If there's one thing I can't stand, and it caught my attention from the first moment I came into contact with the party and the more or less formal gatherings with the flamencoYes, it's the amount of cheers and shouts that are given away, mostly for free.Among them. Some don't listen at all; from the very first verse, they're already showering the performer with praise and cheers, drowning out what they're singing or playing, and even dancing. For some listeners, it's pure torture to have someone play next to you at a party because, as soon as you sit down or they sit down next to you, you know there's no room to enjoy a good performance. canteIt's all just talk. As a teacher, a colleague of many years at the Superior University of Córdoba, used to say, this guy makes up his "talk" at night and blurts it out here as soon as he gets home. Some people are such a pain! This is how it's defined: "'Ojana' is a colloquial Andalusian term that means flattery, hypocrisy, or deceit. It's described as sugarcoating or giving false compliments, often associated with pretense or dissimulation in social contexts."
I was warned as soon as I arrived in these circles: a rhythmic ole is the most difficult thing. That's why I'm not much of a cheerleader at a party. If I really like something, if it touches me, as they say, the cheers come naturally. But it's impossible, absolutely impossible, that a cante He's been pinching you all the time. You should be covered in bruises, kid!
I am clear that The commotion is an inseparable part of the fact flamencoAnd even more so at a good partyAnd they come in many varieties. Some are playful: ¡oooo-oleeeeee! Others are mischievous: ¡olé! There are also artificial ones: ¡ele! And then there are those that drag on too long: ¡viva la madre que te parió! Many are completely irrelevant: ¡maestro!, ¡torero! The best was the one he shouted at the Córdoba competition: ¡agua! And the flamenco singer, without hesitation, leaned to his right, picked up the bottle, and took a sip. The synchronization was so perfect that a collective burst of laughter erupted, now etched in the annals of the competition. Although there are also delightful shouts that I enjoy. Unsurpassed in those was The BoRun away! Or my Enrique Pantoja, that gades I think he wore it so that he could show off that artistic little kick in Carmen, like those signature noises that can be heard, along with those of the Uncle Fati, de los Pelaos de Madrid, on the first albums of Camarón. Me Tato DiegoAnother one like that. They're in a different league, nothing like what we're criticizing here, quite the opposite.
Because what I've truly never understood is how someone, unless it's your father or mother, can to be in a cante by soleá, with its three or four verses, cheering from the first touchThey even look at you questioningly, publicly confirming that you share that magical moment with him and that you completely agree it's unsurpassed. I confess that most of the time I've always wondered, "But what is it that this man hears that I'm incapable of hearing?" At first, I had a huge complex about not understanding the secrets of... jondoHow is it possible not to even perceive that emotion? I'm so envious. Until, little by little, you realize that, generally, it's just pure nonsense.
"During my years in Cordoba, I really enjoyed going to a peña young woman in which there was flamenco One of the best. One day, while singing Encarna Anillo, I stood up and shouted: "Stop cheering so much, I can't understand the lyrics and you're not letting me hear the endings!" That's what I dislike most about it. flamenco: the very widespread, as we say in Cai, ojaneta of La Caleta»
They can't help it. I think the desire to impress those around you with your expertise is stronger. Not everyone can be a flamenco singer, guitarist, or dancer, nor a palmero or percussionist, pianist or cellist—an artist, after all. So, the only places left are for those who end up as "active cheerleaders," and they do it with full force, preventing anyone else from hearing it. But whatever, it's my moment, and if you don't like it… it's freedom of expression, you fascist!
We've all been in similar situations. At parties, people stare at you while the flamenco singer is performing a third of the song. cante, while the jaleador chews the jaleo, moving his head to the rhythm of the melismas of cante So that, finally, you can let out the obligatory "olé" at the end of that third of the song, which you're all eager to finish so this poor man can rest, lest he pull his neck and we have to rush to the emergency room for a dislocated neck. And What about those who grab you and squeeze you tighter and tighter as the story unfolds? cante...until it's over. There are parties where you'd better wear sunscreen on your arms and thighs. If you don't want to come home covered in bruises and have your partner think the worst. If they haven't experienced it, it's because they haven't been partying with the flamencoYes, because there isn't one in which the phenomenon I'm discussing here doesn't occur.
The faces of artists are often a sight to behold. I understand why, when I arrived at a place where Enrique Morente was performing, he'd gesture to me from the other side of the room: "Don't leave." And hours would pass, and he wouldn't start. Until some intruder would ask, with the best of intentions: "When is Enrique going to sing?" And I, with all the sarcasm in the world, would answer: "When you leave." And that was it. He only sang when there were five of us left. Then he could delight us for two hours with a soleá without repeating a single note. canteI remember one day in The magician who ended up incorporating Almerian Alpujarra folk songs into a soleá because he had run out of lyrics. He was a true phenomenon and, up close, like most of the people from Burgos flamencoYes, it's wonderful. I also remember when it started Small Starfish She used to sing, which drove us crazy. When she was just a little girl, one night she looked at us as if to say, "Shut up and listen, for crying out loud!" The little rascal was absolutely right. We kept bumping into each other because of that girl's voice, and she was always telling us to pay attention.
Cheering is an art, it's essential, but in the society we live in, where gratuitous flattery abounds, as I said before, those who can't sing, play, or dance are left with no other option than to cheer. And some people say, "This is my chance!" and start making a nuisance of themselves, believing they're part of the show. They're only missing the opportunity to get on stage. What a nightmare! I really enjoyed going to a [festival] during my years in Córdoba. peña young man where there was flamenco One of the best. One day, singing Incarnate RingI stood up and blurted out: "Stop cheering so much, I can't understand the lyrics and you're not letting me hear the endings!" That's the worst part for me. flamenco: the very widespread, as we say in Cai, ojaneta of La Caleta. ♦
For me, the jostling and commotion are an important element of flamenco gatherings, whether they are theatrical performances or private parties. When I have to explain it to an uninformed audience, I usually quote this poem by Manuel Machado:
"A party is held
with three people:
One dances, another sings
and the other one plays.
I almost forgot
of those who say ¡Olé!
and they play palmas. "
Many years ago, after a performance in The Hague, Rafael de Utrera asked me, somewhat desperately: "Don't those people like the flamenco Or did I sing badly? I didn't hear any cheering." I explained that Dutch audiences were used to reserving their praise until the artist had finished, applauding without shouting. Since then, we've learned to cheer, but we still struggle with it.
But the artist has to create the commotion, in my opinion; you don't cheer to make a statement. And I also don't like artists who are just there to cheer on a dancer to mask their lack of talent and sell it to the public.
When my compatriots ask me, "But when do you have to cheer?" I usually answer, "When you feel it."
So, you agree with everything I say in the article. Regards.