Peña News
Border Scape
by Rose Prebil
The "Border Scape" ........going to Mexicali and Tijuana last weekend, October 9 & 10, 2004 refreshed my memory as to styles and what protagonists do to please the public. Pablo Hermoso's performance was not like it was in Bilbao when I saw him two months ago. Not only the horses and bulls were different, but also the public. Needless to say, there is also the jet-lag factor. Nine hours time difference is a lot regardless how well trained one is. Nevertheless, Hermoso de Mendoza cut 2 ears in Mexicali and one in Tijuana. I particularly liked his horses named Fosforo and Chenel. Per his branding, Fosforo used to belong to Gaston Santos, one of Mexico's top rejoneadores now a days. This white horse sites the toro standing on his hind legs, like in the charreadas and this was the first time I've seen Pablo do this. Chenel brought back memories of Cagancho though his coating is not as dark, but some of its moves were almost like the legendary star.
A lot of people from Northern California made the long journey by car to see the superstar on horseback. Among them were Judge Duarte Braga & his wife Maggie, Sol y Sombra's members, Cavalleiro Joe Correia from Madera, Ganadero Manuel Costa from Los Banos. Needless to say, I probably missed quite a few wellknown and familiar faces in the valley. Southern California was well represented by LadeLa and their cuadrilla. It must be very nice to live 3 hrs. away from the border and in such a short time change your daily scene--language, food, money, etc.
Barnaby Conrad and his wife Mary were in attendance at the corrida. Also, Kitty Witwer from Pennsylvania came to attend the event, Pablo Hermoso de Mendoza opening of his temporada in Las Americas.
Rafael Ortega was on both cartels......2 ears was awarded to him right away in Mexicali.....and I still can't see what the judges see.....the same happened to him in TJ last yr....An ear would have probably been OK, but two was excessive in my opinion. In his second toro he did his usual. His performance was a bit more serious in Tijuana during his first bull. There is nothing to write about for what he did with his second toro.
In Mexicali Angelino, the third in the cartel, had the tough job of following Pablo Hermoso after he cut 2 ears of his second bull and people were asking for the tail. Angelino started at puerta gallola and got ran over by the toro. He got up and did 6 more faroles de rodillas in different areas of the bullring. The last two were to close for comfort and I was wondering whether or not he knew any other passes or he got "drunk" from the oles. He continued his faena and as expected, he got a tossing and earned an ear due to his bravery.
Israel Tellez, pictures attached, completed the cartel in Tijuana. He showed some improvement since I last saw him. He got picked by the bull in his first toro but finish his job before going to the infirmery. Unfortunately he did not kill on the first try as he had the audience with him. He came out very determined to fight his second bull. All in all, this lad, "se jugo la vida".......the sky was his limit.
Besides the excellent cuisine from a couple of favorite restaurants, "the border scape" helped me reflect on aficion and toreo. Real aficionados travel miles and endure hard trips in order to see beautiful toreo. Protagonist try to interpret what the audience wants if at all possible. Hermoso de Mendoza is expanding his horizons and trying different things. Like painting masters, Pablo is trying to create something that has not done before incorporating current knowledge with something more adventurous. Young toreros, like Angelino and Tellez are risking their life to the maximum in order to triumph and be known. Old timers like Rafael Ortega do whatever consistently got oles for them before.
Was I disappointed? Perhaps, as my expectations were entirely different from what I thought they were going to be. But it was a good reminder of aficion, the unpredictability of toreo, and how difficult it is to become a figura.
¡Olé! ¡Viva la fiesta brava!
