One of the charms of the performing arts is that no two shows are ever the same. And not because the artist doesn't repeat their movements identically on stage, but because the audience's gaze, which is never the same, conditions and transforms everything that happens under the spotlight. Performing at Seville's Teatro Central, in front of spectators accustomed to contemporary language, isn't the same as performing in a venue where that language feels foreign. Performing at a festival like Jerez or the Biennial, where a well-formed audience is assumed, isn't the same as performing at a fledgling festival like the Tagarnina Fest in Algodonales. And that's part of its appeal.
The second day of this event was led by two dancers who, starting from the flamenco, develop dance speeches with an avant-garde vocationThe first of them, the Sevillian one Macarena López, was defined by the master of ceremonies Susanne Zellinger as an artist “often considered savage, but she isn't, because she controls everything she does.” We see her appear carrying her shawl and dress, and we immediately see that her control over her body is, indeed, absolute.
"There may be programmers who don't dare to take on this type of work, but the Algodonales Festival wanted to show the town's residents that there are many ways to express ourselves through dance, and many emotions that it can provoke."
Some very slow sevillanas—with pre-recorded sound, as the general tone of the evening in the absence of other resources—allow her to demonstrate the precision of her arm and leg movements. But she is also one of those artists who dances with her eyes, with her face, in a very effective display of expressiveness. She lets her hair down and puts aside the most mechanical gestures to Let her most sensual side show. She strips down to just a bodysuit., and in the stalls, murmurs multiply, the nervous laughter imposed by modesty. The audience may not be aware of it, but many tonight, young and old, are going to discover that art is not always caresses and comfort; it can and should also shake you, unsettle you, take you out of your comfort zone. After the alegrías performed in a bata de cola, there is a final glance at the audience from the dancer (defiant, strange?) that puts the finishing touch to this performance. By a miracleAnd she is rewarded with a grateful ovation.
Of Sara jiménez is an even more radical proposal. With a very careful wardrobe and the hand of Juan Kruz Guessing the direction, we see her walking behind the bars of the old Algodonales laundry, marking what seems like a processional pace, which soon transforms into a tense, monstrous gait, like a body possessed by a strange and terrible force. Some attendees are afraid and express it loudly. In case anyone hasn't noticed, this isn't an entertainment show. It's not a substitute for TV or video games. Here is a dancer exposing herself, searching, investigating the shadows. Suddenly, he makes a gesture as familiar to everyone as recording a voice message on his mobile phone, a recited version of the Ballad of the Three Daggers de Rafael de Leon, and wanders between the chairs playing it on the speaker.
Back on stage, she goes from agonizing convulsions to the majestic flight of her hands, which will soon be armed with two black fans. But it's when she strips down (her too!) to a top made of strings and high-waisted panties that she demonstrates that she has no lack of strength or skill with shoes. This one Silver bird It's an aggressive, dramatic dance, full of energy and rage. Some programmers may be hesitant to attempt this type of work, but the Algodonales Festival wanted to show the town's residents that there are many ways to express ourselves through dance, and many emotions it can evoke.
Credits
By a miracle, Macarena López
Silver bird, Sara Jiménez
I Tagarnina Fest
Fuente Alta monumental complex of Algodonales (Cádiz)
August 22th, 2025
