{"id":14052,"date":"2019-07-17T02:57:01","date_gmt":"2019-07-17T00:57:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.expoflamenco.com\/archivo\/?p=14052"},"modified":"2019-12-14T10:40:58","modified_gmt":"2019-12-14T09:40:58","slug":"flamenco-rhythms-arrive-in-kenya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/expoflamenco.com\/archivo\/en\/actualidad-en\/flamenco-rhythms-arrive-in-kenya\/","title":{"rendered":"Flamenco rhythms arrive in Kenya"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kenya National Theatre in Nairobi hosted the Spanish bailaor<\/em> \u00c1lvaro Murillo Garc\u00eda and his production \u2018El barbero de Picasso\u2019 where he paid tribute to Picasso himself and the cantaor Enrique Morente. Murillo also gave a lecture about the origins of flamenco and held a workshop at Kenyatta University.<\/p>\n

\u00c1lvaro Murillo Garc\u00eda<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0was born in the Spanish province of C\u00e1ceres in 1995, in the city of Plasencia, to be precise. When he\u2019s asked whether he\u2019s more bailaor than dancer, or more dancer than bailaor, he frowns. It\u2019s hard for him to pick a side, because his art is a blend of contemporary dance and flamenco. However, that is the genre he has taken to Kenya, in Africa, where he travelled at the beginning of July 2019, invited by Jaime Hermida<\/strong>, the Spanish consul in Nairobi. The reason? The consul wanted Murillo to perform his show El barbero de Picasso<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/em>in the capital of that country.<\/p>\n

The young bailaor<\/em> from Extremadura packed his bags and, on July 4, 2019 in Nairobi\u2019s Kenya National Theatre<\/strong>, he performed his fifty-minute production where he pays tribute to the painter Pablo Picasso and the cantaor<\/em> Enrique Morente. Pieces like Autorretrato<\/em>\u00a0or\u00a0Pan tostao <\/em>by that genuine cantaor<\/em> from Granada were heard loud and clear while \u00c1lvaro performed his brand of flamenco, slightly removed from tradition and positioned in a more contemporary path.<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/em>The history of the caj\u00f3n goes back to the African slaves who went to South America in the 16th<\/sup> century. That musical influence reached the port cities of C\u00e1diz and Seville.\u00bb<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Lecture about Picasso, Morente and the origins of flamenco<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Besides the show, there was also a lecture about Picasso, Morente and the origins of flamenco and the African influence in this art. \u00abThe history of the caj\u00f3n<\/em> goes back to the African slaves who went to South America in the 16th<\/sup> century. That musical influence reached Spain, where in the 16th<\/sup> and 17th<\/sup> centuries, particularly in the port cities of C\u00e1diz and Seville, slaves made up to ten percent of the population. When they left the Iberian peninsula, their former presence was forgotten, and the Spanish people thought it was more important to associate flamenco with Gypsies because, even as they were a socially-excluded group, they were considered true Spaniards, unlike the Africans\u00bb, explained Murillo in a statement published in the Hoy<\/em> newspaper.<\/p>\n

Besides the conference and the performance of his show, the Spanish bailaor <\/em>held a flamenco workshop at Kenyatta University. \u00abWe worked on creative techniques so everyone could develop what they have within their selves. It was very satisfactory. They are definitely not lacking in rhythm\u00bb, assured \u00c1lvaro Murillo.<\/p>\n

About the bailaor <\/em>\u00c1lvaro Murillo<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This bailaor<\/em> from C\u00e1ceres got started in baile <\/em>thanks to his brother, who gifted him his first footwork boots when he was nineteen years old. Then he started studying with the bailaora<\/em> from Extremadura Patricia S\u00e1nchez<\/strong>, and from there he made the jump to his first flamenco performances. In October 2019 he will perform at Nave del Duende, in Casar de C\u00e1ceres, in his show La leyenda del tiempo<\/em>. And in 2020 he plans to perform at the DT venue in Madrid, with his project Flamencas<\/em>, where he\u2019ll highlight the importance of women in flamenco.<\/p>\n

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