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Legends about Petenera vary, but in all cases Petenera has become a death-figure in the flamenco lore of Andalusia. Petenera weaves her way through the various legendary flamenco folk tunes but the verses are not consistent as to who she really was. Perhaps the most famous version of peteneras is the one created by the flamenco singer Niсa de los Peines. Petenera even appears in a bambera flamenco courting song, in a bulerнa flamenco dance-song and in a fandango de Huelva regional dance-song.
Our dance-drama opens with two of the most popular petenera verses:
“Whoever named you Petenera did not know what to call you.
He should have called you the perdition of men.”
“Where are you going, beautiful Jewess, so dressed up and at this unseemly hour?”
“I am going to meet Rebeco who will be in the synagogue.”
Since synagogues were banned in Spain from 1492 until the end of the Franco regime, does this imply that Petenera existed before 1492?
In recent history, there was a flamenco singer, a “paternera” from Paterna de la Ribera, who took up residence in Seville. People in Seville called her Petenera and she is said to have killed two men. Whatever the truth may be, Petenera is a mysterious woman. She is not understood – witness the many verses describing her in often contradictory ways. She is regarded with suspicion, with hatred, with fear and probably with envy – but she is isolated and lonely.
The performances recorded on this DVD are all as different and unique as were the conditions under which they were produced. They are the result of 7 concert nights in 5 venues that began in August 2001 and ended in August 2004. Therefore, what you will see on this DVD is a unique combination of very different atmospheres, venues and repertory that makes this DVD the only one of its kind. We were as fortunate as was the audience in the theaters to have had the privilege of attending so many of these performances, so we have made it our principal goal to share these moments with you, and to capture the emotions as faithfully as if you had been there.
The mysterious figure of the Petenera might have haunted the world of flamenco for nearly 5 centuries but peteneras performances and interpretations have been scarce. Still her character arouses a great deal of superstition.
To the best of our knowledge, it has never before been set for the stage in this kind of dramatic group choreography that provides an in-depth portrait of some of the important features of her story and personality. As a result, the performance was a world-premiere in flamenco history, and the artists’ very personal interpretation make it a compelling piece that we are very proud to share with flamenco-lovers around the world.
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