The dance in winter: martinetes and seguiriyas.

 

Adrián Brenes, Jackie Cornwall

The dance in winter: martinetes and seguiriyas.

 Adrián Brenes

2013, my first year as a professional flamenco dancer, was an intense experience. From April to October, I danced between two and five days a week in various venues, and when you add in the respective rehearsals, it’s not surprising that by the end of October I was bit tired, both mentally and physically. I went on a short holiday in the UK and returned home to begin my winter routine.

Attention to detail brings results

During the summer, I’d gained confidence onstage and performing was now second nature. I was able to focus on the details and nuances of my choreography and enrich my dance with a wider spectrum of shades and individual touches. After having performed each palo scores of times, I had become very aware of the structure of the dance. As I performed, I made mental notes of the areas I could improve on.  At the same time, I’d accumulated a few faults and bad habits, and now was the time to concentrate on correcting them.

Technique is the main focus

My winter schedule consisted of three two-hour practice sessions every week with the Compañia Ventura and our teacher and choreographer Milagros. These are group sessions and it is up to each performer to adapt the knowledge we gain to our own individual needs. We pay for these sessions as they are part of our professional development, though rehearsals for specific shows are held separately. In lessons we work on the rhythm, technique and steps; in rehearsals, we work mainly on choreographies.

The company is the same as always – a new member who had joined for the summer had gone back to college – and as time has passed, we’ve developed a lot of trust and understanding. As a group, we wanted to build a bigger repertoire so that we could face the new season’s demanding audiences with more resources and especially with new dances. Personally, technique is always my main focus, especially in winter when I have more time. We all wanted innovative, better and more difficult choreographies through which to arrange new and better shows.



We decided to work on two new palos this winter – seguiriyas and martinetes. They have the same compás, though their mood is different.  Martinetes originated with the strike of the blacksmith’s hammer in the forges of Jerez and Seville; they are sung unaccompanied (palo seco) and they have a serious, honest and direct mood.



Milagros Ventura: seguiriyas
 



Our martinetes are danced with percussion only (al golpe), provided by a cajón. This demands great concentration and sensitivity to the compás, but the effect is very striking. This performance, choreographed by Rebeca Tomas will give an idea of what we are working on.



Milagros Ventura - Seguiriyas

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaVw-qG0zaU

 

Seguiriyas are better known, and are strongly associated with my home region of Cádiz. They are profound, with taut, minimalist lyrics which expose the existential despair of the gypsy soul and to dance them well, you must reach deep inside yourself.  Seguiriyas, even more than other flamenco palos, come to life in front of an audience when the emotion is generally understood and shared.

Although in October it had been a relief to take a rest, I soon began to miss my audiences. Artistically it's necessary to have shows now and again: especially in Flamenco, a dancer is nourished and fulfilled through contact with the public. We’re hoping to give a show in February and it won’t come a moment too soon.



Although I’d earned a living wage over the summer, my income is severely reduced in the winter months. Fortunately, I also teach flamenco dance to an advanced group, and since at the moment I’m able to live at home with my family, I cover my expenses.



With the Compañia Ventura

Winter in flamenco isn’t as exciting or rewarding as during the summer months, but it’s just as important to our development and the improvement of our art.

 

Thanks to Kelly Lawlor for permission to use photographs

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_20?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=a+summer+in+flamenco+jackie+cornwall&sprefix=A+Summer+in+Flamenco%2Cstripbooks%2C313

 





 

 

 




 

 

 

 





A Summer in Flamenco - now online

A Summer in Flamenco is online!

Find us at:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/A-Summer-Flamenco-Jackie-Cornwall/dp/1494496216/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1390680873&sr=8-1&keywords=A+Summer+in+Flamenco

The Spanish version 'Un Verano de Flamenco' will be available in a few weeks.

Writing 'A Summer in Flamenco'

Flamenco from the inside

A Summer in Flamenco

Online next week

 

Jackie Cornwall

Flamenco was one of my reasons for coming to live in Spain – although I have four Spanish sisters, I’m Welsh by birth. In 2012, the flamenco dancer Adrián Brenes was kind enough to allow me to follow his career for an entire summer, and this book is the result. The summer was a huge learning curve for me, and as I struggled to master sevillanas, and made my hands tingle doing palmas, Adrián calmly and patiently filled in the gaps in my knowledge. Adrián’s voice and mine alternate as we unfold our theme. Photographer Kelly Lawlor captured some beautiful moments.

One of the highlights of the summer was the world’s first flamenco-Shakespeare fusion show which we directed together. However, the book is about more than flamenco; it also documents the difficult choices before the young as they struggle to make their way in difficult economic condition and records a unique inter-generational friendship.

‘A Summer in Flamenco’ is  190 pages long with 30 colour pages and many other images. Available from bookshops in English or Spanish (‘Un Verano de Flamenco’) or online in English.

If you have difficulty finding a copy of the book, please contact diamondeyesartsenterprises@gmail.com 

Book launch: A Summer in Flamenco

Flamenco from the inside…

Jackie Cornwall   Kelly Lawlor   Adrián Brenes Ureba

A Summer in Flamenco

 

 

How does he write history into the empty air, having nothing to work with but the meagre resources of one small human body?
 When poet and theatre director Jackie Cornwall meets young flamenco dancer Adrián Brenes in the picturesque Andalucían town of Vejer de la Frontera, she is fascinated by the mystery of his art.  Spain is in economic crisis and Adrián’s future is uncertain but together they embark on the world’s first Shakespeare/flamenco fusion production. And as their shared journey takes them from Spain to Florence, and finally to New York, Adrián shows her exactly what it means to be ‘flamenco’.

Lavishly illustrated with Kelly Lawlor’s photographs, this entertaining and heartwarming book,describes the world of flamenco ‘from the inside’. A lively and highly personal introduction to the quintessentially Andalucían art, it will delight everyone who loves Spain or flamenco, or who cares about the fate of the young in a challenging world.

Jackie Cornwall was born in England of Welsh parentage in 1948. After living in Turkey, Wales and Mexico, she has now settled in Vejer de la Frontera in the Province of Cadiz. Her history of Vejer was published in 2011.

 

 

Adrián Brenes Ureba was born in Conil de la Frontera in 1986. He began dancing at the age of 8 and won his first competition at the age of 9. He  trained with teachers in Andalucia and Madrid and has performed on many stages. In 2014, he was awarded a Master’s degree in Computer Science by Cadiz University.

Kelly Lawlor was born in Essex in 1968 She has worked on a wide range of photographic projects, specialising in portraits, actors’ Spotlight head shots and portfolios. She now lives and works in Vejer de la Frontera.