Compañía Nacional de Danza

You started out in 2000, in what was then the CND2, the junior version of the company, under the direction of Nacho Duato and Tony Fabre. Tell me, what were those years like? How was the atmosphere then?
We were a big family; 12 students from different schools, none of whom had danced professionally before. We all came with the same goal in mind, which was to learn, dance and have a really good time.

In the 2001-2002 season, you joined the CND; a very sharp turnaround. What was that process like for you? Did you notice a big difference?
Very big! The aim of CND2 was to create a kind of reserve squad to later feed the CND1 (the main CND). And while the way things worked was similar, it was always a small company. In the CND1, everything was magnified a lot; you worked with people who had matured, dancers from great companies, choreographers, assistants … I was the smallest of the lot; the youngest. I entered at 19 and nearly everybody was around ten years older. What was the best thing? … Working with great dancers, great choreographers and endless travelling. We were always moving around with a suitcase in tow. The tours were amazing. You were always toing and froing. One month you were in Asia, the next in USA and then the next in Australia. And, of course, having just joined at 19, you can imagine how intense an experience it was for me.

You lived through the CND’s most intense years, dancing choreographies by Nacho Duato, Jirí Kilyán, William Forsythe, Mats Ek and many others. What did it feel like to work with the world’s most renowned choreographers? What would you highlight about each one?
I feel like the luckiest guy in the world, coming from where I come from. I studied in the Alcoy Conservatory, I went on to a school in Valencia, where I stayed for a year and a half, and then, suddenly, I landed here in Madrid. I did not receive all the great training at places like the Institut del Teatre or the Madrid Conservatorio, but I was lucky enough to find the most marvellous teachers along the way. When I look back, it seems incredible that I have got to where I am and that I have worked with the crème de la crème, coming from where I come from. I really never thought my career would be like this. I couldn’t feel more grateful.
Each choreographer has their own personal touch. You learn so much from each one and they bring so much to you that it would be a little complicated to highlight any one thing. Nevertheless, they all have one thing in common: the atmosphere they create in the studio when you work with them directly.

Of all the teachers you have worked with, which of them would you do it over again with?
One of the people that most marked my career was Irena Milovan, a CND teacher for many years. She really looked after the young ones when they entered the Company; she prevented us getting lost along the way. She is one of the most dance-passionate people I’ve known in my life. I learned so much with her … But, sadly, she left us last year; I miss her so much.
Working with Jirí and Mats was such a special part of my career; they are pure magic, though I’d probably do it all again with almost all of the teachers. Even so, it’s true that whenever I was able to work with those two, it left me feeling like there was magic inside the studio. And that doesn’t happen every day. To spend six hours a day working with them and then for the clock to strike four in the afternoon and you’re like “no, no, please don’t let this end, give me more, give me more” … I mean, that feeling of not wanting to leave the studio doesn’t happen all that often. It happened to me with Mats, with Jirí and with Nacho. It is something so special.

Nacho Duato was your mentor for many years. Indeed, you have held workshops on his dance repertoire. What does he mean to you? What was the most important part of the teaching he transmitted to you?
He has been the most important person to me throughout my career, not least because he was the first to offer me an opportunity. I joined very young, when he was directing the Company. I trained in his style. I was 18 and, at that age, we are all like sponges. They practically shaped me in the image and likeness of the Duato style. Twenty years on, and I realise that it is something that I have in my body; that I can do it effortlessly, at the drop of a hat. I mean, I have 30 of his ballets under my belt. For me, he is the most influential person and choreographer in my career.

In 2008, you move to Montreal, in Canada, to dance Les Grands Ballets Canadiens. What made you take that decision? What did you enjoy most about your time there?
I learned to dance professionally here in the CND and I was suddenly hit by the need to step outside Spain and outside my comfort zone. In the CND, I had everything to hand and what I had was all wonderful. But I also had that urge to discover and experiment. I began doing auditions and one of the places to offer me a contract was Canada.
I didn’t need to think about it and just went. It was really an amazing experience; one I’d recommend to everybody, in fact. “Leave home, go abroad…”; it’s the only way to give yourself a shakeup, learn another language, see other cultures.
Contact with another culture is so important and super rewarding for everybody. Sure, it was freezing … I’m a Mediterranean boy (laughs). I remember it fondly because it shifted my personal and professional views. It also brought me realisation on many things. Sometimes you’re so involved in a situation that you can’t see beyond your nose because, in reality, you don’t know anything else. And the experience in Canada made me see everything from a different perspective. I realised how lucky I’d been to be in Madrid and to have had the opportunity of working with the people I work with. I had to return.

You have danced many pieces and different styles. Is there one you are particularly fond of?
From Nacho, I have some special ones; emblematic ones like White darkness, Multiplicidad… Formas de silencio y vacío… Arcangelo, one of the ones I most enjoyed… Or Txalaparta, one that we did seldomly but, for me, one of the most beautiful pieces he has created. It was very abstract, inspired by the instrument it is named after and the sound it produces. It was all movement and at breakneck speed. From Kilyán, there are many pieces that I thought were just amazing. But to do his Petite mort here …! The tears rolled down my face with emotion during the bow-taking after having experienced one of the most magical moments in all my years as a dancer. It was also an incredible experience doing his Wings of Wax and No More Play. From Forsythe, Quintett sticks with me; such a super special piece; exhausting, very intense. There were just five of us dancers on stage for thirty minutes, making it difficult to lean on the music too much. As a reference, there were two screens, one either side of the stage, displaying the choreographic details for us while we danced. Crazy, but it was an incredible experience.
And from other choreographers, I’d mention Nippon Koku by Marcos Morau, which involved a really lovely process. Morau works on the dancers’ improvisation based on his own code. We spent the first weeks working on the language of that code. He set the basic essentials and we built upon them. I thought it was a really nice way of doing it. I entered the studio, I put my headphones on and spent hours improvising and creating material alone. I chose when to stop and when not to; when to drink, to go to the bathroom …
And I’d also like to say at this stage that the whole process with Antonio Ruz in creating In Paradisum was one of the best of my entire career. I think he was right there behind the dancers, with real knowhow in directing the group and, above all, he was so respectful with everybody before him.

You are the company’s most veteran dancer. Do you notice much difference with the young