The dramatic flamenco ballet ‘Fedra’ reached the 2009 Córdoba Guitar Festival

Lola Greco pays tribute to Manuela Vargas in the show’s leading role, with music by Morente and choreography by Latorre

“A flamenco opera, with dance, music and drama”. That is how Miguel Narros defines his version of ‘Fedra’ which is touring Spain’s main summer festivals, among them, Mérida’s Classical Theater Festival and Córdoba’s Guitar Festival, where it has just been performed. The show stars dancer and bailaora Lola Greco as Phaedra, who converses on stage with bailaores Amador Rojas, in the role of Hippolytus, Alejandro Granados as Theseus, and Carmelilla Montoya as Ama. The music is signed by Enrique Morente and the choreography, by Javier Latorre.

But today’s ‘Fedra’ is a version of the one which playwright Miguel Narros staged in 1990 with Manuela Vargas in the lead role. Therefore, Lola Greco, who now plays the star of the drama, pays tribute to that great bailaora who died scarcely two years ago. And judging by the critics’ comments, she does so perfectly. In the daily newspaper ABC, Julio Bravo wrote that “Lola’s baile in this Fedra is fierce and magnetic”; and proclaimed her a “goddess” following the premiere in Mérida a few days ago.

The Madrilenian bailaora and dancer is seconded by two bailaores: Alejandro Granados is Theseus and Amador Rojas is Hippolytus. And she has cantaora and bailaora Carmelilla Montoya beside her as Ama in Euripides’ tragedy, plus a dance corps with eight dancers. The one in charge of designing their movements has been choreographer Javier Latorre and the author of the stage design, Andrea D’Odorico. The distinctive feature of this flamenco ballet, according to Narros, is that “it takes place in the 21st century”. And therefore, “Hippolytus doesn’t die due to his father’s curse. Hippolytus dies in a motorbike accident”.

Another fundamental piece of the show is the music by Enrique Morente. He had already composed it for the version nearly twenty years ago, but he has updated it and has added pieces such as the petenera which Estrella Morente now takes part in. The recorded music is joined live by David Maldonado on cante, Iván Losada on guitar and Lucky Losada on percussion.

On tour around Spain

With this revival premiered at the Teatro Mercadante in Naples on June 12th, ‘Fedra’ is consolidated as a classic of dramatic flamenco ballet, following precedents such as ‘Medea’ by José Greco with music by Manolo Sanlúcar. After its performance at the Gran Teatro in Córdoba, it will go on a busy tour throughout Spain which already has dates confirmed until March 2010, with stops at the Castell de Peralada Festival, Sagunto Festival d’Estiu and Carlos III University in Madrid.

Date: 17/7/2009

Research: taher mahmoud abadi

Source: flamenco world