'Pure feeling' and contemporary dance
Manuel Ramírez Flamenco Ballet in spirited action during the concert in Førdehuset Friday. (Photo: Marianne Lystrup)
They're dancing to us with women's wrestling from Spain. You didn't see that coming! Premiere in Førdehuset tonight, Friday, July 6, 2018.
Mercedes Jaldón is one of the dancers in the Manuel Ramírez Flamenco Ballet. Here together with the boss. (Photo: Marianne Lystrup)
Flamenco and contemporary dance
Manuel Ramírez Flamenco Ballet is a young ensemble. The founder is not old either. On the other hand, he is a visionary. He has created the show Flamenco 4 women 4 ( Miradas, Flamenco por la igualdad ). It shows us women's struggle in Spanish.
Mercedes Jaldón and Manuel Ramírez i Førde Tonight his company is dancing in Førdehuset (Photo: Marianne Lystrup)
– Flamenco is pure emotion, says Manuel after a short pause for thought when I ask him to explain the phenomenon. And emotions have the power to transmit content to the audience. In this case, he has set out to tell about a hundred years of women's struggle in Spain.
High level
He and the four dancers do not only use flamenco. The company is based on a mix of this ancient gypsy tradition and modern dance with roots in classical ballet. All the dancers are educated in both areas and maintain a high level.
Mercedes Jaldón and Manuel Ramírez have many expressions to play on. (Photo: Marianne Lystrup)
Manuel himself started dancing at the age of eight. He quickly realized that this was something he loved, and applied to academies and conservatories in several places in Spain. First in Cádiz in Andalusia, where he grew up. This was followed by several years of roles in various companies and assignments for television. He now lives in Madrid, which is the base for the company he started almost three years ago.
Own company
– I had turned 25 and was ready to create my own company. I gathered all my interests in this work that has been going on for almost three years and for which I am very committed, he says.
– Is it popular to be part of your company?
He laughs. Says I have to ask the dancers. One of them is sitting with us. Mercedes Jaldón confirms that it is a given. She likes being involved both because of the content of the piece and the opportunity it gives her to grow as a dancer with a view to the path ahead.
The fans want to dance with him.
Manuel Ramírez has handpicked his dancers. Not from fan posts on social media, where girls who have seen him on TV are eager to dance with him, but from dancers with the right education.
Mercedes Jaldón and Manuel Ramírez don't mind showing some dance poses. (Photo: Marianne Lystrup)
Women's wrestling
– Is there a message in the performance?
– Oh yes, it's very important to me. The play is inspired by the women's movement. The message is to fight for justice and women's rights so that we can achieve full equality for all women.
– We're not there yet, you think?
– There has been good progress, but there is still a long way to go before we achieve gender equality.
Mercedes Jaldón and Manuel Ramírez. (Photo: Marianne Lystrup)
Dancer Mercedes Jaldón is happy with the theme of the piece. She says that women's liberation is a topic that has become more and more relevant in Spanish cultural life, partly thanks to this piece. It has been important because it addresses this theme in an unusual way. It makes these ideas come closer to people. Because it is a dance performance, all kinds of people come – women and men, children – it is interesting.
– How have the reactions been? Have some been provoked?
– I haven't heard that anyone has been provoked, but many people express that they like it, says Mercedes.
They had their greatest success when they visited Latvia in the fall. The audience there went wild. They shouted and gave a standing ovation.
The brutality of men in earlier times is clearly evident in the film. (Photo: Marianne Lystrup)
- Do you think someone can become a feminist from seeing the vision?
– It may happen. If there are people who are not concerned about this, I at least expect that they may come to look at women's liberation in new ways. The play reflects the struggle that women have had for a hundred years. It comes across strongly, says Manuel.
The dress shows the development
Mercedes says that the clothes they wear change throughout the play, as a picture of their development.
which follows the situation of women from the beginning of the last century, through the civil war, the Franco period and the development of democracy.
– The development clearly shows that women's value in society has changed. At the beginning of the century, she had to obey men in everything. Now women have their own right to think freely and control their own lives. This is of course important for further developing the right to equality and to be free, says Manuel.
Not a 'Me too' thing
The reason that equality and women's struggles are on the agenda in Spain at the moment has nothing to do with 'Me Too'. They have hardly heard of that movement. But on TV, they say, they constantly see calls against male chauvinism, sexual abuse and mistreatment. And there are several plays that deal with violence against women.
Mercedes Jaldón and Manuel Ramírez. (Photo: Marianne Lystrup)
– What is the position of women in flamenco? When you look at the dance, the strength emanates from the women! Isn't that a sign of equality?
– In the dance itself, there is equality between women and men. We each have our own movements, but there is nothing oppressive about it. But traditionally, female dancers have been paid much less than male dancers. Previously, it was probably not as socially accepted for women to dedicate themselves to dance, but this is no longer the case, say Manuel and Mercedes.
Accepted combination
– Is it widely respected in the dance community to mix flamenco with modern, choreographed dance?
– Yes, I think so. I've never heard anything about people not liking it, says Manuel Ramírez.
Marianne Lystrup
ml@skriveliv.no