Thursday, August 10, 2023, 08:14
The semifinals of the contest of this edition of the Cante de las Minas began this Wednesday night, a first phase on the way to get the highest awards: the ‘Lámpara Minera’, the ‘Bordón’, the ‘Filón’ and the ‘ Desplante’ in the male and female category. The prizes will depend on the verdict issued by a jury chaired by the Spanish bailaora and dance choreographer Blanca del Rey, and who also composes mining songs and the son of the singer ‘Niño Alfonso’, Paco Paredes; the singer from Union Francisco Severo; the flamenco journalist, writer and producer José Manuel Gamboa, and the flamenco writer and critic Manuel Bohórquez, with Salvador Alcaraz as secretary.
The semifinals began in the Flamenco Instrumentation category, with Raúl Pérez Fernández from Cartagena, who played taranta and soleá on piano. Cante came later, by the hand of Huelva-born María Ángeles Cruzado Garrido, who opened the modality with mineras and farruca. He was followed by Juan José Heredia Santiago ‘El Niño Solo’ from Granada to sing por malagueña and siguiriya, both accompanied by the official guitarist Antonio Muñoz.
The dance category was inaugurated by the taranto by Dolores Pérez González ‘Lola Pérez’ from Córdoba, which she would later complete with a second outing on stage dancing por siguiriya. The bailaor from Granada Francisco Vílchez Jiménez “Fran Vilchez” opted for the ‘Desplante’ in the male category with taranto and alegrías.
It was Mercedes de Rocío Sanguiao Horneros ‘Mercedes Luján’, from Lorca, who began to show her playing at the ‘Catedral del Cante’ in this first semifinal, with taranta and soleá; a category that also counted as a semifinalist yesterday with Manuel Fernández Heredia from Granada with farruca and taranta.
The line-up for this first night of the contest was completed by the Cádiz-born cantaora Aroa Cala Luque with levantica, mining, Cartagena and siguiriya, closing the singing modality by Sevillian José León Márquez ‘José de la Mena Hijo’, por malagueña and tonás, accompanied by guitarist Rosendo Fernández.
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