joroperos rose last night with the first prize for interpretation at the Comparsas of Santa Cruz Contest, a fact that coincides with his return to the contest after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19 and with its 50th anniversary. The second one went to Cariocas, the third one went to Tropicana and the second prize to Río Orinoco, which obtained for the first time in its history an award in the interpretation section, further recording its name in this modality.
In the presentation section, the winners were Rumberos -despite the problems they had to be able to present it tonight-, the second fell to Joroperos. The third and second prize went to Cariocas and Tabajaras, respectively. Joroperos also received recognition from the Fiestas for its 50th anniversary, while the El Chamo award, given by the Río Orinoco comparsa, went to Roji Monzón, from Rumberos.
Half an hour later than expected, at 8:30 p.m., due to a problem with the Rumberos fantasy, the troupe that opened the Santa Cruz Troupe Contest, began the show with Tropicana Infantil, the regular opening act. With a venue at three quarters of its capacity despite the fact that all the tickets were sold, as Fiestas had announced, the first melodies began to play and the dance became the protagonist with the performance of the second opening act of the night, Joroperos infantil , a project that existed years ago and that they have now recovered due to the 50th anniversary of the comparsa, demonstrating that this contest not only has a history, but also a future.
With an audience delivered to the colorful fantasies and happy songs of the comparsas and after the performance by Valleiros in homage to Isauro Rivero, its recently deceased founder and president, the participating comparsas finally took the stage to make the venue vibrate with their 15 minutes of performance, since they recovered 5 minutes of show compared to last year, when the contest time was lowered due to the consequences of COVID-19.
Orinoco River (1988)
The formation from La Laguna headed by Daniel Baute both in the presidency and in the choreographic direction and design, went on stage forcefully to defend the first position, which they did not expect, with the greatest of spirits. From the first chords, the great work that this team has done to surpass itself and become a reference troupe was noted.
With a musical proposal perfectly executed by its choir, although somewhat different from what the public of this contest is used to, well-executed canons, coordination and stage order signed a great performance that the public appreciated with great applause. His fantasy, without being able to qualify as spectacular, stood out for its color and the way in which it shone on stage.
Tropicana (1994)
Those from Candelaria started their performance with the elegance that their fantasy, by Sedormir Rodríguez de la Sierra, gives them with pastel pink tones and silver rhinestones. With some sound failures at the beginning that covered up the spectacular choreography of their dance group, they performed in this edition with the endorsement of having won the third prize in Rhythm and Harmony in 2022.
Traditional rhythms such as samba or merengue accompanied this formation in much of their performance, although the audience was also able to enjoy moments in which pop songs by Beyoncé or others such as Holding Out for a Hero by Bonnie Tyler with arrangements that gave it a more Latin touch. They ended their performance with a batucada, which raised a standing ovation. Undoubtedly, this group continues to improve itself every year, perfecting its style and presence, although the breaks between songs meant that the public did not connect so much with their performance.
Joroperos (1972)
The Laguna comparsa par excellence returned to the contest for its 50th birthday after a two-year hiatus due to COVID, being the only one that did not participate in the 2022 edition, so there was great expectation. Being one of the most successful comparsas, those of Fernando Hernández showed that the break helped them gain more strength.
Roll of drums and the cabaret with which they commemorated their golden wedding anniversary began. With visual effects at the beginning of their repertoire, they captivated an audience that couldn’t take their eyes off their Borja Abreu fantasy. Then came the turn Don’t go yet, a current and risky proposal that they successfully defended to move on to the topic Fever, which served as the opening act for a whole festival of Latin rhythms that was linked with more urban rhythms. The strength of the lagoons, the exquisite staging, the canons, the frantic dance and the use of the stage catapulted them, once again, to the top.
Cariocas (1969)
I will survive It was the song chosen by those from Valleseco to begin their performance with the strength that characterizes them. With a peculiar design by the well-known Juan Carlos Armas, they presented themselves as flagrant winners of the 2022 edition, demonstrating that they were willing to defend the title despite coming out behind Joroperos, their eternal rivals.
Cariocas is synonymous with a marathon, since from the moment the first percussion hit is heard until the last one they don’t take a breather and they are chaining steps with force. What we understand by comparsa is Cariocas and what we understand by Cariocas is comparsa: rhythm, power, synchronization and spectacle even in its changes. They did not slow down in their 15-minute song and they surprised the audience with their perfect execution, both in choir and dance group.
Tabajaras (1983)
They had the difficult situation of acting behind Joroperos and Cariocas, two of the comparsas that have set the course of the contest in the last decade. Despite the obvious decrease in components compared to the rest, those of Celso Hernández were presented characterized as harlequins with a design by Dailos Rodríguez ready to make the public enjoy themselves.
With usual themes in this contest, they tried to defend their role using rhythmic gymnastics tapes with happy dances, a scenic composition designed to try to make their show shine, a compact group, a good choir and a varied and colorful costume.
Canarian Dancers (1971)
Those of Luis Hernández took the stage with the main objective of keeping alive this historical name of this carnival modality that has reaped so many successes throughout its history. The colorful headdress of their fantasy, the work of Isidro Castellano, played a big role in the beginning of their performance, supporting the fantastic introduction they did.
Salsa and merengue were the predominant rhythms in their 15-minute contest, which stood out for the harmony of the dance group and the partying. With a notable improvement compared to their previous contest, a musical selection full of well-known and lively themes and a careful structure in terms of their dances, they returned the contest to its initial level.
Abenaura (2021)
Those of Domingo García arrived at their second contest with all the difficulties that come with not having a full contract and not having a place to rehearse or store the costumes and the materials with which they are made. With their design by Vanesa de La Serna, they began their performance with some sound problems that marred their presentation in homage to West Side Storywhich might have been surprising if it hadn’t been for the poor execution of his carousing.
The rigidity of the large costumes, of the Statue of Liberty, subtracted rhythm from their dances, in which they innovated by introducing characteristic elements of Canarian folklore. The dance troupe could do little in the face of the lack of coordination between the musicians and the choir, who crossed paths throughout the performance, not making any cuts. With Abenaura it was shown that dancing is not everything and that having good musical work behind it is essential.
Bahitiare Bay (2002)
Under the direction of Carlos Javier Domínguez in terms of choreography, they started their 15-minute performance with a different proposal that surprised both musically and scenically and that made their beautiful fantasy of Zara Díaz Mendoza shine, who is also in charge of directing tasks. and presidency.
Once they introduced the public to their show, they gave way to topics such as My big night of Raphael or Little star from the East, that were interspersed with samba, sauces and meringues. With a firm step and good rhythm they tried to camouflage some coordination failures of the dance group and the vocal errors of the choir, which tarnished a performance that went from less to more.
Rumberos (1965)
The dean troupe founded by Manuel Monzón and now run by his sons Roji and Juanjo Monzón was in charge of closing a contest that they should have opened if it had not been for the inconvenience they suffered with their fantasy, a tribute to the British Royal Guard. And so their 15 minutes began, simulating a changing of the guard.
Covering songs by Breton performers, they spun their show, in which the notable decrease in components suffered by the group with respect to the previous edition, in which they obtained the second prize for interpretation, became evident. When their time in the contest was half over, a comparsa began to be glimpsed among the eternal gala overture they offered. The change in the choreography direction was noted.
