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Nadie como el bailarín y coreógrafo español Antonio Gades para describir el arte que lo hizo internacionalmente famoso cuando vivía: “Un extracto de fuego y de veneno, eso es el flamenco”.
Fuego, veneno y, lo que es imprescindible, pasión, colmarán el escenario del Knight Concert Hall del Adrienne Arsht Center de Miami cuando se celebre la décima edición de Flamenco Festival Miami del 2 al 5 de marzo.
Flamenco Festival Miami X abrirá con el estreno en Estados Unidos de Stars of Flamenco, el espectáculo de gala (2 y 3 marzo) que dirige uno de los más cotizados exponentes del género, Manuel Liñán, con la participación de 14 intérpretes de primera categoría como Juana Amaya, Olga Pericet, Jesús Carmona, Patricia Guerrero, y la vocalista Rocío Márquez, entre otros.
A eso siguen, también en estreno, los espectáculos Pisadas, de la Compañía Olga Pericet, con la titular Pericet y el coreógrafo, bailarín y pedagogo del flamenco, Juan Carlos Lérida, el 4 de marzo, y el 5, Jesús Carmona y su compañía presentando un nuevo trabajo, Ímpetu’s.
Con ímpetu marchará luego el Flamenco Festival a la ciudad de Nueva York, no sin antes haber cautivado, como cada año, al sur de Florida.
En la variedad está el sabor
“Lo que queríamos transmitir, era abrir al espectador todos los distintos perfiles que hay en el mundo del flamenco”, dice el director de la gala Manuel Liñán vía telefónica desde Madrid. “Queríamos buscar artistas con una personalidad fuerte y que, a la misma vez, fueran muy diferenciados entre ellos”.
Ampliando la visión común que pueda haber sobre el flamenco como danza y cante en el que priman castañuelas y vestidos de lunares, Liñán tenía claro cuál era el mensaje que él y los otros intérpretes buscan llevar a todo tipo de público.
“Dar a entender que el flamenco se puede vivir de varias maneras”, dice quien ha vivido el flamenco desde que tenía seis años. “Y que puede ser canalizado de una forma o de otra. Por eso la unión de estos artistas tan diferentes y con personalidades tan marcadas”.
La finalidad, prosigue Liñán, es “aunar estos criterios, independientemente de que se expongan unas texturas y unos colores muy diferentes. Siempre nos estamos moviendo en el mundo del flamenco, dentro de su riqueza”.
Clásico y moderno a la vez
Como artista al frente de la compañía que lleva su nombre, Liñán se ha dado a conocer por presentar piezas de corte vanguardista que ponen de cabeza los roles tradicionales de lo masculino y lo femenino en el flamenco (en su Nómada, por ejemplo, Liñán, en calidad de bailarín, desafía portando una bata de cola y haciendo piruetas con un mantón como si fuera capote de torero). En Flamenco Festival, canaliza esa creatividad de otras formas.
“Personalmente, me considero una persona inquieta, y siempre que produzco un espectáculo, intento buscar unos estímulos diferentes con la finalidad de ir progresando y descubriendo nuevos conceptos”, analiza Liñán. “Pero concretamente, en la gala de Flamenco Festival, lo que he aportado es parte de mis criterios y, digamos que todo se mueve en un entorno clásico pero moderno. Puede ser interpretado de cualquier de las dos formas”.
La reinvención
El flamenco se reinventa, una y otra vez, sin perder su espíritu andaluz. Eso siempre lo tiene en cuenta uno de los más audaces e intrigantes exponentes del género en los últimos años, Juan Carlos Lérida, cada vez más conocido en Estados Unidos.
Dentro de la experiencia que representa Flamenco Festival, Lérida había participado en la edición de Londres de 2013. Su intervención en la de Miami marca su debut en Flamenco Festival de Estados Unidos.
“Pienso que este festival procura presentar un catalogo de artistas que actualmente representan las tendencias escénicas del flamenco, tanto musicales como dancísticas”, comparte Lérida desde Barcelona. “Su programación muestra a una serie de artistas jóvenes que navegan entre la tradición y la modernidad”.
Para Lérida, esto es una “oportunidad de mostrar en nuevos territorios mi posición estética y artística sobre el flamenco. Una posición que muestra la evolución del flamenco que yo practico y que se dirige hacia proponer inéditas perspectivas sobre lo escénico, lo corporal y lo percutivo en el flamenco”.
Cuando Liñán, Lérida y las nuevas generaciones del flamenco, abrazan la experimentación y la evolución, los públicos, incluyendo en Miami, los han acogido. Han dado la bienvenida a ese espíritu de innovación y de riesgo que asegurará la permanencia del flamenco. Y durante su primera visita a Miami, ese afecto de la gente por el flamenco sorprendió a Liñán.
“En verdad, fue una gran sorpresa para mí”, dice. “El público de Miami es un público muy cálido, que valora mucho nuestro arte, y que lo agradece mucho. Que al año lo necesita. Nos sentimos como si estuviéramos en España”.
Cuándo: del 2 al 5 de marzo, 2017.
Dónde: Knight Concert Hall del Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Miami, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.
Boletos: $35-$100
Teléfonos: 305.949.6722, 877.949.6722
Detalles: http://www.arshtcenter.org/Tickets/Subscriptions/Flamenco-Festival/Flamenco-Festival-2017/#
Journalist, arts writer, instructor of English and Spanish
A bilingual journalist and writer for over 20 years, Juan Carlos studied Communications at Fordham University in New York. He holds a Master&rsquo..
