|
<<
Previous
I read that you worked on texts by other
writers like Bécquer and Cernuda...
I love Cernuda. I like to experience poems, I feel enriched by the sentiments
they can offer me. That doesn't mean I read Borges and apply it to my work. There's
poetry in the shows, but not in all of them. You don't just read a poet when you're
going to create a production and you need lyrics. No, I just read literature to
absorb sentiments and feelings which may later creep into my performances. I'm
a person who, thank god, am an avid reader - and not only of poetry. I like reading
writers such as Isabel Allende and José Luis Sampedro too.
| |
Eva Yerbabuena |
| |
|
In 1999, you took part in a tribute to Jorge Luis Borges. How did you find
that?
I had the opportunity to take part in a show which paid homage to him. There
were a lot of artists and each one had to play one of the letters of the alphabet.
I took the letter 'u'. It was a big shock for me because up until then I'd never
looked at that writer's work.
We've spoken about other forms of dance, about literature, now I'd like
to turn to the cinema... Do you plan to take part in any new movies?
My interests are always linked to dance and lie within the flamenco arts, but
I'm the kind of person who lets things happen, and who feels a certain curiosity
to seek them out. If time teaches you one thing it's to never say: "I'm not
going to do this or that". The opportunities I had to collaborate with Mike
Figgis on 'Flamenco women' and 'Hotel' were interesting.
It's unusual for a flamenco dance company to survive in a stable form. How
do you manage to keep the group together?
It isn't easy to maintain a private dance company that isn't funded. You take
a lot of risks and it all depends on the faith you have in your work, patience,
ability to work with others. There's a series of requirements that it's difficult
to fulfill in a group, but fortunately our group meets those criteria. To me,
the most important quality of an artist is to be generous, give 100% from the
moment you step on stage, regardless of whom the audience is or where you're performing.
It doesn't matter to you if the venue is a flamenco tablao or a theater?
No. I did my time at the tablaos and I know that they teach you to appreciate
a theater. Someone who attends a theater venue has come to see a performance.
But at a tablao people come to have a drink, have dinner with friends. For you,
as an artist, then, the challenge is to get that person to stop eating or drinking
and pay attention.
How much importance to you attach to silence in your shows?
Plenty. To begin with I think silence is music. And silence can inspire you
more than an ovation. There's a moment of silence in a show where it seems like
the theater is empty - the audience is holding its breath. It doesn't always happen,
but when it does it sends a shiver down your spine. It's a magical moment, very
intense.
Do you have trouble killing off one of your productions?
Yeah (laughs).
How many do you have running simultaneously?
Right now every one that was created since 1998: 'Eva', '5 Mujeres 5', 'Yerbabuena',
'La voz del silencio'. People ask you to do them, and you do them.
And why did you bring '5Mujeres5' to Buenos Aires?
In this case it was José Lata Liste, the person we have to thank for
being in Argentina, who saw this production in Paris, at Théâtre
National de Chaillot.
In Latin America you already came to Brazil once. How did you find it?
To be honest, long before that I had the chance to spend two months in Cuba,
where I worked alongside choreographers like Johanes García, from the Conjunto
Folklorico Nacional de Cuba. I learned a lot from them. It's a time of my life
I'll never forget. In Brazil audiences are very open, but it isn't the only country
where that's true. Latin American audiences are hungry for flamenco. You can't
imagine how many people follow flamenco and want to explore dance and cante flamenco.
It's a phenomenon that's taking place in Argentina, Venezuela, Mexico, Brazil…
And in Buenos Aires you taught some courses. Did you meet any local artists
who struck you as promising newcomers?
Yes, I was lucky enough to spend five days here giving a course, and I was
overwhelmed with the number of students. I mean it was amazing! The truth is that
in such a short space of time and with the amount of bailaores and bailaoras you
meet, you can't say if one person will go on to become a flamenco star, though
there are people who I saw had the right qualities.
Are you working on a forthcoming show? Where will it be premièred?
There's one that's almost finished. It's called 'A cal y canto' and it's yet
to open. It seems we'll be doing a tour of Spain sponsored by a radio station.
<<
Previous
revista@flamenco-world.com
|
