CONFESSION

The hand movements, rhythmic tap dance to the beat of flamenco and the passionate look of Joaquin Cortes' fiery eyes mesmerize and stop time. Sometimes it seems that this gypsy has the charm to excite love. It is not in vain that Elle magazine has included Joaquin on the list of the top ten sexiest men in the world. In mid-March, the prominent dancer from Spain presented the new dance performance "Dicen de mi" ("They say about me") in Baku as part of the 3rd International Music Festival Space of Mugam.

"Even when you stumble, when you make a mistake - let it come from the heart, let there be duende in everything you do. Flamenco without duende is unthinkable, and the fire burning in my heart is all-powerful. There is only one thing it cannot do - pretend ..." Joaquin Cortes learned this eternal gypsy wisdom handed down from generation to generation in his childhood. It is the basis of his flamenco. What is duende? Duende is the soul of flamenco, without which this art is not possible. This word of Spanish origin literally means a "spirit", an "invisible being" or a "brownie". But in relation to art, it has acquired a different meaning and could be translated more like "a feeling", "a fire" or "magic". If we say "there is no fire in it", in Spain they say "no tiene duende". Duende turns the dance into shamanism or magic, and there is something primal here, coming from ancient ritual dances. Prominent dancer Joaquin Cortes shared his thoughts on the spirituality of dance, flamenco passion and cinema with R+.

- Joaquin, what does flamenco mean to you?

- It is my life, it is me. I have been dancing flamenco for over 30 years. I fell in love with this dance like a real woman. For me, flamenco is my love, my wife. Years later, I continue to fall for this fiery woman more and more. Thanks to this love, I discovered myself, learned a lot and visited many countries. I thank God for all he has given me and for all that I have accomplished. If I was born again, I would choose the stage and flamenco again. Thanks to dance, I saw Azerbaijan. I really hope to come back here again. I came here to show your flamenco and introduce this electrifying dance to Bakuvians. Flamenco is not just the art of my people. This is my way of life and my state of mind.

Flamenco originated with the merger of the cultures of medieval Andalusia, where Arabs, Jews, Gypsies and Christians were neighbours. At that time, the three religions - Christianity, Islam and Judaism - peacefully interacted. Not like today ... I think it was a period of universal search at the time. People of different faiths shared knowledge and culture. Although spiritual values were interpreted by different religions in different ways, they were respected by all in equal measure. Flamenco as a symbol of the era took shape at the junction of cultures and absorbed and synthesized knowledge of different traditions.

- Your dance performance is called "Dicen de mi" ("They say about me"). So what are people saying about you?

- Different things. And often it's just a rumour. If you want to know what I really am, just look at me dancing. My dancing says it all. All my experiences and thoughts are in my movements.

- You are a mix of classical flamenco and elements of modern dance. What music styles inspired you to take up this dance?

- Experience shows that the passion of flamenco goes well with classical ballet and contemporary dance. I have been a rebel since childhood and now I do everything as I wish. This helped me to find my own style, combining "irreconcilable" things. In my performances, there is a synthesis of Spanish, Arabic, Latin and even classical music. I do not work in a particular genre and I try to add various elements of national dances to my performances. It turns out that my flamenco is a kind of dance of peoples of the world.

- You arrived in Baku to participate in the 3rd International Music Festival Space of Mugam. Are you familiar with mugam?

- Unfortunately, I had not heard of mugam before this festival. I am very glad that I was able to get acquainted with Azerbaijani culture and art. I think that to some extent, mugam is similar to the Andalusian manner of flamenco performance - cante jondo. It's very a personal, very emotional performance. It is a kind of confession before God.

- Any dance involves some sort of symbolism. For example, in Indian dance, each movement of the head or hands means something. Is there similar symbolism in flamenco?

- In traditional flamenco, gestures have no special symbolic meaning. These are feelings that break out of the chest and manifest themselves in the form of music, the performer's voice and movements of the human body embodied in a dance similar to fire. Flamenco does not require stage space - it needs one's internal space, the space of their soul. Unlike many famous dances, flamenco is turned not outwards but inwards. The richer the heart, the greater the internal motion and the more restrained and heavier the external movement. Minimum efficiency and maximum depth, incredibly strong and beautiful. Flamenco is a very sensual dance of inner liberation with a clear rhythm. To grasp the essence of flamenco, it is not enough to master the techniques of dance and the guitar even at the professional level after reviewing all the nuances and peculiarities of its musical styles. You must be able to feel the spirit of centuries-old flamenco. Few people actually realize that the way of flamenco with its specific internal values can be religious. And at the heart of this appeal is the appeal to yourself, to the knowledge that sleeps inside, but can be woken up by the song that comes straight from the heart and generates a storm of feelings in your soul, and by zapateado - rhythmic tapping of heels. In modern flamenco there are three main components - cante (song), baile (dance) and toque (music playing). As for the dance itself, it contains a number of areas, each of which includes a group of flamenco dance styles characterized by a specific rhythm and manner of performance.

- How did you get started? How did you link your life to the dance?

- I was born in a gypsy family and flamenco is in my blood. My uncle Cristobal Reyes was a professional dancer and choreographer, and it all began with him. He often told me about his tours and performances in various countries. Listening to him, I dreamt of the stage and adventures. So as a child, I decided that I wanted to be a dancer just like my uncle. When I was 12, my uncle began to teach me to dance, and I just fell in love with this art. I began with flamenco, after all, I have Romany roots, and then I learnt other dances - ballroom and classical dances. I developed interest in classical dance a long time ago. At 13, I was even offered a scholarship to study at the Vaganov Russian Ballet Academy in St. Petersburg. But my parents did not let me travel to distant Russia. They thought I was still too little. At the same age, I joined the National Ballet of Spain and performed on television. I spent days rehearsing and working on myself. Even then, as a child, I toured the world and soon became a soloist of National Ballet. I tried to do everything - I wanted to climb higher and higher. I set myself a goal and achieved it at any price. At 19, I felt I had reached my "ceiling" in the troupe, and I left it to create my own. I managed to find my own style, combine many different elements and trends in dance and music, and this synthesis, I hope, changed the history of dance in Spain and in the world.

- Tell us about your family. Your sisters are probably dancers too...

- We are a very friendly family. I have two sisters, and they also dance, but unprofessionally. In our gypsy families, almost everyone sings and dances. My older sister lives in Malaga with her family, and my younger sister is working in my office in Madrid. We support and help each other in every way.

- More than ten years ago, you organized the campaign Stop Antigypsyism, and in 2007, you became the second ever Romany ambassador to the European Union. How should the world see the gypsies?

- To improve the image of the gypsies. This is what I do, travelling the world with concerts. This is a very difficult and important mission for me. I want others to change their attitude to the gypsies. Among us there are so many talented, intelligent and educated people. But we are not trying to separate our people from the world. On the contrary, we want to integrate into the world without ousting other peoples. I think through culture and art one can not only bring people together, but also teach them. In our time, this is the best way of enlightenment and education. I think that every people should save and hand down their history, dance, music and language to the younger generation in order to avoid interrupting the genetic memory.

- You starred in films by Pedro Almodovar and Carlos Saura. Do you not want to conquer Hollywood?

- Cinema is another passion of mine. I love movies! When I have free time, I watch various new movies. But I do not plan to conquer Hollywood. For me, it is not the main goal. My appearance in the movies was accidental. It was accidental for me, but not for Almodovar. Pedro created a role in the film "The Flower of My Secret" especially for me and I agreed without hesitation (laughs). It was an unusual experience for me and, apparently, for Almodovar too. I was fortunate enough to star in Carlos Saura's film about flamenco and in Ciro Ippolito's movie "Vanilla and Chocolate", which became a real blockbuster in Italy. Today my office receives a lot of scripts, and perhaps, you will see me in a new film in the future.