The Jerez woman is the first guitarist to win the Young Flamenco Competition in Córdoba, after 16 editions
They have had to pass 16 editions of the Contest of Young Flamencos, of Córdoba so that the first prize for solo guitar ‘Vicente Amigo’ was won by a woman. The one deserving of such recognition is Alba Espert Ruiz, a 21-year-old from Jerez who has been in love with flamenco guitar since she was eight. She went through the El Carbonero academy, was a student of maestro Balao and José Ignacio Franco, in addition to learning musical language from the hand of Rosario, the Gypsy Queen and is now studying the second year of a flamenco guitar career at the Superior Conservatory of Córdoba .
“I don't even know myself how when I was only eight years old I chose flamenco guitar instead of classical, because in my family no one was dedicated to flamenco”, points out the Jerez woman, who now recognizes that “except to eat, sleep and shower, I have the guitar always in the hands ”.
Alba won the first prize after captivating a jury made up of Antonio Fernández Díaz ‘Fosforito’, Cristina Hoyos, Manuel Martín Martín, Manuel Moreno Maya “El Pele” and Rafael Rodríguez ‘Merengue de Córdoba’. Among the keys to her success, not repeating the songs that she had already performed before the final. "Although they let me repeat, I did not want to do it, in case the jury also chose to know if I had more repertoire and not two works prepared for the contest." Thus, she performed solo granainas and serranas and accompanied the young Lorena Doblas' "La Rubia" dance, with the cante of María José Abad por cañas. "Only with the jury that there was it was already a luxury to be so young on stage, and also to bet on a person like me, in a world so difficult for women."
And, as the young woman highlights, it is very difficult to see women on stage accompanying a song or a dance with their guitar, something that makes flamenco guitar have some machismo. "Fortunately, there are fewer and fewer, but throughout history there has been and today there still is, there are always those who look down on you for being a woman." Even so, she affirms that women do not bring more sensitivity to flamenco guitar. “That is learning it. If you do not put feelings in it, it does not matter if you are a man or a woman, it is how you feel about the instrument. I think what you have to do is play a lot and practice for many hours, whether you are a man or a woman, a boy or a girl ”.
Despite her youth, Alba is clear about who her references are, both on guitar —Paco de Lucía, Sabicas, Niño Ricardo or Niño Miguel— and on cante —Naranjito de Triana, la Paquera, Terremoto—, “people who do the flamenco as it is and as I understand it ”, and as for the future, it is clear that he wants to dedicate himself professionally to the guitar, either by giving classes or doing recitals or finding a place in a company. Of course, he gives a stick to his native Jerez, where he affirms that flamenco peñas “are a closed circle, only for established artists. They do not open the way for young people so that they can show off ”.
