#hastalapeineta

ANABEL SÁNCHEZ, dancer

“Hasta la peineta” is the new project of Antonio Montoya, dancer & choreographer from Utrera.

I have come across the black & white photos on Instagram, and found them so brilliant, I wanted to share.

The project is called “hasta la peineta ” referring to the Spanish expression of being fed up. “Estoy hasta ….” means literally I’m until something. Various words can be used how fed up you feel, Antonio used here the word “peineta” which is the famous comb used in flamenco, linking the project to flamenco.

Why are they fed up? Well, considering the current situation, they are probably fed up with the coronavirus situation too, however the idea of the project comes from before Covid times.

To find out more, I contacted Antonio and he kindly shared the background of the project with me, explaining that his idea originally was to create a flamenco show with the same title, but as time passed by, additional elements have been added, and the project has turned into something much bigger.

It all started when he asked fellow flamenco artists, friends and relatives to take a photo of themselves with a peineta, with the idea to include them in his next show. But the word quickly spread and within two weeks, he received more than two-thousand photos from all over the world, including artists and random people. The photos have been shared globally on social media, and they went viral in the flamenco world.

The black and white photos are not only brilliant, but they provide enough material for various exhibitions, and this is Antonio’s next idea. In future, he would like to organise photo exhibitions to share the photos with the wider public. He also would like to bring the photos to museums to reach an even wider and perhaps also different audience.

Last but not least, there will be his show. With such wonderful idea as base, the show will definitely be some show to see. While we wait for the premiere, I share 20 of the photos published so far, and I highly encourage everyone to search for #hastalapeineta on Instagram or check the profile of Antonio, @montoya_un_poquito_de_aje.

Here is the link.

Inspiring to see such a beautiful project emerge during these challenging days.

Congratulations to Antonio for the idea!

Thank you to all the artists for the stunning photos!