Sara Baras

Sara Baras was born in Cadiz and began studying dance in San Fernando (Cadiz province) at the school of her mother, Concha Baras, when she was just 8 years old. As a member of the troup 'Los Ninos de la Tertulia Flamenca' she travelled all over the regions where flamenco is played and danced before her Majesty Dona Sofia, Queen of Spain. At the age of 18 she won first prize in Spanish National Television's competition 'Gente Joven'.
In 1989 she danced with Manuel Morao's Company and performed at the Alhambra 89 Flamenco Theatre Festival in Granada. In 1991 she performed with the same company for two months at the Eduard VII Theatre in Paris. At the 1992 Universal Exhibition in Seville she danced in Manue Morao's show at the 'Auditorio de la Cartuja', and later the same year she performed at the Town Hall Theatre in New York.
In 1993 the town of Montellano awarded her the 'Madrono Flamenco', a prize bestowed upon the most outstanding flamenco artist of the year.

In 1994, in the Caja de Avila Flemenco Week, she danced alongside Enrique Morente. In the same year she made a two-month tour of several European countries with Paco Pena's Company.
1994 at the '23rd Festival of Andalusian Song and Dance' in Jerez de la Frontera she shared a bill with great flamenco artists. Towards the end of the same year she set out on a tour of Asia, performing in Taipei, Seoul, etc. Sara Baras spent one year (1996-97) dancing alongside Antonio Canales as guest artist in his production entitled 'Gitano' (Gypsy). This was presented at the Seville Biennal Festival then travelled to the Madrid Autumn Festival at the Albéniz Theatre and on to the Champs Elysées Theatre in Paris.

In 1997 Sara Baras presented her own troupe to critical and public acclaim at the close of the 37th 'Cante de las Minas' National Flamenco Festival.
On 2nd April 98, with her own company made up of herself, 7 dancers and 7 musicians, Sara launched the show called 'Sensaciones'. 'Sensaciones' is not conventional theatre; it is an exploration of the various forms of flamenco.

At the end of April 1998, as guest artist of the Antonio Canales Flamenco Ballet, Sara Baras took part in the 'La Huella de Espana' (Traces of Spain) programme organised by the SGAE to celebrate the centenary of Cuban independence.

Since October 1998 Sara has presented the television programme 'ALGO MAS QUE FLAMENCO' (A bit more than flamenco) on TVE 2.

Joaquín Cortés

Of gipsy blood, he was born in Cordoba in 1969 and at the age of twelve, moved to Madrid where he began his dance training. He joined the Spanish National Ballet when he was fifteen and quickly rose to the ranks of solo artist. Joaquín toured all over the world with this company, performing in the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and the Kremlin´s Congress Palace in Moscow.

After leaving the National Ballet, he took part in a number of gala performances alongside such great figures as Maya Plisetskaya, Silvie Guillen, Pere Schauffus, Marie-Claude Pietragalla and Julio Bocca and colaborated in several different companies and shows as guest artist or choreographer. These works include the choreography for Carmen at the Arena in Verona, his participation in the Summer Flamenco Festival of Tokyo, in various performances at the New York Lincoln Center, his participation in the classical "Don Quijote" with the Caracas Ballet.

After performing at the Champs-Elysée Theatre in Paris in 1992, he created his own company, the Joaquín Cortés Flamenco Ballet. His first show, Cibayí, toured throughout Spain and travelled to Japan, France, Italy, Venezuela and The United States.

Pedro Almodóvar cast him in his first film role in La Flor de mi Secreto (The Flower of my Secret). Later, Joaquín repeated the experience in Carlos Saura's Flamenco, in which he shared the screen with Spain's top flamenco artists.

His second creation, Pasión Gitana (Gipsy Passion), opened in 1995, with the participation of Giorgio Armani designing the wardrobe, the show has run all over Spain, showing in bull rings. Pasión Gitana has also been a success in Europe. It was the first dance show to have closed the prestigious Spoleto Festival (Italy) in its forty eight years of existence and more than five thousand people went to his performance in the Forum of Milan.

In 1996 he did his first tour of USA where he presented, among other places in the Radio City Music Hall in New York (he was the first Spanish dancer to perfom there with his own show), and in the Universal Amphitheatre of Los Angeles.

In 1997 Joaquín launched a CD with his own band the “Gipsy Passion Band” on which he composes and directs the music and colaborates on percussion. The CD contains music from the show as well as new arrangements.

After creating new choreographies for Pasión Gitana in 1997, the show continued touring Latin America and has most recently had success in 1998 in the Sydney Festival, Tokyo, Canada and New York.

Antonio Canales

Antonio Gómez de los Reyes, A.K.A. Antonio Canales, was born in Sevilla in 1961, at the Corral de Saramaya, a tablao located at 76 Castilla Street, Triana district. His was a family of flamenco artists, and it seems that his grandfather, Canales, was a great cantaor, though he never sang as a professional. Antonio started dancing out of mere pleasure, but soon he decided that he wanted to get into professional dance, and so he studied ballet at the Club Natación Sevilla, where there was a dance teacher.

He presented himself to the Lope de Vega Theatre, for a casting for the Ballet Nacional de España (Spain’s National Ballet), and was selected. Soon, he was a soloist in this company, and started to guest-star in other artists shows. In 1981, for instance, he collaborated with the Paris based Maguy Marin Company, first step of a long international run, that has paired him with such outstanding artists as Rudolf Nureyev, Maya Plisetskaya, Carla Fracci, Vladimir Vasilev, Fernando Bujones, Peter Schaufuss, Sylvie Guillem, Patrick Dupond or Julio Bocca

In 1988 he received the Mavisela Award (Italy), granted to the best dancer, and in 1990 he was awarded with the "Mejor Bailarín Internacional" of Mexico City, ex aequo with Julio Bocca.

In 1992 he taked part in the "Giants of the Dance" gala, helded at the Paris based Champs Elysées Theatre, and he founded his own company, which made its debut in Bilbao, with two shows: "A ti, Carmen Amaya" y "Siempre flamenco". The same year, and because of the Five Hundred Years of the Discovery of America cellebrations, Canales performed at New York City’s World Financial Center, at the Holland Festival and at Tokyo’s Metki Hall.

In 1994 and 1995 he was invited to perform at the Canada based Stars of Montreal Gala, and in 1997 he did participate at the Gala of the Stars, organized by the Montecarlo Ballet. This last year, he also created the choreography "Grito", a job assigned by the Ballet Nacional de España, that was presented at the New York’s City Center in february 1998.

In 1999 he was awarded with the Andalucia’s Medal, a reward offered to those artists that have helped to extend the name of their homeland around the world.

The Ballet Flamenco de Antonio Canales Company has represented, among other works," A ti, Carmen Amaya", "Siempre flamenco", "Bengues, Venus y Narciso", "A cuerda y tacón", "Gitano", "Variaciones sobre el Guernica de Picasso", "La casa de Bernarda Alba" y "Raíces".

 

Nacho Duato

Born in Valencia, Spain. Nacho Duato started professional ballet training with the Rambert School in London at eighteen, expanding studies at Maurice Béjart's Mudra School in Brussels and completing his dance education at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre in New York.

In 1980 Duato signed his first professional contract with the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm and a year later Jirí Kylián brought him to the Nederlands Dans Theater in Holland, where he was quickly incorporated into company and repertoire.

For his achievements as a dancer he received the VSCD Gouden Dansprijs (Golden Dance Award) for the year 1987.

In 1988 Nacho Duato was named Resident Choreographer for Nederlands Dans Theater - next to Hans van Manen and Jirí Kylián.

With the growing demand of international companies requesting a work of his for their repertoire Duato had to take a decisive step towards choosing his future career. His ballets form part of the repertoire of companies like Cullberg Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Deutche Opera Ballet, Australian Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet Gulbenkian, Introdans, Chicago Hubbard Street Dance Co., Ballet Grand Theatre du Genève, Musik Theater Essen, Finish Opera Ballet, Ballet de Zaragoza and American Ballet Theatre.

In 1995 he received the grade of Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres which is annually given by the French Embassy in Spain.

Since June 1990, invited by the Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Nacho Duato is Artistic Director of Compañía Nacional de Danza.