“Torero: Quiero una opertunidad” reads the front of Pedro Enrique Calvo Molina’s sweatshirt. Molina, 19, is one of the 21 students at the Seville School of Bullfighting who aspires to one day look into the eyes of 600 kg Toro Bravo and perform one of Spain’s oldest and best known traditions.
Along with two other fellow classmates, Molina woke up early this morning to begin his daily training routine. All three students sport workout clothes and a good attitude. Their day is already in full swing at 11:00 a.m. with several hours of exercising and practicing technique with their teacher at Parque del Alamillo in Seville, Spain. The morning, cool and with spots of rain, had little effect on the spirits of the young bullfighters in-training.
Their morning routine consists of laps around the lush, green park. The sounds of birds chirping and the gentle hum of human activity play as a back track. Their warm-up ends in a dead-sprint and anyone can see these kids take their studies seriously. The playful jokes and spurts of laughter come to a dignified end when they set up with their capes, mulletas, and swords to practice the technique, or the dance of bullfighting.
“Bullfighting is both physical and mental,” says Manuel Campuzano, 39, one of the three teachers at the Seville School of Bullfighting, “the two are very important.”
Heavily entwined in the Spanish culture, the desire to participate in the tradition of bullfighting comes from a passion within. It is not for the money, fame or fortune, all those are secondary, it because there is an overwhelming desire and passion to walk into a Plaza de Toros and perform.
Campuzano, a seasoned bullfighter, has been teaching the art of bullfighting for 16 years now and began his own studies when he was only 8 years old. There is a long white scar across his tanned knee, a tribute to the dangerous dance with death each bullfighter takes when stepping into the ring. The proud Spanish teacher claims he didn’t choose to be a bullfighter, he was born one.
Bullfighting can be traced back to the crowning of King Alfonso VIII in 711 A.D. It is said that the very first bullfight occurred in his honor. While the excitement and thrill of bullfighting attracts crowds in many places around the world including; France, Portugal, Columbia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela, it is difficult to picture Spain without associating the colorful costumes of the Toreos waving a crimson cloth at a mountain of a beast, tempting death at each carefully planned move.
Every year, it is estimated that one million people sit holding their breaths in one of Spain’s many famous bullrings to witness a matador gamble with fate. One million people pack the stands to see if this time, man or beast will be triumphant.
Seville is the home of the famous “La Maestranza” bullring built in 1758. The brightly painted white and yellow Plaza attracts some of the best bullfighters in all of Spain and can hold close to 12,500 spectators. Each spring the streets surrounding the enormous bullring are packed with people eager to witness each precise and calculated step the bullfighters have spent their lives training for.
The school of bullfighting in Seville official opened October 20, 1994. Since then approximately 300 students have walked through its doors and spent countless hours learning the secrets and practicing the techniques of a long standing Spanish tradition. The minimum age of enrollment at the Seville school is 14 years old and while the average age of graduation is 20, a particularly gifted student may graduate at sixteen.
“Bullfighting is an art, a profession,” Miguel Serrano Falcón, president of the bullfighting school in Seville said, “it it just like being a painter, writer or any other type of artist.”
The budding artists, or bullfighters, have actual sit-down classes three times a week for two hours, the rest of their time is spent in the fields with hands-on training and strength building, striving towards the perfect technique.
However, having the perfect technique doesn’t always ensure fame, fortune and success in the world of bullfighting. A bullfighter must be given the opportunity to show off his or her skill. The professional world of a matador is an elite and selective community. One must be asked to participate in each event.
Before becoming a full-fledged matador, young fighters are called novilleros, or novice bullfighters. They only are allowed to fight young bulls (under four-years-old) and haven’t been officially initiated into the community of recognized bullfighters. The ceremony in which a novillero graduates to a matador is called an alternativa. This is a public initiation bullfight, a right-of-passage ritual that every young bullfighter dreams of.
“It is very difficult to be a successful torero,” said Falcón. Since its opening in 1994, the president speculates only three percent of its students have made it big as professional bullfighters. Among the three percent are active matadors; Salvador Cortes and Daniel Luque. Luque, only 20-years old has already made quite a name for himself.
Falcón has been with the Seville school of bullfighting since its opening almost 16 years ago. He has watched 300 kids grow as people and as bullfighters. A select few go on to make it big, while others become banderilleros, or assistants to their peers who have been given the opportunity of a lifetime. Either way, the president takes immense pride and joy in his young students as they progress through a cycle that connects them to a special part of the Spanish culture. However, in the end, “I get to watch children become men,” he said with a smile.
Along with two other fellow classmates, Molina woke up early this morning to begin his daily training routine. All three students sport workout clothes and a good attitude. Their day is already in full swing at 11:00 a.m. with several hours of exercising and practicing technique with their teacher at Parque del Alamillo in Seville, Spain. The morning, cool and with spots of rain, had little effect on the spirits of the young bullfighters in-training.
Their morning routine consists of laps around the lush, green park. The sounds of birds chirping and the gentle hum of human activity play as a back track. Their warm-up ends in a dead-sprint and anyone can see these kids take their studies seriously. The playful jokes and spurts of laughter come to a dignified end when they set up with their capes, mulletas, and swords to practice the technique, or the dance of bullfighting.
“Bullfighting is both physical and mental,” says Manuel Campuzano, 39, one of the three teachers at the Seville School of Bullfighting, “the two are very important.”
Heavily entwined in the Spanish culture, the desire to participate in the tradition of bullfighting comes from a passion within. It is not for the money, fame or fortune, all those are secondary, it because there is an overwhelming desire and passion to walk into a Plaza de Toros and perform.
Campuzano, a seasoned bullfighter, has been teaching the art of bullfighting for 16 years now and began his own studies when he was only 8 years old. There is a long white scar across his tanned knee, a tribute to the dangerous dance with death each bullfighter takes when stepping into the ring. The proud Spanish teacher claims he didn’t choose to be a bullfighter, he was born one.
Bullfighting can be traced back to the crowning of King Alfonso VIII in 711 A.D. It is said that the very first bullfight occurred in his honor. While the excitement and thrill of bullfighting attracts crowds in many places around the world including; France, Portugal, Columbia, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru and Venezuela, it is difficult to picture Spain without associating the colorful costumes of the Toreos waving a crimson cloth at a mountain of a beast, tempting death at each carefully planned move.
Every year, it is estimated that one million people sit holding their breaths in one of Spain’s many famous bullrings to witness a matador gamble with fate. One million people pack the stands to see if this time, man or beast will be triumphant.
Seville is the home of the famous “La Maestranza” bullring built in 1758. The brightly painted white and yellow Plaza attracts some of the best bullfighters in all of Spain and can hold close to 12,500 spectators. Each spring the streets surrounding the enormous bullring are packed with people eager to witness each precise and calculated step the bullfighters have spent their lives training for.
The school of bullfighting in Seville official opened October 20, 1994. Since then approximately 300 students have walked through its doors and spent countless hours learning the secrets and practicing the techniques of a long standing Spanish tradition. The minimum age of enrollment at the Seville school is 14 years old and while the average age of graduation is 20, a particularly gifted student may graduate at sixteen.
“Bullfighting is an art, a profession,” Miguel Serrano Falcón, president of the bullfighting school in Seville said, “it it just like being a painter, writer or any other type of artist.”
The budding artists, or bullfighters, have actual sit-down classes three times a week for two hours, the rest of their time is spent in the fields with hands-on training and strength building, striving towards the perfect technique.
However, having the perfect technique doesn’t always ensure fame, fortune and success in the world of bullfighting. A bullfighter must be given the opportunity to show off his or her skill. The professional world of a matador is an elite and selective community. One must be asked to participate in each event.
Before becoming a full-fledged matador, young fighters are called novilleros, or novice bullfighters. They only are allowed to fight young bulls (under four-years-old) and haven’t been officially initiated into the community of recognized bullfighters. The ceremony in which a novillero graduates to a matador is called an alternativa. This is a public initiation bullfight, a right-of-passage ritual that every young bullfighter dreams of.
“It is very difficult to be a successful torero,” said Falcón. Since its opening in 1994, the president speculates only three percent of its students have made it big as professional bullfighters. Among the three percent are active matadors; Salvador Cortes and Daniel Luque. Luque, only 20-years old has already made quite a name for himself.
Falcón has been with the Seville school of bullfighting since its opening almost 16 years ago. He has watched 300 kids grow as people and as bullfighters. A select few go on to make it big, while others become banderilleros, or assistants to their peers who have been given the opportunity of a lifetime. Either way, the president takes immense pride and joy in his young students as they progress through a cycle that connects them to a special part of the Spanish culture. However, in the end, “I get to watch children become men,” he said with a smile.
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