Some comebacks can be interpreted as a clear statement of intent. Rafael Amargo (Valderrubio, Granada, 1975) returns to the place where it all began. To the stage where he made his debut at 17, performing opera. Carmina BuranaMany years later, the dancer returns to his birthplace to present Allah! I will goThe show serves as his guiding principle for returning to the stage after a six-year absence, and with which he affirms: "I come so that you know that I am a broken person, with a broken soul, with the hope of being reborn."
Somehow, the Calderón Theater (Madrid) acts as Amargo's artistic father and gives him that long-awaited opportunity to begin a new life after being acquitted of an alleged crime against public health. As he himself summarizes, "from the ground up to the sky." A phrase that hovers over the project and defines the choreographer's current life moment, who has had the courage to lay himself bare before the press and show himself as he feels: "How am I? Well, happy, I'm a little sad because I wasn't meant to suffer all that I've suffered or go through what I've gone through.In the process, I've lost several people who loved me very much and weren't able to see the end of the trial. But here I am, because I promised my father. Now I'm back. Know that I return fragile and weak. But also with the excitement and nerves of someone starting out.
Still marked by everything he had experienced in recent years, he decides not to take refuge in nostalgia or in demanding to know how circumstances should have unfoldedHis speech, above all, is marked by a forward-looking perspective, in which he longs for the public to once again admire him as an artist. He simply wants to dance, and he expresses it this way: "I know a lot, and I keep quiet about more than I know. So, let's dance. Let's dance. Dance, dance, and dance, that's all I want. When you're young, you want to shine and succeed. Now, what I want is to have fun and be left alone to dance."
A truly powerful statement during the press conference, prompted by the recent delivery of the César Vallejo World Prize for Excellence in Fine Arts of Peru"I haven't danced in six years. I must have done something right internationally. And they're giving it to me because of the memory, because of what I did. Not because of what I'm doing now. And it truly embarrasses me and fills me with respect, because I don't want to be what I was, I want to be what I'm going to be."
"I know a lot, and I keep quiet about more than I know. So, let's go. Let's go. Dance, dance, and dance, that's all I want. When you're young, you want to shine and succeed. Now, what I want is to have fun and be left alone to dance."
Speaking a little about the show in question, and as already mentioned, entitled Allah! I will goThis is a very different staging from anything associated with his career up to this point. And in this case, Amargo draws on contemporary dance, urban movements, and electronic music.Undoubtedly, it is a risky proposal that seeks to innovate by connecting other dance languages with the essence of flamenco.
As for the title, which might seem to refer to some Muslim practice or have some religious connotation, nothing could be further from the truth. According to Rafael, it's a different way of writing. Into the air. Furthermore, ire In Yoruba culture it means luck, fortune, blessing or well-being.
Musically, the production doesn't feature live music, although it does include some truly special pieces that Amargo describes as "gems." These gems are, in reality, a way for him to both comfort and feel protected, and to pay homage to the moments, people, and melodies that have shaped his career. Thus, it features the performance of Diego el Cigala o Chavela Vargas, among others.
Rafael Amargo isn't trying to kick off a big tour in Madrid: "After what we do here in July and August, God willing, I'll go back to Miami. I'm going to do a couple of things there. Those will be a bit bigger. That's why this is like a..." training "To get my act together." It's also a way of being cautious. To gauge the audience's reaction and gather momentum for what's to come. Therefore, this presentation will consist of three sessions taking place on July 27, 28, and 29 at 9:00 p.m. at the Teatro Calderón in Madrid. Rafael adds, "I hope it's packed to the rafters so we'll be back in August, and so you'll want us to be here. In the end, an artist is nothing without you."
Amargo has created an aura of novelty rather than regression. It's about resurgence. Starting from scratch. With strength, spirit, and enthusiasm. And above all, discovering how far the new Rafael Amargo can go. ♦
