Spain's fiery flamenco

by Gwen Herat

The fiery tempo of the Spanish dance needs more vigour and exuberance than any other form of dance. One needs to be bubbly and possess stamina at its best. Every step and movement requires strength.

Jose Greco as Cortes as the Grand-Conquistador in the Grandes Danzas de Cortes with his beautiful and vivacious partner, Nana Lorca.

In Spain classically trained dancers are occasionally assembled under a ballet master to contribute dance sequences for the season or for a touring company. Each ballet master treats this art differently but the glorious footwork remains in tact. Music varies and so are the sequences.

While the general principles hold true, great many scenes are replaced and events perpetrated from one dance to another. In the process certain traditions are broken.

Sometimes referred to as ‘Post Modern Dance’ which is currently in vogue, their American colleagues appear too vague and none of them produced a workable definition. The Anglo-Americans are more positive in their approach to Spanish classical dance and look at it with reconsideration into their dance forms. In technical terms, they feel there is a mix-up with modern and ballroom dance. The standards of the Spanish art, to be more precise, the Flamenco cannot be undertaken without references that are listed separately in their syllabus.

We must bear in mind that Spanish dance is a national dance very close to the hearts of Spaniards.

The sequences that are identified though separately, especially at Barcelona's Theatre Lico for the opera seasons are mostly the abundance of costumes specialising in Spain dancing and thereby the dance seems effectively to have prevented the growth of a national ballet culture and the increasing guests’ visits of foreign ballet companies do not appear to have stimulated a desire to build a native costume until the setting up of Ballet Classico de Madrid in he 1980s.

Dance lovers

Take a look at the fiery Flemenco that has worked its way to the South American dance with a strong foothold in Spain. Many dance lovers still cannot separate the Flemenco from Spanish dancing, especially with the castenots being the main rhythm supplier.

Flemenco is the word designated from a gypsy from Seville along with their traditional dance. Such flemenco dances are from Alegrias, Soleares, Bulerias, Farruca, Zapateado, Tango and Sombra. Incidentally, the Tango is danced in ballrooms and identified as one in their art form.

Flemenco also reveals Moorish and Arabian influences. Incidentally, they were only danced to the accopaniment of songs and clapping of hands. Later, the guitar was added but there was always a fixed basic rhythm to which variants, new steps, and counter-rhythms were gradually introduced. Its vigour comes from the contrast between the fixed rules and the individuality of the interpretations.

A flemenco dance must possess the demon (‘duende’) which appears to really grip the audience. From the cafe chantants the flemenco found its way into this. It is no more the ritual look and that sometimes frightened the younger audiences who were more at ease at modern and classical dance.

One of the most popular touring dance companies is the Spanish Company of Jose Grece.

They not only tour to show their prowess in dance techniques but also their history and the culture. They tell in dance their evolution over the past 500 plus years which stretches from the start of Iberian culture. In the dancing panorama one sees the elegant Grande Danzas de Cortes of the 16th century which is the gat-danzas Estudiantinos of the 17th century.

The religious dances which involved many pagan rituals and in the 18th century, the Danzas Populares which are about the various village festivities. Much of the dancing of this versatile company is a mixture and flavour of this versatile company is the humour and flavour of the gay nineties, especially during its wild flemenco dances where Spanish gipsy temperament came to the fore.

The influence of French Court in Spain is revealed by the company in a ballet called Epec Goyesca, a tribute to Goya, their great national artist of their period.

Reputation

Jose Greco is one of Spain's finest dancers though until recently he was little known outside his own country. Today, his reputation is worldwide. Greco started his career with the fabulous Argentinita and partnered her for a considerable period.

He toured America with Argentinita until her death in 1945. Her sister, Pilar Lopez invited him to become a member of her troup and he did so before forming his own company. He was trained in the most prestigious school of his erstwhile partners, Argentinita and Pilar Lopez, Spain's more revered and renowned dancers.

Greco's dancing possesses the controlled passion and hauteur of Spanish Grandee and the interpretation of his many roles has earned him the title of Greco the Magnificent'.

His present partner is the wondrously beautiful Nana Lorca.