The bailaora 'Mariquilla' in Casa Ana.
Sacromonte Exodus from Granada
August 14, 2021
History of flamenco in Granada
December 15, 2021Meet "Mariquilla", a renowned flamenco dancer from Granada who performs in Casa Ana's shows.
The place where we are, Calle Cárcel Alta, 7 - Granada, breathes flamenco in its identity since long before our arrival. This place was for many years the Flamenco School of the great Granaína artist María Guardia, better known as 'Mariquilla'.
The solera is only given by time, but we can boast of having a place with a lot of art to have collected all the magic that has been here for many years of dedication to flamenco.
Within these four walls have been formed the vast majority of artists from Granada and outside Granada. Mariquilla' left her stamp on many of those who later became great flamenco figures such as Manuel Liñán, Fuensanta 'La Moneta', Raimundo Benítez or Rocío Molina.
That is why, from Casa Ana we wanted to make a small tribute to the figure of 'Mariquilla', remembering her career for all those who have not had the privilege of knowing her.
Mariquilla' was born in 1943 in the Sacromonte of Granada, a neighborhood with a lot of artistic tradition full of zambras. Gitana, daughter of the dancer 'Carajarapa' and the tocaor 'Pataperro', she learned to dance from a very young age, taking to the stages of the Sacromonte caves at the early age of six. At the age of sixteen she participated in the Flamenco Festival of the Paseo de los Tristes and was invited to dance in the tablao 'Los Canasteros' in Madrid by Manolo Caracol himself.
From there, she developed her artistic career on stages around the world, sharing the stage with artists such as Juan Montoya, Juan Habichuela and Mario Maya. She set up her own dance company and ran the legendary Malaga tablao 'El Jaleo' for more than twenty years, which catapulted her to international fame. The greatest flamenco figures of the time, such as the legendary 'Camarón de la Isla', performed there. She currently directs the Chair of Flamencology at the University of Granada, in addition to her own dance school.
