The Flamenco Goddess
By María García Esperón
Women hold a very special place in the interpretation of the art that is Flamenco. The bailaora raises her arms, arches her body, exhibits the magnificence of her garments, slithers the long dress–bata de cola-like a magnificent snake and finally seems to submerge herself in a mystic trance. Her feet attack the floor and with her hands she writes invisible messages into the atmosphere.
Dance: Misterios Flamencos. Fridays, 5-8pm. Café Teatro Athanor, Correo 37. 200 pesos. and
The portrayal of the women in Flamenco roots itself in the most remote past, in the ancient Mediterranean traditions and the cult of the Mother Goddess. In Minoan Crete, according to testimonies by the foremost archaeologists, the Snake priestess seems to execute a flamenco dance. Her gowns closely resemble the dresses worn today by contemporary dancers.
If a soleá is interpreted, the dancer seems to be transformed into the archetype of Sorrow, of the Mother, of the Solitude towards the Cosmos that screams out for the name of this dance. If she dances alegrías, her movements are like the sea and the wind of the Bay of Cádiz.
The moon is continuously referenced with the arching of the arms and this is how the bailaora receives the characteristics of the Goddesses of the moon and the earth.
Every Friday, in the Café Teatro Athanor, Mi Luna Flamenca, made up by Ángela García la Yerbabuena, Triana, Arlene Nájera, Alfredo Enríquez, and Alejandro Cabrero, explore the goddesses’ mysteries by means of flamenco dances and chants.
