The Talented Torero

Mehdi Savalli eschews the rituals that bullfighters typically use to ward off gorings and other misfortunes. He doesn't pray to the Virgen de la Estrella; he doesn't stand in front of a homemade shrine of religious prints when he slips on his traje de luces, the ornate, sequined costume worn by matadors; he doesn't cross himself before he steps into the ring. But these breaches of bullfighting tradition have not kept him from becoming one of Spain's most promising young toreros. Two Sundays ago, he was again demonstrating the skills that have earned the 20-year-old a devoted following since his debut...

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