Monday, September 05, 2011

"El Cordobés"

"El Cordobés" was born in 1936 in Palma del Río near Córdoba and is known as El Cordobés (“The Cordobese” – “The Cordovan”).

This famous matador of the 1960s brought to the bullring an unorthodox acrobatic and theatrical style. (In other words he was a nut. Ok. a brave nut.)

His signature move was one that I can only envision was spectacular live. Breathtaking and scary and beautiful all at the same time. This original and dangerous technique which El Cordobés frequently demonstrated was first shown to the world at Anjucar. In a massive departure from the traditional formality of bullfighting he would wave his Banderillero (called a Columpio formally) away, then broke his banderillas down to pencil length, stand with his back to the bull as it charged, then moved his right leg out moments before the bull was upon him causing the bull to swerve which allowed him a moment to slam in the bandrillas from just behind the left horn. (Ok. See? That is nuts. A bull typically weighed over a half a ton and was typically slightly pissed at having been stabbed with a variety of sharp objects by this time.)

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