The bailaor will perform the show released on DVD in Spain and the United States

Carmen Jiménez

After two years of performing what is his fourth show, 'Live', throughout the world, the Córdoba-born Joaquín Cortés has decided to reward the good response it has had by extending his international tour. St. Petersburg, San Francisco, Sarasota and Washington are a few of the cities where the dancer's most intimate work can still be enjoyed.

Joaquín Cortés in DVD 'Live at the Royal Albert Hall'

The success of what is already his fourth show has led Joaquín Cortés to extend its performances to 2003, following two years of touring all over the world. Buenos Aires, São Paulo, Lima, Panama, Mexico, Palermo, Lisbon, Moscow, Las Palmas, Seville… are several of the places where 'Live' has gathered the dancer's numerous fans. Many more will be able to do so again this year, on a tour that will begin on May 22nd at the bullring of his hometown, Córdoba, and which is scheduled to end in Washington on August 30th.

He will travel from Córdoba to Russia on May 31st, specifically to St. Petersburg, the city where this show was already put on in a performance in which Cortés suffered sharp back pains forcing him to postpone some of the scheduled performances. On June 6th the show returns to the stages in Spain, in Almería to be exact, and will move on from there two days later to Granada, the city of the Alhambra. It will be performed on June 14th in the Saragossan town of La Muela, and in Valencia on June 22nd.

On July 2nd and 3rd he will be in Bilbao. Two days later in Vitoria, and on the 11th of that same month he will travel to Majorca. On the 16th and 17th the performance will be in the Alicante town of Benidorm, and the 19th and 25th in Albacete and Marbella, respectively. The tour will end for that month in Seville. He will present his show in Madrid on August 1st, 2nd and 3rd, and the 7th in Casper (Mexico). Three days later he will be in the city of San Francisco (the United States) and will be in San Luis Obispo on August 12th. On August 14th he will be in Fort Worth, near Dallas (the United States). On the 16th in Austin, in the state of Texas (the United States). On August 27th he returns to Europe to perform in Vienna (Austria), although he will again travel to the United States to close his tour in the city of Washington.

Rewarded work

The critics have been receiving with great generosity this work in which the Córdoba born dancer sets himself the challenge of, on the one hand, the fight of a bullfighter for his life, and on the other hand, that of the artist to maintain the dance's rhythm and musicality solo. Elegance and feeling are the weapons Joaquín Cortés makes use of in 'Live', whose appeal is also attributable to the improvisation in the show's conclusion. With original music by the dancer himself and Juan Parrilla, performed by eighteen musicians on stage; wardrobe by Giorgio Armani; the show is a journey through the styles of flamenco, enriched with the cante of Encarna Amador, Irene Molina, Reyes Martín, Antonio Carbonell, Juañares and Juan José Amador; as well as the instrumental fusion of the flute, violin, viola, contrabass, cello and percussions. In 'Live', premiered in Barcelona in 2001, Joaquín Cortés looks back on all his work as a dancer and choreographer, marked by the shows Cibayí (1992), Pasión Gitana (1995) and Soul (1999).

Accessible on DVD

With the idea that any flamenco lover and follower of the bailaor can discover 'Live' without the need to attend any of his shows, Joaquín Cortés has already presented this show on DVD. The show was recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall last June. Besides the dancer's entire performance, an interview and unreleased footage are also included. It is not the first time Joaquín Cortés has released one of his works, because he already did so with the other three, 'Pasión Gitana', 'Soul' and 'Gipsy Passion'.

Joaquin Cortés 2003 'Live' Tour dates

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