Blog Flamenco

José Luis Balao headlined the Con Nombre Propio: Vivencias cycle on the eighth of the Jerez Festival. At 71 years old, he is one of the great maestros of the guitar. He has taught for over 30 years in Jerez, his hometown, and his students include such exceptional guitarists as Javier Patino, Alfredo Lagos, Santiago Lara, Juan Diego, Pascual de Lorca and Bolita.

The eighth day also marked the end of the choreography workshop taught by Javier Latorre. Latorre has taught countless dance classes in other editions of the festival, and it was his idea to recover in some way the choreography competition aspect that existed during the Jerez Festival’s origins.

The Villamarta Theatre’s stage hosted the best performance at this edition of the festival, “Vamos al tiroteo, versiones de un tiempo pasado” by the unparalleled Rafaela Carrasco. The “Popular Songs” recorded by Lorca with La Argentinita in 1931 inspired this master work. It is a polished and sophisticated performance that is entirely evocative and complex, made unforgettable by its musicians and incredible cast of dancers: Rafaela Carrasco, Ricardo López, José Maldonado, Pedro Córdoba and David Coria.

Within the Café Cantante cycle, the singers Inés Bacán and Pedro Peña and the guitarist Pedro María Peña got together to present “Primos y Hermanos”. The three protagonists are “cousins by blood and siblings in the way they feel and externalize song, with dark sounds that are capable of wounding and comforting at the same time.”