Friday, September 06, 2013

Bajari: Gypsy Barcelona


 
Documentary by Eva Vila Purti, 2012, Spain, 84'

Flamenco is one of the world's few art forms that is believed to be passed down exclusively through bloodlines.
For Barcelona's Gypsy community, it cannot be learned at a school or on paper. It is lived within the home, created at the bar and perfected on the street corner.
Bajari goes to all those places with the dancer Karime Amaya -who is working with some of the most talented up-and-coming musicians and dancers to create an innovative show- and little 5 year old Juanito Manzano who takes his first steps to dance in it and earn his white flamenco boots.
Their experiences form a journey of discovery of this living tradition and create an intimate portrait of how flamenco's legacy is kept alive within Barcelona's tight-knit Gypsy community.
 
The Gypsy Cronicles:
Little Juanito is about to ful fill his dream of getting a pair of red boots that will make him a true flamenco dancer. His uncle Coco, a legendary singer in the flamenco tablaos of Barcelona, will help him achieve it.
Flamenco is passed on within the family in the Gypsy community that bore Carmen Amaya, the greatest flamenco dancer of all time. Her grand-niece, Karime, has been recruited by a local group of guitarists and singers to mount a show honoring Carmen Amaya. Karime invites her mother to fly in from Mexico and join her onstage, and we observe many of the rehearsals and discussions as they select the show's repertoire. Together they will discover the spirit of Bajarí, the name of the city of Barcelona in Caló.

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