farruquito, baile, flamenco, entrevista
Farruquito, bailaor:

"I know this is just the beginning"

Silvia Calado Olivo. Madrid, November 2003
Translation: Joseph Kopec
Photos: Daniel Muñoz

Farruquito rules. Having become a media, and of course, artistic, phenomenon, the Sevillian bailaor is shaking up the international scene by brandishing the sword of tradition. Young in age but ancient in soul, the patriarch of the family founded by Farruco is making an effort to assume the role which has befallen him, conscious that there is still a great deal more to come. Serenity is his ally. Thus is shown by his relaxed conversation, his intense regard, that which already sees beyond this hectic present. "I feel like doing transparent flamenco shows because I think I have yet to make the most of my dancing and my story".

"I don't like any dancers". The sentence included in the previous interview which you granted Flamenco-world.com has brought trouble. Would you like to elaborate?

I apparently said that... I never thought I'd said I didn't like any dancers. I like a lot of bailaores. What I did say is as far as noticing anyone in particular, I don't notice anyone; that's true. I try to dance with my personality, but that's very different. If I didn't like any dancers, I wouldn't be able to dance because I'd get discouraged. Me alone before the world; that's sad. There are things I like about all the bailaores. I like more things about some, less about others, some more the way of staging things than the way they dance... And I learn from all of them. There are a lot of people who dance well, although they don't dance my way. That's impossible. I can't ask anybody to dance my way. It's like if I wanted to dance Antonio Canales' way or Joaquín Cortés' way or Sara Baras' or Eva Yerbabuena's or Matilde Coral's. I admire them all, but it's different, very different.

Then you do think it's good to have that range of options...

Of course it is; it's good for each person to have his own way of seeing flamenco and seeing baile.

This has been the year of your soaring success, of the international media commotion, of the premiere of 'Alma vieja' ('Ancient Soul')... How are you taking everything that's happening with your career?

I'm taking it calmly because I know this is just the beginning, though people think I've got it all worked out with what has already fallen on my shoulders at the age of twenty-one. I think about what might fall on my shoulders from now on. I'm very calm and have a lot of confidence in my people. And I think that as long as I have my pride, which is the last thing I'm going to lose, I'm always going to try and be the way I am.

Are you working to endure that responsibility?

Of course I am; physically and psychologically.

What are your upcoming projects?

Right now what I feel like doing are transparent flamenco shows. Clean flamenco without searching for stories, because I think I have yet to make the most of my dancing and my story. As long as my story still seems extensive enough to me to go on telling it, I have no reason to look for other stories, from my viewpoint.

Do you still have to challenge yourself by delving deeper into other bailes?

And into a great many things. There are many bailes which though I know how they're danced, I've never danced them. I'm very young; I still have a lot to learn.

The farruca has been the challenge, in the case of 'Alma vieja'.

Of course. In the farruca I challenge myself. I tell myself: let's see if you're capable of dancing the farruca well. And I think it's time. I see flamenco as my life, and I see that you have to lead your life the way you feel it. Life is the same, but it's different for each person. Things aren't just the way they are, but rather how you see them. There's neither truth nor lies. What's nice is that there are colors...

Are you going to keep on dragging along your clan on that road?

I think so. Though I don't rule out that one day I might feel like doing a show with just ten bailaores. I don't know. Maybe it couldn't be with ten famous ones because it'd be a bit excessive and very hard, but maybe it could be with young bailaores, all of them about my stature...

Joaquín Grilo told us recently that he missed today's flamenco artists getting together...

Some time ago I was offered to do a project at Seville's Maestranza Theater with Joaquín Grilo and Israel Galván. And I was delighted to get together with bailaores of my age group. I was excited about that project. Each one was going to do his baile and afterwards a grand finale or a staged baile, I don't know, in which we'd dance together, three completely different personalities, but with a single sound, in harmony. That's nice. That's always been there within flamenco; good flamencos have always gotten together. Now is when they've become more distanced. I for one would like it not to happen.

Has 'Alma Vieja' grown since its premiere at Mont de Marsan?

It's changed and it's grown because it seems as if the premiere wasn't in Mont de Marsan, and at the same time, as if we were going to premiere it again in Madrid, and soon in Barcelona. We've been changing things, trying to improve details, both the lights and ourselves, the artists. I see my mistakes and things I didn't like, but that's normal to improve. The show is the same, but it has nothing to do with the original. It's now seen differently. It has more and more flavor every time it's put on. We're already forgetting about what was staged and we're enjoying each baile a little bit more. At any rate, the difficulties are always present there. The responsibility of doing things as well as possible unintentionally makes you nervous. I think that happens to everybody. And it's necessary for it to happen to us.

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