Manuela Vargas

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Manuela Hermoso Vargas , known by her stage name Manuela Vargas ( September 17, 1941 , Seville ; - October 12, 2007 , Madrid ) was a Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer .

Life

Like many great flamenco dancers, Manuela Vargas began dancing in early childhood. As usual in her social environment, she had the first appearances at family celebrations. She took lessons from Enrique el Cojo . At the age of twelve she made her first public appearance with some tanguillos and rumbas in the Tablao El Guajiro in Seville. In 1962 she took up an engagement in Tablao El Duende in Madrid .

However, these restaurants, most of which were visited by tourists, could not satisfy their artistic ambition in the long run:

"Soñaba que era tan hermoso expresar a nuestra tierra, que había que actuar en un sitio grande, con la gente sentada, sin vasos, sin charlas, en silencio."

"I dreamed that it would be so nice to express our homeland that I should perform in a big place, with people who sit in peace, without glasses, without chatter."

- Manuela Vargas : Diario 16, weekend supplement, March 1987

So she founded her own ensemble. In 1963 she performed with him at the Paris Théâtre des Nations . There she represented Spain on World Dance Day. It was the beginning of an outstanding international career.

The next year she presented the show Antología dramática del flamenco with a number of first-class artists in the same Parisian theater . Among others, Matilde Coral , Enrique el Cojo, Rafael el Negro , El Güito and Bienvenido Maya danced . The show was very well received by audiences and critics. The next year, in 1965, she brought Flamenco de Manuela Vargas on stage in Madrid , again with El Güito, the singer La Cañeta , the singers Fosforito , José Salazar , El Lebrijano and the guitarists El Poeta , Juan Habichuela and Juan Morao . She then toured with the piece through Spain and again to Paris. Her performance in the Spanish pavilion at the International Festival in New York earned her her first appearance in the USA that same year. The positive reviews of this performance opened her access to the American audience. In 1966 she appeared on Broadway and was invited to appear on the show by Ed Sullivan . A world tour followed, including performances in London and Buenos Aires. In 1968 she played the lead role in the film España otra vez , directed by Jaime Camino .

A hiatus of six years followed. When she resumed her dance career, she again traveled with her ensemble from theater to theater. A large number of well-known artists appeared in their performances, including El Güito, Mario Maya , Fosforito, Enrique Morente , El Lebrijano , El Chocolate , José Mercé , Ramón de Algeciras as well as Luis , Juan and Pepe Habichuela .

In 1980 she started working with the Ballet Nacional de España . There she staged her choreography of the Caña and took part in the performance of Retrato de mujer by Rafael Alguilar . In 1981 she danced in the Ballet Nacional at the side of Antonio Alonso in Manuel de Falla's musical drama El amor brujo . In 1982 she danced the role of Gitana Mairena in Coronada y el toro and the role of Death Shadow in the television film Don Juan Tenorio . In 1983 she created three choreographies for the Ballet Nacional: The Petenera , the Seguiriya and the Mirabrás .

In 1984 she and José Granero created a key work in the history of flamenco: Medea based on the tragedy of the same name by Euripides . With the means of flamenco, its movements and gestures, she gave Greek drama the seriousness and depth it required, wrote the critic José Luis Navarro García. In 1985 she appeared in a TV version of William Shakespeare's Midsummer Night 's Dream with Lindsay Kemp .

In 1986 she finished her work for the Ballet Nacional and put her own ensemble back together. With him she brought two choreographies by José Granero to the stage in Cannes , La petenara and El sur . In the latter, she danced Soleares , Alegrías , Mirabrás, Farruca , Serrana , Seguiriya and finally some freely improvised Bulerías . In 1987 she turned again to a drama by Euripides: In Las bacantes after Die Bacchen she interpreted the role of agave, mother of the king of Thebes . In 1990 she completed her Euripides trilogy with Fedra . The music for this was created by Enrique Morente and the choreography by Manolo Marín . Again in this work she danced a number of classic flamenco palos. In terms of performance, the play made new demands on Manuela Vargas: Medea and Agave were strong personalities, Phaidra (Spanish: Fedra ), on the other hand, was blinded by debility.

In the 1990s, their appearances became less frequent. In 1994 she danced in Cachorro under the direction of Salvador Távora to the choreography by José Antonio Ruiz . In 1995 she played the role of Blanca in Pedro Almodóvar's film La flor de mi secreto . In 1999 she danced the Medea in the gala for the 20th anniversary of the Ballet Nacional. In March 2003 she took part in a homage in Seville in honor of the singer Fernanda de Utrera .

In the last years of her life, Manuela Vargas suffered from cancer . She died of a domestic accident in her apartment in Madrid on October 12, 2007.

Awards

  • 1963 Premio Nacional de danza .
  • 1969 Premio Nacional de la Cátedra de Flamencología .
  • 1970 Premio Nacional de Teatro.
  • 2000 Homage in her honor at the Día Internacional de la Danza in Madrid
  • 2006 Medalla de Oro al Mérito en las Bellas Artes.

In addition, Manuela Vargas was the recipient of the Italian Sagittario d'Oro cultural award .

reception

In addition to her dancing skills, Manuela Vargas impressed with her exceptional acting expressiveness. With her Euripides trilogy she has enriched flamenco with a new, personally influenced form of interpretation, wrote José Luis Navarro García about her.

«Manuela Vargas vive intensamente cada instante de su baile y lo goza con fruición. Se mete en el personaje que ha de interpretar o siente con tal jondura los sentimientos que quiere expresar que le da a su danza un auténtico sentido trágico y llega a un verdadero trance estético. Es el suyo además un baile intuitivo y introvertido, al tiempo que elegant, solemne y hierático. "

“Manuela Vargas lives every moment of her dance intensely and enjoys it passionately. She transforms into the person she is supposed to represent and gives such depth to the feelings she wants to express that it gives her dance an authentic tragic sense and leads to a true aesthetic trance. In addition, she has an intuitive and introverted dance, elegant, solemn and ceremonial. "

- José Luis Navarro García

Her friend and colleague Matilde Coral said of her:

“Tenía un estilo muy particular, tan particular que no se parecía a nadie; bailaba como Dios le daba a entender »

“She had a very special style, so special that it was not like any other; she danced as God had given her. "

- Matilde Coral : El Cultural

References and comments

  1. ↑ 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. 121 .
  2. ↑ Último adiós a Manuela Vargas . In: El País . October 15, 2007, ISSN  1134-6582 (Spanish, elpais.com [accessed April 22, 2019]).
  3. ↑ Manuela Vargas. In: España es cultura. Retrieved April 23, 2019 (Spanish).
  4. ↑ a b c José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 122 .
  5. ↑ Today Théâtre de la Ville
  6. ↑ España otra vez. In: IMDb . Retrieved April 24, 2019 .
  7. ↑ a b c d José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 123 .
  8. ↑ a b c d e José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 124 .
  9. ^ Mercedes Rico: La inevitable evolution del Ballet Nacional . In: El País . October 23, 1981, ISSN  1134-6582 (Spanish, elpais.com [accessed April 24, 2019]).
  10. ↑ Don Juan Tenorio V. In: IMDb. Retrieved April 24, 2019 .
  11. ↑ Medea (1984) - Repertorio. In: Ballet Nacional de España. Retrieved April 24, 2019 (Spanish).
  12. ↑ A Midsummer Night's Dream. In: IMDb. Retrieved April 24, 2019 .
  13. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 125 .
  14. ↑ a b c d e Manuela Vargas, bailaora . In: El País . October 13, 2007, ISSN  1134-6582 (Spanish, elpais.com [accessed April 22, 2019]).
  15. ↑ a b c d e José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume III, p. 126 .
  16. ↑ Manuela Vargas. In: El Arte de Vivir el Flamenco. José María Ruiz Fuentes, accessed April 22, 2019 (Spanish).
  17. ↑ Gold Medal of Merit for Fine Arts
  18. ↑ Efe: La bailaora Manuela Vargas fallece en Madrid a los 69 años. In: El cultural. October 12, 2007, Retrieved April 24, 2019 (Spanish).
personal data
SURNAME Vargas, Manuela
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Hermoso Vargas, Manuela (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer
DATE OF BIRTH September 17, 1941
PLACE OF BIRTH Seville
DATE OF DEATH October 12, 2007
Place of death Madrid