ANTONIO GADES EXHIBITION: TIERRA, MAR Y FUEGO
by Muriel Feiner
Photos: M. Feiner
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An extraordinary retrospective exhibition, “Antonio Gades. Tierra, Mar y Fuego”, has been inaugurated in the Teatro Fernán Gómez del Centro Cultural de la Villa dedicated to the internationally renown dancer Antonio Gades. Organized jointly by this Centro Cultural in collaboration with La Fábrica, the Antonio Gades Foundation and the Centro de Documentación de las Artes Escénica y la Música (CDAEM), the Exhibition is dedicated to this leading figure of twentieth-century Spanish dance. The curators of this exhibition are María Esteve, an actress and the eldest daughter of the dancer, as the president of the Antonio Gades Foundation; Eugenia Eiriz, Gades’s widow and general director of the Foundation; and Ana Berruguete, Exhibitions Director of La Fábrica.
Antonio Gades. Tierra, Mar y Fuego is an exhibition that traces Gades’s triumphant performances and brilliant choreographies from the very beginning of his career to the legacy he has left behind, which revolves around three basic concepts: Earth, Sea and Fire, the latter symbolic of his passion for his art.
More than 400 pieces are on exhibit (140 photographs, 45 hand programs, original scores and scripts, handwritten letters, press clippings, 25 original posters, 13 original graphic works by such artists as Picasso, Alberti, Miró, Antonio Saura, Tapies, …and some of the magnificent costumes he wore in his most representative performances). Equally impressive in the Exhibition, which features an exceptional layout and design are the quotes and philosophic reflections of Antonio Esteve Ródenas, the dancer’s real name.
Born in in Elda (Alicante), in November of 1936, to a struggling family, which had to move to Madrid after the Civil War. He left leave school at age eleven, in order to work at meager, odd jobs to help the family’s economy, until he discovered flamenco and famous dancer Pilar López discovered him! Dancer, choreographer and intellectual, he sought with his work to reflect the very essence of Spanish culture, as defined by its tradition, its roots, its folklore and its people.
María Esteve, left, and Eugenia Eirez
His encounter with filmmaker Carlos Saura in 1981 led to a highly fruitful partnership and a decisive step towards the preservation of his most exceptional choreographies, in such cinematographic productions as Bodas de Sangre (1974), the film and ballet Carmen, Amor Brujo and Fuego. Fuenteovejuna was one of his last works.
Antonio Gades died in 2004, but his work has been immortalized thanks to the efforts of the Foundation that bears his name, and the passion and devotion of María Esteve and Eugenia Eiriz, its President and Director, respectively.
Teatro Fernán Gómez. Sala de Exposiciones: From 7 April to 29 May 2022. Schedule: Tuesday to Sunday: 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“Suite Gades” in the Teatro Magno
And once visitors have fully comprehended and become captivated by the art and passion of Antonio Gades in the Centro Cultural de la Villa Exhibition, it is possible to enjoy an extraordinary spectacle organized by the Antonio Gades Company in the newly reformed Teatro Magno.
The show in the Teatro Magno is a rare opportunity to enjoy authentic, quality flamenco
Truly a legend, Antonio Gades (1936-2004) was an essential reference in the history of 20th century European theater and dance, as an immortal bailaor, bailarín, choreographer and intellectual. The “SUITE GADES” consists of a varied program of the following flamenco performances: Farruca, Alegrías, Homenaje a Caracol, Tangos de Málaga, Soleá de la Mesa, Soleá por Bulerías and El Fin de Fiesta, in which the entire cast participates. The Artistic Director is Stella Arauzo who joined Gades’ Company when she was just 17 years old. She is accompanied by dancers Álvaro Madrid, María José López and Miguel Lara, the cantaores or singers: Enrique Bermúdez “El Piculabe” y Saul Quirós, and the guitarists Diego Franco and Jesús de Rosario, each a master is his or her own right.
An architectural gem, Teatro Magno, the perfect setting for “Suite Gades,” is said to have been built at the request of Alfonso XIII to please his mistress, famous actress Carmen Ruiz Moragas
This show in the Teatro Magno offers spectators the opportunity to enjoy an authentic, quality flamenco show, not one just devised for tourists, in a perfect setting, this centenary theater. It is said that this architectural gem was built at the request of Alfonso XIII to please his mistress, famous actress Carmen Ruiz Moragas.
Teatro Magno, calle Cedaceros, 7. Performances: Thursday, Friday and Saturday: 19.00 and 21.30 hours. Sundays: 18 and 20.30 hours. Reservations: reservasflamenco@teatromagno.com. Tel. 681 98 46 46.
