On Monday night, the Plaza de Los Remedios in Yaiza was too small for the anticipation generated by the show "Tingafa - Mujeres del Volcán," a creation and direction entirely from Lanzarote that managed to gather a large audience, filling the square and its surroundings.
But beyond the show, the music, and the tribute that served as the thread of the evening, the night left an evidence that deserves to be highlighted: Lanzarote has a young generation of extraordinarily prepared musicians and singers, with talent, creativity, and sufficient capacity to carry out high-quality original projects.
And "Tingafa - Mujeres del Volcán" was a magnificent demonstration of this.
The project was born from the young Lanzarotean professor Ayoze Rodríguez, in charge of the musical creation and direction, who for this adventure counted on a group of young and excellent musicians; Acoran Ramos, on bass, Adrián Pérez, guitar; Alexis Lemes, timple; Artemi, percussion; Sofía Pérez, timple, and Ayoze Rodríguez himself, on saxophone and keyboard.
They were joined by female voices that were, without a doubt, one of the great attractions of the night; Sara Bermúdez, Nilsa Álvarez, Montse Medina, Sofía Pérez, Victoria Rodríguez, Lucía Queiruga, and Gabriela Rodríguez, young soloists who demonstrated fresh, powerful voices full of personality on stage.
A tribute to rural women.
"Tingafa - Mujeres del Volcán" was born as a tribute to rural women, to those women who gave their all in especially difficult times, contributing effort, sacrifice, work, and enthusiasm to ensure that their homes did not lack sustenance for their families and, especially, for their children.
A look towards our roots and towards women who are an inseparable part of Lanzarote's history.
To develop this tribute, the direction carefully chose a musical selection inspired by the Canarian roots, incorporating original musical arrangements by Ayoze Rodríguez, who knew how to respect the essence and originality of the compositions.
Among the pieces performed were "Sueños de Volcán," with lyrics by Lanzarotean Benigna Fajardo, "Nube de Hielo," by musician Benito Cabrera, "4 Gigantes," by the always beloved and remembered José Antonio Ramos.
To these compositions were added others belonging to popular Canarian songs, among them: Mazurca, Fulgida Luna, Aíres de Lima, Polcas e Isas, forming a varied repertoire that allowed us to explore different soundscapes of our islands.
When the stage and the audience become one.
The night accompanied with fully summery weather and the audience responded from the first moment. Each performance was received with enthusiasm, applause, and choruses, in a clear demonstration of the connection that the artists managed to establish with those on the other side of the stage.
And precisely that closeness was another of the great virtues of "Tingafa - Mujeres del Volcán".
There were no barriers between artists and spectators. From the first notes, the animation, naturalness, closeness, and affection of the musicians and soloists were contagious to an audience that ended up becoming another part of the show.
The development of the evening was agile and enjoyable, maintaining constant movement on stage at all times. Dance was also incorporated into the music, with the presence of the couple formed by Yeray Martín and Victoria Rodríguez, dressed in the traditional peasant costumes of Lanzarote.
Their elegant and showy choreographies added an extra attraction to the different pieces being performed, helping to recreate on stage part of this rural Lanzarote atmosphere that the show aimed to pay homage to.
A demonstration of the talent that exists in Lanzarote
The audience greatly appreciated the initiative undertaken by Ayoze Rodríguez and the entire team of musicians, soloists, and collaborators who made "Tingafa - Mujeres del Volcán" possible.
Behind that night there were many hours of work, preparation, and rehearsals, in addition to the logical uncertainty of those who launch a new project and hope to see how it will be received by the public.
The response could not have been better.
And perhaps one of the most important aspects that this performance left is precisely the need to look at and recognize the talent we have on our own island.
Lanzarote not only possesses an extraordinary musical tradition: it also has young musicians with solid training, capable of interpreting, creating, and performing their own arrangements; young soloists, men and women, with voices of extraordinary quality and with the necessary enthusiasm to face new challenges and stage their own productions.
"Tingafa - Women of the Volcano" was, in this regard, much more than a show. It was also a presentation of a new generation of Lanzarote artists who are prepared to take over and continue enriching our musical culture.
And it did so, moreover, with entirely Lanzarotean creation and direction.
An Apoteotic Finale
As could not be otherwise, the night ended on a high note.
The show came to an end with the composition by Manuel Negrín, popularly known as "Pololo", along with Moisés Patricio González Pérez, a piece that has become an anthem, "Vivo en un Archipiélago".
The artists' voices then joined those of an audience that, on its feet, wanted to be part of this final moment. The spectators sang along to the song and accompanied the performance with endless applause, putting the finishing touch to a night that those who had the opportunity to experience it will hardly forget.
"Tingafa" was one of the agricultural villages located in the center-south of Lanzarote that was completely buried under lava and ash during the volcanic eruptions that devastated the island between 1730 and 1736.
Centuries later, the name Tingafa came back to life in Yaiza, this time transformed into music, voices, tradition, and homage.
And if anything was demonstrated in the Plaza de Los Remedios, it is that Lanzarote has a present and, above all, a musical future.
A new generation of musicians and singers, men and women, who with training, talent, enthusiasm, and many hours of work are demonstrating that high-quality projects can be created and staged from the island itself.
"Tingafa - Women of the Volcano" was a magnificent proof of this. A Lanzarotean creation, with Lanzarotean musicians, Lanzarotean voices, and an audience that knew how to recognize and reward it.
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