After completing her intermediate level degree at the Antonio Ruiz Soler Professional Dance Conservatory, she joined the cast of the Andalusian Dance Center in Seville, working alongside Ruben Olmo, Rocío Coral, Anabel Martín, Andrés Marín, and Lola Greco, among others. She then joined the Estévez & Paños company for the show Flamenco Today by Carlos Saura, touring some of the world's most prestigious festivals. She later debuted as a soloist with the Ballet Flamenco of Andalusia under the direction of Rafael Estévez. There he participated in the productions of That Silverio, Cantera y FlamencoLorca-esque. His imminent presence at the great festival flamenco from Vancouver, Canada, is the perfect excuse to chat with the dancer Macarena López (Seville, 1990).
– On September 27th you perform at the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival. A city, by the way, that's more than eight thousand kilometers from Andalusia but very close to the team at this site. flamencoTell us about your Canadian adventure, including the masterclass.
– I'm very excited. To feel that eight thousand kilometers away people are enjoying the flamenco It's a true gift. Of course, I'll give it my all. In the classes, I'll seek, in addition to the physical work, a connection with what we feel inside. This is my second time there, and I love the dedication, the proposals, and the possibility of catching the energy, turning it all into a shared experience.
– The program for this major North American event says that you stand out “for your work at the intersection of dance flamenco and experimentation." Do you agree?
- flamenco It's my roots, but I also need to open windows. I'm not interested in doing something "strange" for the sake of it; rather, my life, my questions, and my emotions lead me to explore it. I always start from my foundation and venture to discover and discover myself. With the utmost respect.
"The flamenco It's my roots, but I also need to open windows. I'm not interested in doing something "strange" for the sake of it; rather, my life, my questions, and my emotions lead me to explore it. I always start from my foundation and venture to discover and discover myself.
– In its thirty-five editions, the media impact achieved by the Vancouver International Flamenco The festival is certainly remarkable. Do you see your presence there as a major step in your international projection?
– It's a very beautiful step. I don't usually think of it in terms of a "career." But yes, having my dance travel and reach another continent is a great opportunity to make myself known and showcase my work. And above all, to connect with those who receive it from so far away.
– How do you see yourself as a flamenco dancer at this point in your career?
– I feel very much alive. I've gone through several stages: technique, study, research… And now I'm enjoying putting all of that to work for something more essential and personal.
– Who have been your role models in flamenco dance? Do you feel like a gifted student or an heir to the Seville school?
– The Sevillian school has been, and always will be, very important to me. Along the way, I've incorporated everything I've liked and learned from different schools, teachers, and even my own classmates. I greatly admire artists like Manuela Vargas, Eva Yerbabuena, Rocío Molina, Israel Galván, Rafael Estévez, and Valeriano Paños, to name just a few. I'm also inspired by other arts: poetry, painting, performance. In the end, everything that moves me eventually seeps into my dance.
"I like being described as 'wild,' being talked about how I control my body, and being asked to draw their own conclusions. You also learn from knowing what other people's eyes perceive. In the end, it's all about how the performer feels and how the person watching the show experiences it that day."
– What did you learn from your time at the Estévez & Paños Company and the Ballet? Flamenco from Andalusia?
– I learned a lot. Above all, I began to feel the responsibility and respect I'd always felt. But that's where the feeling that the stage is my place became solidified. Also, the value of teamwork. With Estévez & Paños, I discovered the importance of detail, of the concept, and of the research behind each piece. I understood what it means to uphold a tradition and, at the same time, find your own voice within it.
– A few weeks ago we saw you at the Tagarnina Fest in Algodonales, Cádiz. The master of ceremonies, Susanne Zellinger, introduced you as an artist “often considered wild, but she isn't, because she controls everything she does.” Our colleague Alejandro Luque added: his chronicle for expoflamenco that, "indeed, control over your body is absolute." Do you recognize yourself in the things the wise men write about you?
– I like being described as “wild,” being talked about how I control my body, and being asked to draw their own conclusions. You also learn from knowing what other people's eyes perceive. In the end, it all comes down to how the performer feels and how the person watching the show experiences it that day.
– What are you missing to take another step up?
– Honestly, I don't know. There's no one path or artist that repeats itself. The steps I've taken in my career have been through hard work and more work. I'll continue on my own path, on my own quest, insisting on what I believe in and what I believe in.
«The dance flamenco I see it alive and changing. There's an incredible generation of artists who are honoring tradition and, at the same time, pushing it toward new places. I think the flamenco It has always been like this: a mixture of respect and rebellion.
– How do you see the present and future of dance? flamenco?
—I see it as alive and changing. There's an incredible generation of artists who are honoring tradition and, at the same time, pushing it toward new places. I think the flamenco It has always been like this: a mixture of respect and rebellion. As long as there is truth and a desire to communicate, flamenco will continue to beat strongly. ♦
