Manuel Segovia: «A jota cannot be presented in the same way in a town square as on a stage»

Of the four styles into which Mariemma divided Spanish dance: bolero school, classical Spanish dance, flamenco and folklore, the latter is perhaps the most cornered. Thirty years ago, two dancers and choreographers, Manuel Segovia and Violeta Ruiz del Valle, endeavored to show that Spanish folk dance was not a vestige of the past, but rather, with enough care and care, it was enough to be staged. From that commitment, the Ibérica de Danza company was born in 1993, which celebrates its thirtieth anniversary with two performances, on March 22 and 23, at the Teatros del Canal in Madrid. On the programme, a double look: to the past, with the first part, entitled ‘Celebration’; and to the future, with the premiere of his new choreography, ‘Gaudi Dance Experience’. ‘Celebration’, explains Manuel Segovia, is a review of our most emblematic choreographies. «We have always liked having choreographers from outside who enrich our vision -he explains-, and for this work we have Sara Calero, who was a dancer in our company-, María José Ruiz Mayordomo, who has developed a great work in ancient dance ; and Antonio Najarro, former director of the National Ballet of Spain». The pieces that make up ‘Celebration’ feature music by J. Alberto Arteche, Javier Paxariño, Eliseo Parra, Coetus and Ariadna Savall. ‘Campos de luna’ (1994), ‘Differences’ (about ‘Guárdame las vacas’, 2019), ‘Jácaras y courtesanos’ (1997), ‘El día Spagnola’ (2010), ‘La triste noche’ (2000), ‘Temura’ (2005), ‘Love wins over interest’ (2012) and the ‘Fandango de Boccherini’ (2019). There is in them neofolk, recreated historical dance, stylized dance… The second part is made up of an absolute premiere: ‘Gaudi Dance Experience’, a work that stems from Manuel Segovia’s fascination with the architect from Tarragona. “If he hadn’t been a choreographer, he would have been an architect,” he says between smiles. He is a reference, a brilliant and groundbreaking artist ». His tribute, he adds, is not to the mystic, but to man, to the more human Gaudí, and focuses on the friendship he had with Eusebio Güell, as well as his friend, the main patron of the author of the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. . «Gaudí -says Segovia- is the choreographer of color and the search for forms». The show’s score is structured around compositions by Albéniz, Granados, Joaquín Nin and Ludovico Eunadi, adapted by the Ibérica Danza Ensemble (Constanza Lechner, Javier Morillas, Sonsoles Dávila, Claudia Ortiz and Juan Manuel de las Heras). Three young performers from the company have collaborated in the choreography: Joan Fenollar, Francisco Linares and Jaime Puente. MORE INFORMATION noticia No Nacho Duato opens a dance school in Madrid with which to preserve his choreographies noticia No Isamay Benavente, the first woman to direct the Teatro de la Zarzuela noticia No María Esteve: «My mother is happy with all the recognition she receives » noticia No Jerez is a party «Our work encompasses very different styles -concludes Manuel Segovia-, from folklore to classical Spanish and even the bolero school, and this can be seen in ‘Gaudi Dance Experience’. It is true that we were pioneers in ‘neofolk’, but fortunately there are many choreographers who are investigating this field. We take traditional music and bring it to contemporary terrain. It is true that there are Taliban who do not see it well, and renovators who support us, but we do dance for the stage; A Castilian jota cannot be presented in the same way in a town square as in a stage space»