Interview: Rafael Manjavacas
Photos: Paco Villalta – Cía Marco Flores
We're talking to Marco Flores, flamenco dancer from Arcos de la Frontera (Cádiz), young, but with a long career under his belt, carried out with other artists of his generation, Olga Pericet, Manuel Liñán, Daniel Doña…with whom he has shared the stage, and a good number of shows. In 2007 he won 4 national prizes at the Córdoba Concurso Nacional de Arte Flamenco, and in 2010 he secured his solo career with the presentation of “Deflamencas” at the Gran Teatro de Córdoba, a show that won the critics' prize at the 2012 Festival de Jerez, and which he has taken to the most important theaters and festivals of the world.
Spain is very, very hard, nearly impossible
They say time puts everyone in their rightful place. How long have you been dancing?
I've been dancing 17 years…I began studying relatively late, at 17, before that I was studying guitar.
The journey, in addition to being long, doesn't seem to have been easy, for you or for anyone else of your generation. Were there times when you were ready to throw in the towel?
There have been many moments of desperation, especially when you see you're alone, and you have to produce and distribute on your own. This is the big problem for those of my generation. It takes tremendous resources to move a project forward, and have people believe in you. But I think ours is a generation that has a great deal of respect and unconditional love for this art, and that reinforces everything.
Despite the difficulties, I understand that you having gone through all that, accompanied by Olga Pericet, Manuel Liñán, Daniel Doña…helped you, and you reinforced one another.
I feel very fortunate they are my companions, and more so that they are my friends. I think we were a creative laboratory in which we were afraid of nothing, and we took on every challenge, and that in turn is thanks to the mutual admiration and respect we feel for each other.
For me, that was the best school anyone could have, we grew individually and collectively at the same time. They are part of my career and my dancing, there's a little, or a lot of them in me, and I'm very proud of that.
You started out together, and you've grown together professionally…but you've also done projects on your own, in addition to joint undertakings, with apparent success judging from the results.
We were never a definitive closed company. There was never any commitment or contract of permanence as a company, we worked together when the creative process required it, and depending on one person or another. It was all very sincere, and I think that leads to good things.
Audience and critical recognition, including the prizes of the Córdoba contest, came several years ago, nevertheless, you have to keep knocking on many doors.
Right, you can never rest. This is a long-term career, and what counts is your level of dedication. There are a lot of ups and downs, but when you truly love this, you put everything into it in the most natural way.
I think the slow route is best.
Perhaps true recognition is when they program you at the big festivals.
True recognition is many things, among them the festivals as you say, but for me the most important recognition, that which is the most valuable, is the kind that comes from your professional colleagues, and people who truly love the art.
Those festivals… Festival de Jerez, Bienal de Sevilla…are showcases where international programmers look for unique shows. You just returned from Mexico, and in France you're very popular…perhaps Spain is more difficult.
Spain is very, very hard, nearly impossible. Except for a few festivals such as those you named, who make a big effort and are committed to this art, the majority won't take the risk, they don't make it their business to find out what's happening right now and the new interpreters, the only objective is to hang the “sold out” sign, which only leaves room for popular companies and artists. I don't criticize this, because I think it's necessary, but I do think this type of programming ought to be combined with the other.
I understand you've been through your hometown these days, Arcos de la Frontera. What did you do there?We did three performances of my show Tránsito, and I'm thrilled to have been able to dance in my town, with my people and family who really love me.
How many shows have you got at the moment? How are they functioning?
Coproduced and directed with Olga, Manuel and Dani, six shows, and on my own, three: DeFlamencas, Tránsito and Laberíntica.
Although it's very hard to move forward, the bottom line is mostly positive, with some more successful than others, but overall, I'm pleased. I'm continuing with these three shows in distribution and working. DeFlamencas was the first one we debuted, in 2010, and it's the work we've done the most, nearly 50 presentations, and we're very happy about it.
A lot of flamenco artists have distanced themselves from classic flamenco. How do you manage that? Where do you stand?
I always try to make my position as clear as possible. I don't think I put any distance between myself and classic flamenco when I dance, the way I feel those roots is personal. Another position I think I put forth in my career is that of dance via the language of flamenco, and I think it's very easy to see when it's one thing or another, and both follow a very similar path. The important thing is to defend each one, regardless of where you are.
In any case, you never really distanced yourself from the tablaos where you continue to appear regularly. Are they still a point of encounter for artists?
I always dance in tablaos, that's where I learned to dance and continue to learn. The tablao is a creative and educational melting pot, a flamenco think tank. You work with people you wouldn't normally work with, a variety of dancers, guitarists and singers, and that makes you grow and maintain your place in the moment of this art-form.
I love it, because you work with people more experienced than yourself, young people…and that makes me feel alive and in the groove. You use a different language than you do in a theater, not better or worse. And it's always a challenge because everything is improvised and different from one day to the next. You learn a lot, and not only about dancing but singing and guitar as well.
I think the tablaos are going through a new golden age, offering shows with fine artists.
Also the courses at Amor de Dios where you're a regular, and the Festival de Jerez. These courses also represent an international point of encounter, people come from all over the world.
The courses are very important, it's a very interesting way of connecting with the international flamenco community, and also of making contact with places throughout the world where you may be able to perform.
What are you preparing at the present time, and when will be able to see it?
Now I'm starting to choreograph for other companies, I'm still working with my own and I'm very excited about “Paso a Dos” I'm preparing with Olga Pericet and José María Velázquez-Gaztelu. I'm really looking forward to this, it's a nice project, very intimate. We'll be at the Festival de Jerez on February 26th,
