Carmen La Talegona: «We are what we convey through our art»

Carmen Rivas 'The Talegona' She belongs to the renowned Talegones family. She studied at the Conservatory of Spanish Dance and Dramatic Art in her hometown, Córdoba, but she says that the real training and learning comes later. “I was at the conservatory for seven years and when I left, there was still a lot to learn. You learn by doing and experimenting. Experience and training is what creates your identity,” she says.

The Cordoban has shared the stage with the most renowned dancers on the scene flamenco: Antonio Canales, Manolete, El Güito, Juan Andrés Maya, Rubén Olmo, Javier Latorre… And he feels a deep admiration for artists such as La Chana, Manuela Carrasco, Carmen Amaya, Farruco, La Singla and the great Antonio Gades, whom he also had the great fortune to meet and share moments with.

It's a Tuesday morning in Madrid and I'm waiting for her on the corner of the Mercado de Antón Martín, which houses the famous Amor de Dios school on the top floor. Everything around seems to have more duende. And in a moment, I forget that I'm interviewing her. Watching her express herself with that mix of sweetness and boldness is like seeing a compendium of all those things that let you breathe a little bit of art. And if you look closely, her eyes are flamencos.

– Who is Carmen La Talegona?

– I always say that I am a normal, ordinary living being, with a heart. Like everyone else. A person who wants to grow and always continue to evolve.

– You belong to a well-known flamenco lineage, which is Los Talegones. Where does the nickname come from?

– My family was a fishmonger and the women worked in the market. They carried a small taleguilla, which is a kind of bag that was fastened with a safety pin at the top or bottom of the apron. And they put the coins in there. When they walked, the coins clinked in the tale. And that’s where Los Talegones came from.

– Apart from the show, you also teach. What does each offer you?

– When I am on stage I feel very free to express what I feel and what I want to say. If it is a tablao, I experience the magic of improvisation. If it is a theatre, I create from my own point of view. I am not guided by trends. I try to give the public the best of my essence, as I feel it and want to transmit it. I like to see the evolution of teaching. People learn to channel the energy that blocks us, to be able to have composure and live their dance from another dimension.

«I think that the flamenco "He is in an incredible moment, constantly evolving. It is a shame that he is so much ours and is not given the place he deserves. Sometimes it is disappointing to see how he is cared for more abroad than here."

– Since we are talking about the subject of teaching, tell me about the institution of Amor de Dios.

– What can I say? There are no words. Joaquín San Juan, who is the director of Amor de Dios, is for me the most honest and humble person in the world, a wonderful human being. Joaquín is a person who cradles and accommodates everyone. He listens to us, collaborates and goes to places.

– Your uncle Talegón is a great singer who was also part of the Amor de Dios group of teachers. Where is he now?

– He is in a great moment in every sense. In a moment of peace. He has already retired. I say: why doesn’t this man sing? His voice is better than before! But he doesn’t sing anymore because he doesn’t want to feel pressured. He is 81 years old and I understand him. For me he is my father. He has taught me to walk. To walk and everything, practically.

– What is the most difficult thing about dancing in a tablao?

– For me, the difficult thing is not dancing. The difficult thing is synchronizing. Understanding the code of flamenco, the looks. Get to the point where guitar, cante and dance we are on the same frequency. That is the most difficult.

– Do you remember any bad experiences?

– I remember many.

– How do you solve it?

– Calmly. Without trying to do more than necessary. I always say that less is more and the difficult thing is, in reality, to do nothing and transmit everything. You have to be calm and listen.

«If I take it to the flamenco, 'Triad' is composed of the cante, dance and guitar, three brothers with their own identity, protagonists of their story, but the same blood, the same heartbeat. And on these foundations the show has been built.

– What makes a dancer a professional?

– Experience and learning. For me, the word itself has a lot of weight, it encompasses everything: having an identity, knowing how to interpret, having different dance disciplines, immersing yourself in anything that can enhance your person and, consequently, your movement. In reality, we are what we transmit through our art.

– You have a very strong personality as a dancer. Has your style evolved much?

– I think we are in continuous evolution. Since I became a mother, I have softened my way of dancing and I have more control over it. I have studied contemporary and classical. And that leaves a lot of mark and opens up the field. Now I know how to channel, measure, enter strongly, stop, temper, how to open, how to close…

– Do you teach this in class? 

– Yes, because I couldn't teach in any other way than from my essence. They said on Cadena Ser the other day that my methodology is different and I have created it this way, thinking about the greatest difficulties of my students. Both in the Club project Flamencohooligans as in my regular classes, what I try to convey is that we should not look at the flamenco like a factory of steps, because we forget what made us want to dance it in the first place. That you have to be patient and search, in improvisation, for your own essence and identity.

– Have your references changed over time or have they always been the same?

– My idols will always be my idols. They haven’t changed at all.

«When I go on stage everything has to be impeccable. I have to smell heavenly, I have to brush my teeth. I have to comb my hair well, put on makeup very well and always, always, have something torn in my tights. And really, concentrate. For me, it's never been about going out and that's it!»

– Of the people you have worked with, is there any advice that you apply to your daily life that has left a mark on you?

– All the advice I have received has made me grow. My greatest guide, as I said before, is my uncle Talegón, because I always had him by my side, guiding me along the way. But one of the teachers who has left the biggest mark on my life is Antonio Canales. I have stored each of his pieces of advice in my soul and I continue to apply it to this day. And of course, I will never forget the advice that the teacher Antonio Gades gave me.

– What advice would you give to young people if they haven't seen you on social media yet and read you on social media? Expoflamenco?

– Be patient. Have a good foundation. And have a lot of discipline. You have to keep learning constantly. Experience and training are what create your identity and help you transmit your essence in a unique way. Because if that is not the purpose, why do we dance?

– Do you have any rituals before going on stage?

– Yes, a lot. Everything has to be impeccable. I have to smell heavenly, I have to brush my teeth. I have to comb my hair well, put on makeup very well and always, always, have something torn in my tights. And really, concentrate. For me, it has never been about going out and that's it, because of all the respect I have for my work and the public that is watching me.

– You recently presented your new show at Suma Flamenca, TriadaWhere does it come from?

– I have always felt a special connection with the word “triad”, but I never stopped to think about it. And in a creative process, I was very inspired and realized the deep meaning it has for the flamencoI'll tell you. If I take it to flamenco, Triada It is composed of the cante, dance and guitar, three brothers with their own identity, protagonists of their story, but the same blood, the same heartbeat. And on these foundations the show has been built. Right now there are no upcoming dates because we are in the middle of the promotion, but I think that next year it will be very well received because it is a small, simple and profound format, with which you can easily identify.

"Both in the Club project Flamencohooligans as in my regular classes, what I try to convey is that we should not look at the flamenco "like a factory of steps, because we forget what made us want to dance it in the first place. That you have to be patient and search, in improvisation, for your own essence and identity."

– Did you feel that it was liked?

– A lot. What impressed me the most was the three minutes of people standing up applauding, because at that moment you realise that what was meant to be conveyed was achieved. As an artist, that fills you immensely. It was a very beautiful moment, the place at La Cabrera is spectacular and Antonio Benamargo, director of Suma Flamenca, manages everything incredibly. Everything that man does is wonderful.

– What's so special about it? Triada?

– The simplicity, the closeness and the beautiful and profound way of extrapolating everything to life itself.

– How do you see the future of flamenco?

– I think that the flamenco It is in an incredible moment, constantly evolving, and it is a shame that it is so much ours and is not given the place it deserves. Sometimes it is disappointing to see how it is cared for more abroad than here.

– And you, how do you see yourself?

– I am in a very happy moment, moving forward on the same journey with no return ticket that I started at the age of five. Breathing flamenco and living my way of life. ♦