Rosario y Antonio

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Rosario and Antonio, ~ 1943

Rosario y Antonio were a famous Spanish flamenco dance couple. It consisted of Rosario , actually Florencia Pérez Padilla (born November 11, 1918 in Seville , † January 24, 2000 in Madrid ), and Antonio Ruiz Soler (born November 4, 1921 in Seville, † February 5, 1996 in Madrid). The two started dancing together as early as 1927, and danced together as a couple until 1952. After that, both pursued a long career as a choreographer and choreographer, dancer and dancer.

Los petits sevillanitos

The two met at Master Realito's dance school. She not only taught his students to dance, but also organized small stage appearances at local and private celebrations. The singer Manuel Vallejo learned of the talent of the two children and in 1928 organized a performance at the Teatro del Duque in Seville. As a result, from one day to the next they became known throughout Seville under the name Los petits sevillanitos .

In the same year an international exhibition took place in Liège . The organizers of the Spanish pavilion had heard of the two and hired them. This was followed in 1929 by an engagement at the Ibero-American exhibition in Seville, with an appearance under the eyes of King Alfonso XIII. and Queen Victoria Eugenia .

Los chavalillos sevillanos

On the initiative of Rosario's mother, they trained their skills in the academy of Manolo Otero and then that of Ángel Pericet . There they learned boleros and other Spanish dances. Especially for flamenco, Rosario went to the school of Juana la Maccarona and Antonio to that of Frasquillo . They changed their stage name to Los chavalillos sevillanos . Under this name they appeared at events of the Ópera Flamenca, which was popular at the time . The first major dance company she accepted was that of La Niña de los Peines and Pepe Pinto . They toured with them in 1931 and 1932 to Madrid and other cities in Spain.

In 1933 they moved to Pepe Marchena's company . A year later they toured with him to Lisbon , Madrid, and all over Spain. In order to perfect their dance art and to expand their repertoire, they went to Barcelona to the Academy of Vicente Reyes. This introduced her to the ballet symphonic company . There they learned choreographies for Maurice Ravel's Boléro , for Spanish Dance No. V by Enrique Granados , for Los claveles by José Serrano and for La leyenda del beso by Reveriano Soutullo and Juan Vert .

Civil war and departure for America

The outbreak of the Spanish civil war in July 1936 surprised the two young people, she was 18 and he was 15, in Barcelona. Fortunately, Rosario's mother was with them; she had already accompanied them on all of their travels. From now on, the French authorities, represented by the Sindicato Único de Espectáculos Públicos , decided on all performances by artists in Barcelona. In exchange for poor pay, the two were hired to perform in towns and villages near the front and in hospitals; at the end of each performance Antonio had to greet him with a raised fist.

They had other appearances in the Circo Barcelonés and in the Teatro Tívoli and in towns outside. A tour finally took her to France, to the cities of Montpellier , Carcassonne , Narbonne , Béziers , Toulouse , Perpignan and Sète . They used this opportunity to evade the Catalan government: at the end of their tour they fled to Marseille . There they first found an engagement with the Cabaret Embassy . The Impresario Marquesi offered them an engagement in Buenos Aires . The two accepted and embarked for South America. In February 1937 they made their debut in Buenos Aires at the Teatro Maravillas in the show Las maravillas del Maravillas , conducted by Carmen Amaya .

It was not until 1949 that they should set foot on Spanish soil again.

When Carmen Amaya left the Maravillas four months later , they became the head of the company themselves. With the singer Conchita Martínez, they expanded and modified the program. For six months they performed evening after evening, accompanied by applause from the audience. Then they left the Maravillas and set off on a tour of Latin America. They performed in the big cities of Argentina, in Santiago de Chile , in Montevideo , in Lima , in Bogotá , in Caracas and in Havana . During this tour they expanded their repertoire, supported by the pianist Silvio Masciarelli , the guitarist Rafael Solé and the singer Raquel Meller . Thus, for example, a dance interpretation of La vida breve by Manuel de Falla was created .

In 1939 she was hired by the impresario Vicente Miranda for the El Patio Mexico City event house , at that time one of the most important Mexican show stages. In Mexico, Rosario married her pianist Silvio Masciarelli.

After working in the patio , Rosario and Antonio moved on to Rio de Janiero , following a contract offer from Casino Copacabana . Marcel Ventura, agent of actress Mae West , introduced her to the director of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel . The Brazilian audience was reluctant to let her go. After nine months at Casino Copacabana, they were finally able to accept the call to New York.

Rosario & Antonio

In 1940 they finally appeared on Sert Room at the Waldorf Astoria. The room was dedicated to the Catalan painter Josep Maria Sert . The hotel advertised her with her previous artist name, but added Rosario & Antonio in smaller font . The performance was a resounding success. The New York press described them as the most fantastic Spanish dancers New York had seen in many years. The critic Cholly Knickerbocker praised its authenticity, which is not spoiled by the typical "patina of Broadway ". They performed non-stop in the sert room for three months . After this success, the stages of New York were open to them. They performed in hotels, ballrooms, show cabarets and theaters and again and again in the sert room . A highlight was her introduction to President Theodore Roosevelt at the White House . Their fees also got better and better.

In 1943 they appeared in Sons o'fun , one of the most attractive Broadway musicals at the time . It was staged by comedians Ole Olsen and Chic Johnson , with Carmen Miranda and Ella Logan on stage as other stars .

In April 1944 they made their debut with their own full-length dance program at Carnegie Hall . They hired a company of six dancers and four dancers and two guitarists and two pianists each on a concert grand piano . Antonio had prepared a choreography, including a debut work for El Corpus Christi en Sevilla by Isaac Albéniz . This premiere evening was also praised and celebrated by New York critics. The success brought them a contract with Columbia Concert Productions and engagements in Hollywood film productions .

Hollywood

Metro Goldwyn Mayer hired her for two musical films that appeared in 1941:

In 1944 they traveled to Hollywood again to perform in Hollywood Canteen . 1945 followed appearances in the film Pan-Americana with a Paso Doble and a potpourri of Spanish folk songs.

Through these appearances, film documents of both dance art have come down to us:

  • of their spontaneity and agility,
  • her body control,
  • the rhythmic richness and perfection of their zapateados ,
  • the acrobatic jumps of Antonio,
  • the graceful perfection of Rosario's turns and body movements as well as her masterful control of the castanets .

New travels in Latin America

From 1946 to 1949 they traveled again to Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Cuba and Peru . In 1946 they presented their interpretation of El zapateado by Pablo de Sarasate at the Teatro Bellas Artes in Mexico City . José Luis Navarro García describes this performance as one of the emblematic high points of her career.

He wrote about her foot technique:

"Un verdadero tour de force en el que convierte sus pies en un instruments de percusión solista, de una precisión, de un virtuosismo técnico, de una musicaldad y de una creatividad inigualada hasta ese momento."

"A true tour de force , in which your feet are transformed into a solo percussion instrument, with a precision, technical virtuosity, musicality and creativity unmatched up to that moment."

- José Luis Navarro García

Their repertoire, which they had built up in the previous twelve years, also included:

Return to Spain

At the beginning of January 1949 they set foot on Spanish soil again in Algeciras . From there it went on via Seville to Madrid.

On January 27, they made a triumphant comeback in their home country at the Teatro Fontalva , which was celebrated by the public and the critics. A little later they succeeded in repeating it at the Teatro San Fernando in their native Seville. Her fame got around among cinema lovers too. So you started a film project with them: the story of the mugger El Tempranillo . The project originally planned for two films was shortened to one film due to lack of money, El rey de Sierra Morena . Rosario and Antonio not only danced in it, but also played as actors: Antonio the role of the hero El Tempranillo and Rosario the role of his bride María Jesús.

After a short stopover in the United States, to which they had contractually agreed, they continued their performances in Spain.

The last years together

Her debut at the Théâtre des Champs Elysées was celebrated frenetically by the Parisian audience. This was followed by appearances in Amsterdam , Bern , Rome , Edinburgh , Brussels , London , Bonn , Copenhagen , Athens , Dublin , Stockholm , Helsinki , Lisbon , Tel Aviv , Cairo , Tangier and Florence .

In 1950, Rosario and Antonio were each awarded the gold medal of the Círculo de Bellas Artes . Antonio was also honored with the Cruz de Caballero de Isabel la Católica .

In 1951 they worked again in a film production. In Niebla y Sol , directed by José María Forqué , they danced an anthology of the Seguiriya . To the accompaniment of three guitars and vocals from off , they showed a dialogue of zapateados and castanets to compositions by Antonio. Another central contribution to this film was their dance together with Sacha Goudines ballet company to his ballet El hombre y la estrella .

They steadily expanded their repertoire, with Antonio demonstrating his skills as a choreographer. This is how they created and danced choreographies:

From 1951 it became apparent that they were looking for their own artistic ways. Rosario created her own version of Taranto , Antonio his version of Martinete to verses by Edgar Neville . In 1952 they had another splendid joint appearance at the Festival de Música y Danza in Granada. With their performance they opened the festival in the gardens of the Alhambra . For this they were once again honored with the gold medal of the Círculo de Bellas Artes.

After that, they parted ways. Antonio sought to found a company to stage great ballets. Rosario preferred the performance in a small cast. There were violent personal arguments up to physical violence and a scandal on the open stage in Paris. The last joint appearance took place on December 21, 1952 in the Teatro Calderón in Barcelona.

Further paths in life

Both formed their own companies according to their artistic beliefs; Both of them lived through a long artistic career independently of one another. In the 1960s, Rosario occasionally appeared as a prominent guest artist in Antonio's ballet company.

For the further lives of the two artist personalities see the individual biographies

References and comments

  1. ↑ José Luis Navarro García describes it as “la pareja flamenca mas famosa de todos los tiempos”.
  2. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II.Signatura Ediciones de Andalucía, Sevilla 2010, ISBN 978-84-96210-71-4 , pp. 218 .
  3. ↑ a b c José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 217 .
  4. ^ Roger Salas: Muere la bailarina Rosario, legendaria pareja de Antonio . In: El País . January 27, 2000, ISSN  1134-6582 (Spanish, online [accessed February 8, 2018]).
  5. ↑ Amelia Castilla: Muere 'el gran Antonio' . In: El País . February 6, 1996, ISSN  1134-6582 (Spanish, online [accessed February 8, 2018]).
  6. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 235 .
  7. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 236-257 .
  8. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 219 .
  9. ↑ chaval (a) [ʧaˈβal (a)] NUN m (f). In: Pons Online. Accessed February 9, 2018 (“chaval” means both boy and girl in Spanish, “chavalillo” or “chavalilla” is the diminutive).
  10. ↑ The "Ópera Flamenca" and the first half of the 20th century . In: Flamenco.one . ( Online [accessed February 9, 2018]).
  11. ↑ the carnations
  12. ↑ The legend of the kiss
  13. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume V, S. 220 .
  14. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 221 .
  15. ↑ La Revista: Rosario. In: El Mundo . Retrieved February 9, 2018 (Spanish).
  16. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 222 .
  17. ↑ Cristina Hernández: El centro nocturno al que se iba vestido de etiqueta . In: El Universal . June 13, 2016 (Spanish, online [accessed February 10, 2018]).
  18. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 223 .
  19. ^ Full Text of New Yorker Magazine 1940 12 28 . (English, online [accessed February 10, 2018]).
  20. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 224 .
  21. ↑ a b c José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 225 .
  22. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 226 .
  23. ^ Robert Z. Leonard, Busby Berkeley: Ziegfeld Girl. In: Internet Movie Database . April 25, 1941, Retrieved February 10, 2018 .
  24. ↑ Sing Another Chorus (1941). Full cast & crew. In: Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 10, 2018 .
  25. ↑ stupéfait (Uploader): Antonio Ruiz & Rosario, Hollywood Canteen (1944). (Film excerpt) In: Youtube . April 22, 2007, accessed February 10, 2018 .
  26. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 227 .
  27. ^ John H. Auer: Pan-Americana. In: Internet Movie Database. July 27, 1945, accessed February 10, 2018 .
  28. ↑ a b c d José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . S. 228 .
  29. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 229 .
  30. ^ El rey de Sierra Morena (1950). Full cast & crew. In: Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 11, 2018 .
  31. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 230 .
  32. ↑ a b c José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 231 .
  33. ↑ Knight's Cross
  34. ^ Niebla y sol (1951). Full cast and crew. In: Internet Movie Database. Retrieved February 16, 2018 .
  35. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 232 .
  36. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 233 .
  37. ↑ a b José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 234 .
  38. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 235 .
  39. ^ Artista invitada
  40. ↑ José Luis Navarro García: Historia del Baile Flamenco . Volume II, p. 242-244 .