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Pilar Lopez Virgili is a dantzari from the Navarrese Club in Rosario. She became involved as a child.  Pilar loves singing and dancing and she learned to sing jotas and pasadobles, until which time, encouraged by those around her, she was put in touch with schools that teach Jotas from Navarre.  The Navarrese Jota School has now invited her to participate in the 2017 San Fermin Festivities, in the jota rounds, on stage with other local artists. In addition, the city of Rosario has decided to honor Pilar for her talent and dedication and present her with a certificate on June 9th at the City Council. 

Rosario, Argentina.   Pilar has been a dantzari at the Navarrese Club in Rosario since she was small, following the steps of her father, who was also a dancer.  Surrounded by Navarrese culture, this young 15 year-old girl didn’t only learn how to dance, but also how to play the txistu and sing jotas and pasadobles.  As Pilar told EuskalKultura.com, “I really like to perform, sing and dance and that is why I became a club dancer. Last year, at the San Fermin festivities, I went on stage and began to sing a jota, 'No te vayas de Navarra'. Sandalio Monreal, former president of the club was there and he was impressed and touched by my voice so he decided to give me some CDs, lyrics, and material... in order to improve and learn more about singing jotas. Since I still had a lot to learn about technique, verses and rules, and since there isn’t a Jota professor in Rosario, my mother got in touch, via Facebook with a school that teaches Navarrese jotas in Navarre.  That is how we met Jose Carlos Jimenez, known as Charli, professor and director of the Navarrese School of Jotas who very generously offered to teach me over the internet,” she said.

Thanks to new technology, Pilar gets three hours of class a week, as well as juggling her schedule to complete all of her tasks as a 3rd year high-school student, and a student of musical comedy.  Even if she began training with Jimenez last year in the distance, she is a student of this school.  “In November 2016 I was invited to participate in some contests and in a masterclass in Navarre, but I couldn’t go on the trip because it was too expensive and I couldn’t find any sponsorship since it was such a short turnaround between the time I was invited and when the event took place.”

[Video of “Soy navarra hasta que muera” sung by Pilar Lopez]

“This year I was invited again, but this time I got two invitations.  One from the Navarrese School of Jotas to participate July 5-15 by singing at San Fermin (to perform in jota rounds, on popular stages, and entertaining the runners before the encierro…).  I was also invited to participate in a master class and sing along with the School November 1-16 at the “Relay for Life” concert at the Main Theater in Vitoria-Gasteiz, in the Basque Country, for patients with dementia that will be televised on Sunday, November 12th.  Unfortunately, I can’t confirm my attendance since we are still looking for a sponsor that would help me get to Madrid, since the rest would be covered,” Pilar said.

Aware of her situation and in order to make her talent known as well as her longing to sing with her classmates in Navarre, the city of Rosario has decided to honor Pilar as an “Argentine Jotera.”  The ceremony will include a presentation of a certificate of honor and will take place on June 9th at 10am at the Rosario City Council.