London Flamenco Festival: 12 Mar. ‘Mujeres’

The show was directed by the veteran Mario Maya, featuring three bailaoras from different generations - Merche Esmeralda, Belen Maya and Rocio Molina. The guest cantaora, Diana Navarro, also performed as the icing on the cake.

Although I wasn’t personally impressed as much as I was by Pastora, all the three dancers proved their own uniqueness and presences.

The guest singer, Nadia, entertained us with her stunningly beautiful and powerful singing. Her high tone voice was muy flamenco (flamenco voices don’t have to be husky) and she even sang a Saeta. She wasn’t much involved in the dancing performances, except when Merche elegantly danced to her singing, using three chairs. Using chairs… It reminded me of the Pastora’s weird choreography, but Merche, in contrast, using not one but three, was ‘elegant’. Even though she pushed two of them down at the end, she was still ‘elegant’.

For baile solos, Belen Maya danced Tango, Merche did Solea wearing a bata de cola, Rocio Molina did Seguiriya. I think the audience’s favourite was Rocio, and even my husband said she was the best, with her complicated arm movements and footwork. Her choreography was full of agogics – sharp contrasts between escalating and slowing down during the music.

For me, Belen was possibly the best. Her style isn’t very feminine, and her movements might be symbolised by her zigzag shaped arms which conservative flamenco fans wouldn’t like. But she seemed to be responding to the songs better than the other two.

As for Merche, I was determined to enjoy her performance this time – in ‘Gala Flamenca’ shown at Tokyo Flamenco Festival in 2005, I somehow fell asleep when she was on. So, this time, I was looking forward to seeing her for the real first time, but, again… Well, this time, I didn’t fall asleep but I realised that I got nearly bored halfway. I really didn’t mean it, though. Maybe her style isn’t really my taste for some reasons… but I don’t know why…

There were some conceptual dance performances between solos, either by the duo of Merche and Rocio, or Belen and Rocio, but they were too abstract for me to figure out. One of my flamenco classmates, who happened to see the same show, later said that she didn’t like it either.

The last performance, Caracoles by all of them wearing bata de colas, was fabulous. Each of them was featured individually in turns, Belen using an abanico, Rocio palillos and Merche a manton. Belen impressed me the most, as I hadn’t known that she could dance that elegantly. The singers were outstanding as well.

At the end of the show, as I expected, Mario Maya appeared on stage, invited by Merche. For fin de fiesta, Belen danced first, then Rocio and Merche respectively, and finally Mario. Some people from the audience didn’t seem to know who he was, but his brilliant una pataita made everyone excited, I believe.

As I mentioned, Belen seemed to be responding the best to the singing. At the fin de fiesta, her palmas were as vibrant as her dancing, as if the rhythm was springing from her well-flamenconised body. Her style might not be for everyone, but in the spirit of flamenco, I think she is one of the ace artists.