Stinker: Joaquin Cortes ESENCIA

[TYR]

So I went to see this at the Teatro Real in Madrid. I wouldn't bother.

 

Cortés has been touring this since 2017 and frankly it needs to be retired. I can't think of any element of the show I wasn't deeply disappointed by. The flamenco stuff is a succession of disconnected tricks (I remember seeing Andres Martin perform at Sadlers' Wells and that was a world apart) without any sense of drama or emotion other than showing off. Did you know he's both a ballet dancer and a flamenco guy? That must be new and exciting IN 1992 WHEN HE STARTED IT. I know nothing about flamenco technique and can't comment on that, but he was visibly happier and better whenever anything classical came up.

 

The music was uninspired and the sound waaaaay too loud, while the stage design and lighting looked like Strictly Come Dancing. The choreography makes basically no use of some no doubt talented women who get to do very familiar Graham technique floorwork (so we're going to contract, kick, safety release, roll through, up to the lunge, reverse it, sunburst kick? has anyone who's ever taken Graham class not done that sequence?) while dolled up for a ball with their knockers out (seriously) before repeatedly swooning at the great man's feet. This trope happened several times. At some point he was pretending to be a matador, good grief. His ego should really be credited as a dancer in its own right.

 

Of course the home fans thought all this was great, whooping and cheering as the stage director picked out different boxes with the limelight.

 

There are basically three problems here: the first is clichés. Whatever good might possibly emerge from the company's efforts (I think of one flamenca who was clearly trying to carry the whole thing by sheer attack and dramatic excess, two qualities I'm not going to complain about) is obscured by a mass of hackneyed kitsch. The second is the guy's mammoth ego cluttering the stage up and occupying everyone else's space, reducing the women especially to part of the décor. The third is fan service; he has an evidently loyal following who demand their ration of tricks and macho posturing and he sucks up to them. It was a decently full house at €25-50 a go, you can see why he's been touring it for six whole years.

 

The whole thing left a bad taste.

[Scheherezade]

The best flamenco I ever saw was in a former brothel in Madrid: tiled walls painted with skeletons; standing only; arrive early and wait around the bar until the dancers are ready to perform; no stage as such, no charge. Incomparable!

[TYR]

Where was that? I'm in the market for a recommendation.

[Scheherezade]

Los Gabrieles in Calle Echegaray. Sadly, it was closed many years ago for redevelopment but I think it’s since been reopened after disassembling and restoring the utterly glorious ceramics. Not sure what it’s like now - it used to be a haunt of bullfighters, artist and poets back in its seedy, but achingly romantic, bordello past - so do report back if you go.