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Morante -> RE: La Perla (Sep. 5 2020 16:14:55)
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Sadly, La Peña de La Perla is not what it used to be. When it was in Calle Santo Domingo del barrio, it was run by 2 familias gitanas. It was dedicated to fine cante often from the barrio. I saw the debut of La May Fernandez when she was only 14. The neighbours complained and the Ayuntamiento offered a new site, which was the antiguo matadero and was in ruins.
They sold the site in Santo Domingo and spent the money in renovating the matadero. It started well but these families were getting old and it was taken over by an ex policía. He has converted la Peña to a negocio familiar to make money. Now he changes entrada and puts on mostly dance, usually students from a dance school. His audience is mainly tourists and foreign students.
The Matadero is an important sitio in the historia de flamenco in Cádiz. Its position on the edge of the Barrio meant that the matadores de toros del barrio went to practice the suerte de matar. This led to complaints from the carniceros for the daños to the meat they were buying.
However since many cantaores del Barrio were also members of the cuadrillos of the toreros, this place is emblematico (Enrique del Mellizo, for example was puntillero en la Plaza).
What is happening today is a verguenza and a falta de respeto to the history of flamenco in Cádiz.
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