Flamenco spree in Seville
1st WORLD'S FAIR OF FLAMENCO
"Palacio de Exposiones y Congresos", Seville
October 4th - 7th, 2001

"It's an important day for flamenco"
Pepe de Lucía, public relations, World's Fair of Flamenco

It's hard to describe the feeling of astonishment I had upon entering Seville's splendiferous convention center known as the "Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos", where so many erudite professionals and cultured individuals have exhibited their wares, both material and intellectual. It was total shock. What's flamenco doing here? What have all these impeccably dressed and coiffed beret-wearing hostesses to do with the rough, humble places that flamenco normally inhabits? Isn't the concept of so much organization the very antithesis of the bohemian, anarchic world of flamenco?

The basic idea behind the 'expo', in the words of Manuel Herrera Rodas, director of Seville's Bienal del Flamenco, was that the the Fair was intended to be "a great showcase of all the products flamenco is capable of generating...bringing together all the industries and artesans involved in flamenco: fashion, record companies, audiovisual production, guitar and other instruments of accompaniment..." In informal conversations, again and again, I heard people comment to the effect "if we don't step in and do this ourselves, they're going to snatch it away from under our noses", an oblique reference to the many German, Italian, French, American, British and particularly Japanese firms who for years have known how to exploit the commerical value of what was here being treated as merchandise: flamenco.

Photo: Estela Zatania

Perhaps the concept of flamenco as a marketable commodity is somewhat crude, but the public response was overwhelming, especially in light of a certain generalized malaise resulting from the recent political instability that had affected all sectors. Some fifteen thousand people filed through the Fair over the four-day period it was open. They came to pick up promotional material, books and CD's, most of them free, taking time to sample wines and tapas, making personal contacts, and above all, enjoying the many live performances, from the most traditional to the most avant-garde, with a heavy emphasis on the latter, as one would expect from such an unabashedly commercial event. It could easily have been called the World's Fair of Fusion, and no offense intended.

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	Tate Montoya & Mª José Santiago Requelo & Mártires del Compás
	Mariquilla & daughter Tatiana Matilde Coral

In addition to the nighttime shows (Centro Andaluz de Danza, Tomatito and Chano Domínguez, Juan Manuel Cañizares with Marina Heredia, Arcángel, Tatiana, El Grilo and Juan Andrés, Tomasito and Los Activos) for which tickets were purchased separately, the entrace to the Fair included, among other things, eight varied recitals sponsored by the Confederación de Peñas de Andalucía, cante recitals with Diego el Cigala and Esperanza Fernández, a gala presentation of the winners of the Bienal's Third Concurso de Jóvenes [contest for young artists], Javier Latorre's and Fernando Romero's work "Pura Intención", a guitar recital with Paco del Gastor and Paco Delgado, the show "Huelva, la Esencia del Fandango", a cante recital by the Catalonian singer Duquende... There was a dizzying swirl of activity, excessive for some: flamenco fashion shows with dancers as models, record presentations, master classes of guitar and dance under the direction of Juan Habichuela and Matilde Coral and a strong media presence including live radio and TV broadcasts directly from the center...a flamenco orgy of olympic proportions.

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El Mistela	José Luis Cortés ("Peña Unión")	José Manuel Gamboa

Aside from the above-mentioned artists, illustrious flamenco personalities such as Juan Peña el Lebrijano, Pansequito, Manuela Carrasco, Israel Galván, el Turronero (who is back in circulation after a serious illness), Mariquilla, Inés Bacán, Aurora Vargas, Romerito hijo, Martirio, Luis Caballero, Curro Fernández, Pepa de Benito and an ample assortment of flamencologists and commentators were also present ... impossible to name them all.

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	Paco del Gastor Pepe de Lucía, Aurora Vargas & Pansequito
	Manuela Carrasco El Turronero

Due to what could be called organization "a la flamenca", it was extremely difficult to locate the various places where shows were being presented, but I was lucky enough to find myself in the auditorium for La Hora de Morón with Juana Amaya's cuadro featuring the wonderful singer Enrique el Extremeño.

This dancer who had given birth only forty days earlier, who astonished me with her ability at the age of eleven, who disappointed me when she was twenty (overdone faces and unflamenco modern dance movements), has now at last fulfilled her mission in life, which is to dance flamenco.

I don't know what or who made her return to the straight and narrow, but it's not possible to dance better, more traditionally, with greater depth and strength, both physical and emotional, than did Juana Gómez García, Juana Amaya, on Sunday the 7th of October at half past two in the afternoon at Seville's Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos.

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	Requelo and his family El Raya & Luis Caballero
	Juana Amaya + dancers & Juan Toro Tomás de Perrate & José de la Buena

Another show which I was fortunate enough to catch, because it was just that difficult to find the different halls and auditoriums, was a cante recital given by Antonio Agujetas and Melchora Ortega. Agujetas junior has always had his father's sound, which is a plenty good start, but now he is quickly learning everything that had been missing, and which can only come with experience and the passage of time. More importantly, it's clear this young man has chosen the path of traditional cante. He sang soleá, tonás and fandangos, radiating a serious countenance and respect for the purest sort of cante.
Surprisingly, this young cantaor is able to establish a rapport with his audience making use of a natural, easygoing manner and off-the-cuff comments.

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Diego Marqués & Dani de Morón	Romerito hijo	Juana Amaya

Melchora Ortega offered a completely different, but no less admirable type of cante. With a clean, strong, flexible voice she sang soleá de Triana, exhibiting a wide range of little-known styles; somewhat weak in bulerías, but nothing less than impressive por siguiriyas where she took risks that few other women would dare to take in this form, interpreting a long string of difficult classic styles. With all the comments you hear these days, and all the criticism, that young flamenco artists are straying from the path, I'm beginning to realize there is a parallel development of extraordinary afición, almost unprecendented until just a few years ago. Flamenco has become fashionable, and all its manifestations are flourishing.

Photo: Estela Zatania

The bottom line was, there was something for everyone, and the one thousand-peseta entrance fee, between free samples and shows, was the year's best bargain. The next Fair is to be presented at the same time as the finale of the Bienal, making Seville an epicenter for flamenco in the autumn of 2002.

Estela Zatania