One year after Robert the Dark will rise with it 1st International Dance Competition Flamenco Extremeño Jaleos, the Lopez de Ayala Theater, from Badajoz, has welcomed him back to shine with his own light in the bulería por soleá and the jaleos, as a guest of the second edition of the contest, which last night was in the hands of the Madrid native Hugo Sanchez, with which the solidarity commitment to that unknown cultural world of the autonomous community that he defended and propagated with such tenacity Francisco Zambrano Vázquez meets expectations and extends its importance to the world of dance.
And we cannot forget that it was Zambrano Vázquez –who signed and was a witness– who achieved, with his presentations, that the cantes extremeños in the International Congresses of Flamenco from Benalmadena (1987) and Cordoba (1988), the latter year in which he endorsed his intentions when he organized the I Art Symposium Flamenco City of Badajoz, an activity with which he revalidated his previous proposals when, "in situ", he detailed the visual and sensory characteristics of the Plaza Alta, the urban space where the project was created flamenco Badajoz.
Is International Center for Flamenco Jesús Ortega the one who, as a higher demand, has taken up the baton in order to capture and transmit that broad and vast world that we call Extremaduran culture, to which the tangos and the Extremaduran jaleos belong irrefutably, in addition to both being distinguished as Asset of Cultural Interest of Extremadura since March 15, 2022, hence tribute has been paid to Paco Zambrano by awarding him, posthumously, the Zero Trophy of the contest, an award that was collected by his daughter Teresa Zambrano.
This II International Dance Competition Flamenco Jaleos Extremeños, enabled for ages between 15 and 45 years, has been fully conducted by Laura Zahínos y María Isabel Rodríguez-Palop, who made explicit the requirement to perform two dances, one of which had to be, obviously, to Extremadura jaleos, also counting on a guarantee, the unquestionable competence of the jury members, and some peculiarities, such as the opening to participants from all over the world who –and here comes the best– have to respect the music of the brushes and correctly apply the sound of the Extremadura jaleos.
Thus, Hugo Sánchez placed himself at the forefront of choreographic art, generating his own intentions and proposing a credible and efficient execution of the jaleos, bringing rigor to the presentation and judiciously weaving the proposal, without forgetting that, at the same time, he demonstrated the usefulness of the taranto and the validity of the style, for which he won the first prize, endowed with 9.000 euros plus a trophy.
The second prize, valued at 4.000 euros plus a diploma, went to Carmen Yanez, who presented an orderly and serious work in the alegrías with a bata de cola and shawl, but effectively brought to the Sevillian school, from which one can deduce a set of captivating current aesthetics, lively, very lively, and with solid principles, which he did not put into practice in the jaleos of Extremadura, where he lacked choreographic personality and, on the other hand, had too much simulation in the aesthetic.
«Those Extremaduran antics that Francisco Zambrano Vázquez defended in the international matches of flamenco, and which placed them originating in the canteand dances of the gypsy weddings after the wedding, have had their best alliance with Jesús Ortega for the benefit of the pairing of Badajoz with the flamenco»
The 3.000 euros of the third prize plus a diploma incomprehensibly ended up in the pocket of the Granada native Silvia Fernandez, which resolved the taranto with strong dynamics, but at the same time with a lack of lyricism in the rhythmic accentuation, in line with the jaleos of Extremadura, where it also failed to touch the soul, either due to a lack of technique or by proposing a choreographic plot that made one think more than enjoy.
It must be considered, in this regard, that the staging of the dance by jaleos extremeños is like someone who builds a bridge, which, in addition to being solid, must allow the spectator to walk across it, and not a cryptic recipe book.
For example, Maria Canea, which won the awards Tablao Cultural Center Madrid, for the official contracting of three days, and that of the Badajoz Provincial Council, both for the essentiality that he placed in the fandangos of Huelva and for the uniqueness of his jaleos, only comparable in quality, identity and dialogue with what Hugo Sánchez proposed.
However, in addition to the three official awards and the already mentioned ones from María Canea, the jury awarded rewards such as the TikTok award to Sarah Ortega, valued at 500 euros for the best "kick" for hassles shared on that social network, to which we must add that he distinguished himself with a five-day immersive scholarship for Fernando Leon, from Germany, for the project Flamenco of Hercules, led by The choro, Lucia the Pineapple y Carmen young.
Apart from those mentioned, the jury also awarded two training scholarships in the National Ballet of Spain two weeks long for Anaïs Ribas, and a training stay in the Ballet Flamenco Andalusia and also to Silvia Fernandez.
The aforementioned prizes were awarded by a tribunal which included the grandmaster Cristina Hoyos placeholder image; Ruben Olmo, director of the National Ballet of Spain; Patricia guerrero, director of the Ballet Flamenco from Andalusia; Susana Lupiañez, known for The Lupi, a dancer from Malaga with a proven track record; and Juan Carlos Guajardo, dancer, choreographer and producer of the International Center for Flamenco Jesus Ortega.
It is the aforementioned jury that has set the values of a style, the jaleos extremeños, which do not end with the bets of the participants, but on the proscenium of the López de Ayala Theater the reality of the third edition of a contest is born and begins, thanks to the concern of the dancer and teacher from Badajoz Jesús Ortega, has not only revitalized the spirit of this dance, but is also cultivating its repertoire, as evidenced by the presence of an enthusiastic audience that filled the auditorium.
Those Extremaduran scandals that Francisco Zambrano Vázquez defended in the international matches of flamenco, and which placed them originating in the canteand dances of the gypsy weddings after the wedding, have had, therefore, their best alliance with Jesús Ortega for the benefit of the marriage of Badajoz ’s relationship with the flamenco.
