Morgan Smith
Big news for flamenco master Antonio Granjero, director of the nonprofit Santa Fe dance company EntreFlamenco, who announced last week he has been nominated for a Bessie Award—also known as the NY Dance & Performance Awards—which are given to those who present their performance work in New York City. The nod comes from Granjero’s work on a production of Ni Bien Ni Mal, Todo lo Contrario from April at the Joyce Theater, and just goes to show that Santa Fe has some seriously world class stuff going on. It’s hardly shocking, though, to learn of the nomination. Granjero has been dancing since he was 6 years old, and has trained with maestros and maestras like Fernando Belmonte, Paco del Rio and Carmen Cortes, among others—and he pays it forward to this day. Given his whole teaching/performing/nomination thing, it seemed a great time to check in about the award, the dance and the company. You can also catch Granjero performing numerous times this week at EntreFlamenco shows (6:15 pm Wednesday, Sept. 28-Sunday, Oct. 2. $25-$45. El Flamenco Cabaret, 135 W Palace Ave., (505) 209-1302). This interview has been edited for space and clarity.
Obviously it’s not about the awards when it comes to making art, but how does a nomination like this feel? Does it fire you up, or do you not much think about it?
It is an honor to be nominated for this award. One feels recognized for their work and contributions, and even more when the panelists that form this organization are professional artists themselves that are part of the dance world of all disciplines. That other recognized dancers, without your request, look at your work and consider that your contributions are deserving of such a huge recognition is truly incredible. I didn’t ever think of this happening. Flamenco has been very present in Santa Fe for many years now thanks to the legendary figure of María Benítez. She paved the way for us, it is necessary for us to work with the same professionalism, enthusiasm, excellence and dedication that she always demonstrated.
Those who love flamenco are so passionate about it, but those who’ve never experienced the art form have told me they’re daunted. How might you go about luring in newcomers, or what might you say to someone on the fence?
I would invite them to experience the raw emotion of the art form. Flamenco is multidisciplinary. Not only is it a dance form, it is a song form that expresses with the vocals—a musical form of expression with the orchestration of guitar, percussive elements of the cajon (flamenco percussive box), the palmas (the hand clapping) and is a very intense journey of the combination of these forms of expression. Flamenco is an art form that is vivid and alive, it is constantly evolving. You never stop learning and evolving. It is full of passion. One is capable of forgetting about everything when you dance. I grew up listening to flamenco music, seeing flamenco; it’s part of my culture and my upbringing since childhood to the present.
Did you always want to lead your own company, and would you consider yourself an experimenter? In other words, do you have a running list of ideas in your head, or are you creating through feel—or both?
I always had the intuition that I would end up with my own company, but when you are 20 to 30 years old, you are not prepared for such a task. You do not know the motive of many directive concepts, performing dance is one thing and directing is totally distinct from dancing. Becoming a director can only be learned from many, many years of working as a dancer with multiple companies and different artists. Not all dancers serve to work as directors or choreographers. In my case, I was appointed as a rehearsal master within many companies in Spain at a young age and I did it very well, or at least that was what I was told.
In flamenco, both [ideas and feel] are normal. In duets or in group choreography, both styles are completely choreographed from beginning to end. In solo choreography there is a percentage of the set choreography and another part that is improvisation, of sensations at that very moment. You let your emotions take over, your body follows along with your mind and your soul. When you find yourself in this moment, you are in ecstasy.
