The people of Jerez and the surrounding area, and those who appreciate good wine, are very familiar with the wine variety called palo Cortao, a generous wine that arose accidentally when a cask intended for biological aging –fino or amontillado– lost its veil of flor. The foreman would mark the cask with a line or palo horizontally, cutting short its initial aging to allow it to evolve like an oloroso. This wine, which has enjoyed increasing success in recent times (as has its price), inspires Salome Ramirez the show he presented in the Company Room, within the framework of the Jerez Festival: a metaphor for our lives, which take unexpected paths to improve, often, the plan we had initially conceived.
I confess my ignorance of Ramírez's artistic trajectory, except for its most obvious milestones, such as his membership in the companies of Farruquito o Eduardo Guerrero...or the Desplante de La Unión award he won last year. I do know for a fact that he doesn't come from any prestigious Jerez family, nor does he have any powerful patrons, so his path to the aforementioned theater has been, by all accounts, a matter of talent and personal merit.
A bare stage, illuminated only by a couple of spotlights and a front light, was the setting where the Jerez native would demonstrate for an hour and a half why she more than deserved to be on this year's Festival program. She opened with a taranto, very focused, almost hieratic in her facial expression, but offering glimpses of quality from the very beginning.
"Salomé danced everything with enormous personality, perfectly marking the times with her feet while her arms displayed a very wide catalog of movements, and above all showing off a prodigious balance, which was evident equally in the turns as in the backbends."
It wouldn't take us long to realize that, along with our own successes, it was also a brilliant idea to include as a guest artist Miguel Angel Heredia, who sang Night, moon and olive tree, the success of Remedios Amayabefore sharing a thrilling duet with the flamenco dancer that warmed the hearts of the audience. The nuanced voices of Jose del Calli y Manuel Pajares, as well as a Manolin Garcia in a state of grace that allowed her to both accompany the dance and shine on her own.
Some Cádiz-style flamenco dancers with flamenco dresses and shawls anticipated what the cast imaginatively calls the "police"palo”, some Sevillanas dedicated to Jerez with grafts from others palos such as the soleá, seguiriya, etc., which surprised everyone with their originality and freshness. Salomé danced everything with enormous personality, perfectly marking the rhythm with her feet while her arms displayed a vast repertoire of movements, and above all, showing off a prodigious balance, evident equally in the turns and the backbends.
Said Santa Teresa God writes straight with crooked lines. But, seeing Salomé Ramírez on stage, and as I say without having much more biographical information, one tends to think of a straight path, very straight, full of effort, dedication and love for dance, which does not end at the Sala Compañía: I wish her a happy continuation, and that we may see it.
Credits
Palo cortao, by Salomé Ramírez
Jerez Festival 2026
Sala Compañía de Jerez
March 3th 2026
Dance: Salomé Ramírez
Cante: José del Calli, Manuel Pajares
Guitar: Manolín García
Guest artist: Miguel Ángel Heredia (cante)
