" rhythm as the name itself suggests. The moves were very upbeat and the coordination was timely. The accompanying musicians followed her pace steadily and the piece was ideal to show off the bailaora's strong points. Her force was very much conveyed as it takes a fit dancer to manage a dance of approximately 15 minutes long with a constant energy level throughout. The footwork was strong with clear sounds and the strength in her arms was outlined by the arm movements which followed her feet instinctively, never dropping an inch below the desired level, never lingering one second to make the next move. This year's performance required lots of stamina.
The next solo was Antonio Castro's seguiriya and I can safely say it was probably the most striking number, at least in my opinion. Antonio Castro wore a suit to dance in which is very reminiscent of what I saw in Jerez. It might come across as a minute detail but try and imagine keeping the dance going in the middle of a Maltese heat wave wearing a suit. Another striking feature in this dance was the sound of the bailaor's "digs". The "dig" or planta describes the footwork movement in which the dancer strikes the foot down with his sole or tip area. Antonio Castro has a signature dig. It was fantastic and I don't think I ever heard such clear strong footwork before. His seguiriya portrayed a rare knowledge of compas such that he stuck to the rhythm without failing to lose control and get carried into another less correct rhythm. This bailaor's talent was simply breathtaking. His technique is clean and classical. He gave the audience a taste of an experienced dancer.
What we missed this year was Andrej Vujicic's solo on Cajon which could have been added to give us more music and fewer dances.
The buleria a palo seco, which ended the fiesta, was another of the memorable moments of the night. This piece is what I like to refer to as a sort of impromptu style because the musicians, singers and dancers also did their bit together, besides alone while sitting round a table as though they were casually having a chat. It was very typical of what one would see at a peña in Spain and it felt very raw indeed. Keeping the time of the 12 count rhythm just by banging on the table (an alternative to the more conventional palmas), the artistes each had their role in the merry making of this scene. Bulerias is a mocking rhythm and the fun of this style was very obvious to the audience. The cast was really enjoying it to the full.
What I'd like to mention here is that I noticed a certain maturation or "artistic growth" in Francesca Grima and Andrej Vujicic this year. I got this vibe from the very beginning of the show but when they started to sing solo in the last number I further confirmed my suspicions that Flamenco is not just dance for Francesca and not just Cajon for Andrej. They both have a steady voice and it was nice to see their continuous effort to improve their artistic talents. Each artiste had his moment alone in this piece and each artiste took up another role besides his own.
After all Flamenco is dance, song and guitar for all Flamenco artistes - dancer, singer or guitarist alike. This kept the show rolling into a climax until they walked off the stage in a traditional Flamenco way to the audience's standing ovation.