José Granero

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José Granero , actually José Greller Friesel (born March 9, 1936 in Buenos Aires , † May 4, 2006 in Madrid ), was an Argentine - Spanish dancer and choreographer . His repertoire spanned a wide range of genres, from classical ballet to oriental dance, and especially flamenco .

Life

Childhood and youth

José's mother came from Vienna , his father from Romania . Both emigrated to Argentina at the beginning of the 20th century. Even as a child, José was fascinated by song and dance. At the age of six and seven he appeared in street music and theater performances staged on the boulevard for Spanish tourists. Around noon, however, his mother used to call him back into the house.

In 1944 he applied for admission to the ballet school of the Teatro Colón , but was rejected. Perhaps he wasn't slim enough for the demands of ballet school. Michael Borowski, a former dancer of the Ballets de Montecarlo who settled in Argentina, gave him private lessons for two years. He was then accepted into the ballet school of the Teatro Colón and completed a three-year training course there. In the operas Samson et Dalila and Manon he made his first appearances as a dancer on stage.

He then entered the ballet of the Teatro Argentino de la Plata . There he continued his education over the next three years, especially in lessons with Roberto Giachero . When the Cuban Alicia Alonso and her company visited Buenos Aires in 1954 , he also took lessons from her. He took contemporary dance lessons from Renate Schottelius , a student of Mary Wigman . And when Pilar López was visiting Buenos Aires with her company for a month, he took the opportunity to be introduced to the basics of Spanish dance by her and her well-known dancers Alejandro Vega , Alberto Lorca , Manolo Vargas and Roberto Ximénez . Since then, he has had a lifelong friendship with Manolo Vargas.

In the USA

In 1956, José left his hometown and moved to New York. An aunt living there made it easier for him to meet. He took classical ballet lessons from Pierre Wladimirow and Walentina Pereyaslavec and modern dance lessons from Hanya Holm . He got to know the Indian dancer Bashjar and, driven by his interest in all kinds of dance, found himself in his company for a while. In 1958 he married. Since his income as a dancer was insufficient to support a family, he worked as a decorator for several department stores on Fifth Avenue . The work apparently had nothing to do with dance, but the preoccupation with colors, fabrics and positions later benefited him in his work as a choreographer. He presented himself unsuccessfully to the major Broadway productions. A job with Bob Fosse failed because he did not have the required height for Broadway dancers at the time. He also applied to be a dancer at a casting for West Side Story .

It was in this position that Manolo Vargas and Roberto Ximénez appeared in New York. The two had dropped a dancer for their show in Miami , and after José Vargas had danced for them, they accepted him into their company. He made his Miami debut with a Malambo and a Samba . Then he got a telegram saying he was accepted for West Side Story. He decided, however, to stay with Manolo Vargas and Roberto Ximénez - from his own point of view a decisive step in his career: He said goodbye to Anglo-Saxon culture and opted for Spanish. He now devoted himself to classical Spanish dance and soon brought his first flamenco performances to the stage. José Granero stayed with Manolo Vargas and Roberto Ximénez for two years. With them he toured all over the United States . In these two years he also learned the basics of staging, lighting and dramaturgy.

After leaving the Vargas and Ximénez ensemble in 1960, José Granero settled in Hollywood. He produced a Spanish dance show that was so successful in Hawaii that it was extended by two months. Then, in Miami, he received the convocation for the US armed forces. It was feared that he would have to go to the Vietnam War . So he hid for a few weeks with a friend in New York, from there he fled to Belgium and finally reached Madrid in 1961 .

Master dancer, teacher, choreographer

In Madrid he soon found a job in Luisillo's company . After two years he switched to the ensemble of Pilar López . After another two years, Mariemma hired him as a master dancer for her ensemble. There he remained a member for 1½ years.

He found his next engagement with Héctor Zaraspe, a friend and former classmate in the ballet school in Buenos Aires. He engaged him as a teacher for his ballet classes in the renowned Amor de Dios dance school . José Granero taught ballet and choreography there. His methods were unorthodox and unfamiliar to his students, and so they initially found him, as he would later tell, un poquito loco , a little bit crazy. His exercises served to ensure that his students got to know their bodies exactly and were able to demand the best of it without overwhelming it. Intensive floor exercises to warm up should protect the dancers from pain and injury. Above all, it was important to him to promote each individual personality individually:

«Dedicarse individualmente a cada alumno, potenciar en cada uno su propia personalidad, ayudarles a descubrir lo que llevan en su interior, para no copien movimientos sin ton ni son. Esa es la única manera de que puedan disfrutar del baile y no se repitan continuamente, que no conviertan el baile en una rutina. Siempre es necesario un maestro que te observe y te comente qué es lo que estás haciendo bien, cómo lo podrías mejorar y de qué manera hay que unir un movimiento con otro. »

“To devote yourself individually to each student, to strengthen the personality of each individual, to help them discover what is in them, so that they do not copy movements without meaning and understanding. This is the only way you can enjoy the dance and not repeat yourself all the time; this is the only way to avoid the dance becoming a routine. A teacher must always observe you and comment on what you do well, how you can improve it and how you can combine one movement with another. "

- José Granero

After all, his reputation as a teacher was so good that renowned ensembles booked courses with him, for example Antonio Gades' company and the American Ballet Theater .

He began his work as a choreographer with relatively simple pieces for one person. His first more complex job was don Juan . Antonio Gades brought on stage with several dance schools with the participation of an oriental dancer. Carmen followed for José Greco's company . The play was performed in the Hollywood Greek Theater. José Granero himself danced the role of Don José in it. It was the last piece in which he himself appeared as a dancer.

In 1971 he choreographed the dance scenes film La novicia rebelde , directed by Luis Lucía with Rocío Durcal . This was followed in 1972 by the choreography for Entre dos amores , also directed by Luis Lucía with Manolo Escobar . In 1973 and 1974, on the occasion of the May Day celebrations, he was entrusted with the direction of the great celebration at the Estadio Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid. Around 5,000 dancers from folk groups throughout Spain took part. Julio Principe , José Antonio and Luisa Aranda assisted him . He also choreographed La Celestina for Raúl's company in 1974 .

That year he took on the Spanish citizenship.

In 1978 José Granero created the choreography Impresiones for José Antonios and Luisa Arandas Ballet Siluetas . Alberto Lorca appointed him ballet master and coordinator at his Ballet Antología . For this company he choreographed the Boléro by Maurice Ravel as well as a Zapateado , El Albaicín from the Suite España by Isaac Albéniz and Minotauro by Xavier Montsalvatge . He also created his first purely flamenco biographies for the Ballet Antología : Bulerías for a group of exclusively male dancers and a Soleá por Bulerías exclusively for women. As successor to Antonio Gades, José Granero became artistic director of the Ballet Español de Madrid in 1981 together with José Antonio, Luisa Aranda and Julio Príncipe .

His first production there combined classical ballet, Spanish school and flamenco. The first part consisted of dances to well-known pieces by Maurice Ravel. In the second part, personalities of flamenco created the atmosphere of the cafés cantantes . El Güito danced the Soleá, Merche Esmeralda the Guajira , Manuela Vargas the Alegrías , and Mary Carmen Villena danced polo with Julio Príncipe in homage to Pilar López and Alejandro Vega . The piece was a great success with the public, so that the company went on tour throughout Spain, some European capitals and to Cuba . Another choreography by José Granero for the Ballet Español de Madrid was El Amargo to texts by Federico García Lorca .

The Ballet Nacional de España , commissioned work, and a failed venture

After two years at the Ballet Español de Madrid , María de Avíla , director of the Ballet Nacional de España , entrusted him with the choreography of Medea based on the eponymous drama by Euripides . The musical score created Manolo Sanlúcar , the dramaturgy designed Miguel Narros . Before he rehearsed any dance steps, he immersed himself in the text of Euripides for days together with the leading actress Manuela Vargas . The piece premiered in July 1984 at the Teatro de la Zarzuela . Medea then went on a world tour. The Ballet Nacional won the New York Critics' Dance Prize.

After this success he got plenty of orders:

The Murcia Ballet gave up shortly afterwards. In 1992, José Granero formed his own company from members of this ensemble and from the Ballet Español de Madrid . He invested all his savings and efforts in this project. He created Reencuentros , to music by Emilio de Diego , and with Camino an interpretation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet . José Granero expected grants from the Ministry of Culture, but these did not materialize, so that his project failed financially.

In 1993 Aurora Pons , Nana Lorca and Victoria Eugenia took over the direction of the Ballet Nacional . This "Triumfeminat" commissioned further choreographies from him:

In 1995 he brought Mujeres to the stage at the Teatro de la Maestranza , a commission for the Festival de Itálica . Five dancers, each with their own artistic conception, danced to music by José Luis Greco : Cristina Hoyos , María José Ribot , Lydia Azzopardi , Eva Leiva and Beatriz Martín . In the same year he choreographed for Antonio Márquez's company Movimiento perpetuo to music by José Luis Greco and Variaciones románticos to pieces by Dmitri Shostakovich and Sergei Rachmaninov . He became artistic director of Antonio Márquez's company and in this function created a new version of his choreography Reencuentros .

Working method as a choreographer

As a choreographer, José Granero followed a procedure similar to that of a teacher: instead of practicing given figures with the dancers over and over again to the greatest possible perfection, he started from their peculiarities and abilities. He worked individually with each and every person, working with her to find the forms that were appropriate for her and with which she could best contribute to the work. Together with each person he analyzed the role they had to interpret and the character of the music they would dance to. He didn't plan the choreographies down to the last detail, instead he sought to create a relationship between the dancers on stage and the audience.

Late work

In 1996 he created a choreography for the Ballet Nacional based on Miguel de Cervantes ' story La Gitanilla to music by Antón García Abril , starring Antonio Márquez and Lola Greco. Other works in the last years of his life include:

José Granero died of a heart attack on May 4, 2006 in his apartment in Madrid .

Awards

  • 1984 New York Critic Award for Medea for Best Ballet of the Season
  • 1996 Gold Medal of Fine Arts, awarded by the Ministry of Culture.
  • 1996 Best Choreographer of the Year, awarded by the Government of the Autonomous Region of Catalonia
  • 1996 Award of the Asociación de Profesionales de Danza
  • 2006 Tribute in his honor at the 2006 Seville Biennale

reception

José Granero is generally revered as Maestro Granero in the professional criticism and the expert audience .

Specialist critics see him as a personality who significantly shaped, further developed and modernized Spanish dance:

«... su colaboración (con Antonio Gades en) (...) Don Juan (...) sobre la música de Antón García Abril marcó el claro inicio del teatro de la danza moderno español y donde ya se experimentaron nuevas fórmulas que acercaban los géneros vernáculos a las expresiones contemporáneas. »

“... his collaboration (with Antonio Gades in) (...) Don Juan (...) to the music of Antón García Abril marked the clear beginning of modern Spanish dance theater and new formulas were already being tried out, which the traditional genres brought them closer to contemporary forms of expression. "

- Roger Salas : El País

His choreography Medea in particular is recognized as a decisive work in the development of the Spanish dance drama:

«...… a de las coreografías emblemáticas en la evolución y renovación del ballet flamenco contemporáneo, una obra que ha marcado un hito en la historia del baile flamenco."

"... one of the emblematic choreographies in the development and renewal of contemporary flamenco ballet, a work that set a milestone in the history of flamenco dance."

- José Luis Navarro García

«Transcurridas más de dos décadas desde su creación,“ Medea ”se ha convertido en la obra más representada del teatro danzado español. Este hecho ha contribuido decisivamente a la consagración del coreógrafo y bailarín José Granero, siendo una de sus obras más emotivas y elaboradas. »

"More than two decades after its premiere," Medea "has developed into the most performed work in Spanish dance theater. This work is one of the most emotional and artistic by the choreographer and dancer José Granero and has contributed significantly to his admiration. "

- España es Cultura

References and comments

  1. ↑ Julio Bravo: La danza española pierde a uno de sus grandes maestros, José Granero . In: ABC . May 5, 2006 (Spanish, abc.es [accessed April 10, 2019]).
  2. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III. Signatura Ediciones de Andalucía, Sevilla 2010, ISBN 978-84-96210-72-1 , p. 97 .
  3. ↑ a b c José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 98 .
  4. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 99 .
  5. ↑ Pierre Vladimiroff, 77, Dancer And Ballet Teacher Here, Dies . In: New York Times . New York November 26, 1970 ( nytimes.com [accessed April 11, 2019]).
  6. ↑ Ika Koznarska Casanova: Prima ballerina Valentina Pereyaslavec this at age 90. In: The Ukrainian Weekly. February 1, 1998, accessed April 11, 2019 .
  7. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 100 .
  8. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 101 .
  9. ↑ a b c José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 102 .
  10. ↑ a b c d José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 103 .
  11. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 104 .
  12. ↑ La novicia rebelde. In: IMDb . Retrieved April 12, 2019 .
  13. ↑ Entre dos amores. In: IMDb. Retrieved April 12, 2019 .
  14. ↑ a b c José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 105 .
  15. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 106 .
  16. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 107 .
  17. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 108 .
  18. ^ A b Spanish National Ballet. Dance, flamenco. In: Spain is culture. Retrieved April 13, 2019 .
  19. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 109 .
  20. ↑ La corte de Faraón. In: IMDb. Retrieved April 13, 2019 .
  21. ↑ a b c d José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 110 .
  22. ↑ a b c d e f José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 111 .
  23. ↑ a b c d José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 112 .
  24. ↑ a b c José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 113 .
  25. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 114 .
  26. ↑ a b c Roger Salas: José Granero, maestro y coreógrafo de danza española . In: El País . May 6, 2006, ISSN  1134-6582 (Spanish, elpais.com [accessed April 13, 2019]).
  27. ↑ a b c d e José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 115 .
  28. ↑ Medea. In: España es Cultura. Retrieved April 14, 2019 (Spanish).
personal data
SURNAME Granero, José
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Greller Friesel, José (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Argentinian-Spanish dancer and choreographer
DATE OF BIRTH March 9, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH Buenos Aires
DATE OF DEATH May 4, 2006
Place of death Madrid