The echoes of the drums resounded strongly in the streets of the Dársena Pesquera. The first troupe to use the streets of the capital’s port to rehearse the rhythm and harmony contest began with force a rehearsal that would last two hours. It was about the novel Abenaura, a group of “crazy people” who have decided to create a new troupe to go out and enjoy the Carnival of Santa Cruz de Tenerife 2022.
While the batucada warms up, the male and female dancers continue to arrive and in turn begin to warm up so that no muscle ends up injured. Tania Castillo González is one of the members of the comparsa and the official “helper” as she calls herself with laughter. He says that the fact that the comparsas close the 2022 Carnival is “fantastic”, to then add that “we must bear in mind that for us this year everything is fantastic because we are making our debut, it is our first year at the Carnival”
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When asked how the idea of creating a troupe arose in the midst of a pandemic, he replies that “all troupes are groups of crazy people, and our director, Domingo García Galván, found crazier people, and we added crazy people and here we are,” he concludes. between laughs.
Abenaura got her wardrobe without any subsidy
Abenaura has 58 members, 40 dancers and 18 percussionists. They rehearse from Monday to Thursday and “now also on Saturdays here in the Dársena Pesquera”, explains Tania. The ages of its components are very varied, and range from the youngest, who do not reach 18, to the oldest who are already in their 50s.
Tania assures that they do not expect anything from the Carnival because “what we expected, which was to have a group and go out, we already have it”.
They also have the dressing room “which we have managed alone, without any type of subsidy, and a place to rehearse, although, in the latter case, they rotate because they still do not have an official headquarters. “We are from Santa Cruz, and since we don’t have a venue, we rehearse wherever they let us, such as at the El Tablero Cultural Center, Tamaragua or Geneto. They have also given us the Pedro Álvarez pavilion. Everything has been very altruistic, and thanks to that we have managed to be there”, concludes Tania.
Abenaura was the first troupe to have the space that the Port Authority has given to the troupes so that they can rehearse their Rhythm and Harmony contest.
Domingo García Galván is the promoter of this new adventure. He started dancing in Cariocas in the year 2000, he has been a choreographer for seven years, first in Valleiros to continue later in Brasileiros. Hand in hand with him, there are many who have been encouraged to participate in this new adventure with which to join the Santa Cruz Carnival.
The comparsa already presented its fantasy for this 2022 last December, in anticipation that the Carnival will be held in 2022.