Issue date: 18 Jun, 2018
CHARACTERS. CENTENARY OF THE BIRTH OF MARIEMMA
Guillermina Martínez Cabrejas (Mariemma) was born in Íscar (Valladolid) on 10 January 1917 and died in Madrid on 10 June 2008.
Mariemma is one of the great figures of 20th century dance: performer, choreographer, teacher, entrepreneur and researcher.
When she was two, her family moved to Paris, where at the age of nine she began to study classical dance at Châtelet Theatre, forming part of the Petits Rats.
Her initial training in traditional dance through her family and her early academic training in Paris would be the basis for her varied and complete Spanish dance techniques.
Her subsequent studies in the rich and diverse Spanish dances and music enabled her to dance and teach with technical accuracy. She established a clear order based on the four forms of Spanish dance: Bolero, Folklore, Flamenco, and Stylised Dance.
During her career as a creator and performer in recitals, she was accompanied by great pianists, guitarists and singers, especially the master Enrique Luzuriaga after 1940.
She formed her first company (Mariemma, Ballet de España) in 1955, with which she toured the best stages in the world and was a guest star and choreographer in prestigious theatres such as La Scala in Milan.
Her legacy as a choreographer includes unique works for solo dancers and groups: Córdoba, Andaluza, Barcarola, Malagueña, Danza y Tronío, España e Ibérica…,
In 1969 she was appointed Professor of Spanish Dance at the Royal School of Dramatic Arts and Dance of Madrid. She established her own teaching system using the four forms of Spanish Dance, marking a turning point in dance training. She became the Director of this conservatory in 1980. She also created her own school in Madrid, Íscar and Valladolid in the seventies.
The numerous awards she received attest to her international recognition: being named one of the Seven Divine Dancers, National Dance Prize, Silver Medal for Tourist Merit, Medal of Fine Arts, Lady’s Bow of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic and Chevalier de L'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, among others. Her greatest prize is to have been one of the great defenders and ambassadors of Spanish dance.
Correos joins the celebration for the centenary of this artist with a stamp featuring a photograph of Mariemma in the 60s,in which she is performing on stage, with her back to the camera and a spotlight in the background, dressed in the Flamenco style, with the whole scene being framed in a Spanish guitar silhouette, combining dance and music.
Rate A - €0.75. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, up to 20 g.
Rate A2 - €0.85. For a “standard” letter or postcard within Spain, between 20 g and 50 g.
Rate B - €1.65. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to Europe (including Greenland), up to 20 g.
Rate C - €1.75. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the rest of the world (except USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand), up to 20 g.
Rate D - €2.10. For a “standard” Ordinary International letter or postcard addressed to the USA, Canada, Japan, Australia and New Zealand, up to 20 g.