Adrián Brenes
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| La Truco and Cristian Rubio Truco |
I've been in Madrid for the last few weeks, brushing up my skills and checking out the dance scene in the capital. Although flamenco was born in Andalucía, there are more opportunities in the big cities and I decided it was time to spread my wings.
This week, I danced in my first dance show in Madrid, five nights at the Casa Patas, a well-known flamenco venue. Most of the best-known flamenco artists have appeared there, so it was a privilege as well as a pleasure.
My part in the show wasn't large, but as the new guy in town, it was a great start. I was one of the minor members of a group which included La Truco, her son Cristian and the bailaor Sebastián Sánchez. I danced some bulerías, but my main role was to dance sevillanas.
Sevillanas are well-known because it is traditional to dance them at feria, the spring fair. Many people know how to dance sevillanas; not everybody does them perfectly and the improvisation is part of the fun.
Dancing sevillanas professionally is more complex, because you have to do the steps perfectly and then include a huge amount of artistic interpretation. In general, it's more difficult to dance sevillanas slowly than quickly. At home in Conil, I often danced sevillanas with my friend Cristina and we both enjoyed it.
Sevillanas, which are usually danced in couples, are choreographed in 4 sections or 'sevillanas' and each one has three parts with its own distinct sequence of steps. A full set of sevillanas takes about four minutes to dance. I've been dancing sevillanas since I was nine years old, and I don't usually worry about my ability to dance them, but this time, there was a catch - these were the Sevillanas of Lebrija.
These sevillanas are also called the 'Corraleros of Lebrija', and the musical accompaniment is traditionally provided by women. They have a strong rhythm, with percussion from tambourines, cooking pots slapped with slippers, and palmas.
These sevillanas are also called the 'Corraleros of Lebrija', and the musical accompaniment is traditionally provided by women. They have a strong rhythm, with percussion from tambourines, cooking pots slapped with slippers, and palmas.
The pattern of these sevillanas is roughly the same as the ones we dance in Cadiz, but this time there was one vital difference - we danced them with castanets. I'm not very experienced with these, which are often seen as the province of female dancers, so I had to practise hard. In the end, though, the show went well and I was able to add another skill to my repertoire. Nevertheless, I think my skill with castanets will remain improvable for quite a while yet! Here's a short clip:
Living in Madrid isn't something I've got used to yet, but I'm lucky to be with good friends and my debut on the stage there was a great introduction to what I hope will be an enjoyable and profitable stay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=046fuqMVWzc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=046fuqMVWzc
