Juan de Juan
by Fernando G. Caballos
(February, 2001)

Photo by Fernando G. Caballos

It's nine o'clock at night and Juan is exhausted. Whenever he comes to Morón to rest, the same thing happens. He hasn't finished dancing more than five minutes ago and he's still perspiring. The photographic session turned into an improvised fiesta with his friends.

There's no way to catch this young dancer from Morón in a serious moment, no matter what, he's always smiling. He confesses to being happy, although a little more tired, everyone wants to have some time with him and Juan doesn't know how to say 'no'. Taking advantage of a respite in the tour with Antonio Canales with the show "Bailaor", we manage to have a pleasant chat with him.

How's everything going Juan?

Well... I can't complain. Here I am spending a few precious days in my hometown. Let's see if I can get some rest and enjoy being with my people.

Who really is Juan Carlos Ramirez Castillo?

Look, Juan is a young guy from Morón who was born January 27th, 1979 in Sevilla. Ever since I was a little kid I've been fond of music because of my family. At home my father and brother played the accordion so you can imagine... I'm the youngest of three children, of whom none ever danced until I began. Everything got started when I was seven years old, when my mother took me to learn sevillanas at Juan Triana's dance school. Later on I went with Juana Amaya and started to dance flamenco. So without even realizing it, I caught the dance 'bug'... and that's how it's been right up to the present.

You really got to know the bus that goes from Morón to Sevilla. What memories do you have of that period?

Just imagine... for six years or more, going to Sevilla every day to dance, without missing a single day. At the same time I was going to the Morón high school where I was studying at night. That was really trying, because I would get up every day at seven and go to bed at eleven or twelve at night. From those bus rides I share many memories with some music students who, like me, went to the conservatory every day. Also, as it happened, many of them were classmates at the high school and we spent the whole day together.

What has Antonio Canales represented in your life?

Antonio has been, and is, maestro, father, and brother... Antonio has been very flamenco and very good to me...which is how people act when they really want to teach and to give from the heart. He took me under his wing when I was just a kid, it was in a dance course that he gave in Sevilla's higher conservatory of music and dance. Then and there he asked several students to go with him to Barcelona for a week, to try us out. That was when he chose me and I started to dance in his company. I've been in the group for five years and I can say that I owe everything to him. I knew how to dance, but I was a diamond in the rough. It took Antonio to polish me and bring out everything that had been built up from all those years of study.

When you go on tour, what is it that you miss the most?

You have to realize, I spend a lot of time away from home so of course... You really miss your parents, your brothers, your town, the streets, your friends and all those good times that you had in the place you grew up. Which is why I try to get away every chance I get... to be able to spend a few days resting and having fun with my people. Although I have to admit, I also have many good friends outside, people I've lived with and spent five or six years of my life with. They've helped me a lot and they've taught me how to get on away from home, so I really can't complain because actually I've been very lucky.

Photo by Fernando G. Caballos

Why do you like flamenco guitar so much?

For me the guitar is the soul of flamenco. Everything is there...the cante, the baile... it's the source from which all things in flamenco flow. It's the music that backs up the singing, that gives rhythm to the dance...it's in everything, so... Morón is a town with a great tradition of flamenco guitar, because although there's been cante and baile, the guitar has always been the symbol of my town, with the playing of Diego that... has nothing to do with anything, you can't compare it, because it's different from everything. In any case nowadays there are many good guitarists like el Viejo, Ramón, Paco de Lucía, and if you're an aficionado you can't help falling in love with the guitar.

What's your favorite form to dance?

Well that depends... it depends on how I'm feeling. If you catch me in a happy moment, or if I'm feeling really good about something, I like to dance bulerías or alegrías. This doesn't mean that I wouldn't dance soleá if I felt good, but that if there's a relationship between your state of mind and the form you're going to dance... all the better. Maybe you catch me in a sad moment because I'm thinking about home and my family and so I dance better por seguiriya or por soleá. More held back, more controlled... with more feeling. It's a question of how I feel that day and how it's going. Obviously, as a bailaor I have to be ready to dance what I have to dance, regardless of how I feel. But I'm talking about my personal taste and state of mind outside of work.

How would you define the present moment in flamenco dance?

There's investigation going on, they're trying things and that's very positive. You have to remember, the good things last... but if you don't risk anything you never move forward to change the way of expression... In my opinion, art has no age, nor place, you can just as easily appreciate Carmen Amaya, as Farruco, as Antonio Canales and it makes no difference if it's a floor tile or a stage, because when the art comes out and shows itself... there's no time or place, it's just art. That which is good always lasts, so there's no reason to be afraid of anything. Art has to be left to itself and allowed to develop on its own. Why should you put constraints if it's something that's happening with everything? Diversity is richness and one mustn't be fearful of it, because if it's good it stands the test of time, the critics... and if it's bad it falls by the wayside.

A dream

To live every day to the fullest and sense that I am alive. To wake up seeing the sun and feel the wind in my face. In other words, to enjoy the things I like and that everyone be able to do the same.

Fernando G. Caballos
Translation: Estela Zatania