“La Bella Otero: The Story of a Spanish Dance Icon”

From a muñeira, a popular dance that is part of Galician folklore, to contemporary dance, through zapateo, they are part of La Bella Otero, the show of the National Ballet of Spain that is presented at the Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo until the 7th of May.

Choreographed and directed by Rubén Olmo tells the story of this Spanish woman from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, famous for being a figure in Parisian cabarets dancing bulerías dressed as a bullfighter accompanied by 10 guitarists.

EL TIEMPO spoke with Olmo, one of the most important men of dance in Spain.

Despite the fact that she did not have dance studies, Bella Otero was a representative symbol of the dances of her country at a time in history. In addition to this facet, what aspects of her personality attract her attention and did she put them into the play?
For me, one of the main aspects of her personality was the magnetism she had, she was a magnetic woman. She didn’t have a great dance technique, she danced very little and she didn’t have a great vocal technique either, but she was a woman who drew attention, she had that inner beauty. People turned to see her, she was trapped watching her. In addition, she was a person who knew how to reinvent her life. A woman who, after a tragic event in her childhood, knew how to create an artistic career out of nothing. She comes to this world of art without knowledge and she becomes an artist, that was what caught my attention the most about this character.

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Apart from the artistic part, why is this work relevant at this time?
I believe that the important thing about this work is what it narrates, it is a plot ballet that tells a story of personal improvement. La Bella Otero talks about a character who constantly fights for his freedom in a historical moment of great social inequalities. Hence the relevance of this work, what better time than the present to present this work!

If you could have an encounter with Bella Otero, what would you talk about or what would be a fundamental question to ask her?

I would ask La Bella Otero many things… But I have read her diary and she already tells it. She tells her life and although she changes people’s names, we know exactly who she is. Apart from all her life and experiences, I would like to ask her many things about her artistic life and those last years that she spent alone, I think they were very hard years in solitude, why did she shut herself up for so many years and not let herself be seen? more?, or why did he withdraw like that? You can withdraw from the scenarios when you see fit, but I would like to know the reason for that decision.

How did you discover your love for dance? What was the trigger?
I discovered my love for dance at my neighborhood parties. I found a dance school that did a performance at parties. I was two years old and I was amazed. My mother always tells me that I was mesmerized, that my face was filled with joy, it was an encounter and a crush on Spanish dance and flamenco. Later, my parents enrolled me in that same dance academy, and from there my entire relationship with dance began. I also have a great memory, a fascination, after seeing Antonio Gades on television. He caught my attention a lot, I fell in love with his way of dancing. It was with the film ‘Carmen’, with Laura del Sol, Cristina Hoyos, Antonio Gades, it was there that I saw all those artists and I definitely fell in love with the world of dance.

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What is dancing for you?

My form of expression, how I best express myself. It’s like finding one free, it makes me happy. For me, it is my life and my reason for being.

We have a great Spanish legacy in music and dance, and other wonderful dances were created here. Do you know anything about Colombian dances?
I have seen many, I have seen some Colombian dances that are closely related to Spanish folk dances, but above all, when we talk about the land, the countryside, they are very similar, they have many things in common both musically, as well as in steps and forms of expression. . I couldn’t tell you the specific name of those dances, but I have noticed some of them, and I have always thought that we have many things in common.

What is your favorite traditional Spanish dance?
I like all of the Spanish dances, perhaps that is why I have been a very versatile dancer. That is precisely what the jury highlighted when they gave me the National Dance Award. I have tried to study them to the maximum, to be knowledgeable about each one of them and that is why I have danced all the registers of Spanish dance. Logically, since I was little I have been closer to flamenco, but in my career I have been doing all the Spanish dance, perhaps always supporting myself and having a flamenco pulse, but I really like all the styles and registers of our dance.

Where and when?
May 6, 8 pm Sunday May 7, 5 pm Teatro Mayor Julio Mario Santo Domingo. Calle 170 no. 67-51. Tickets from 45,000 pesos. Reports: www.teatromayor.org