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| Compañía Joaquín Cortés | |
|---|---|
| Name | Compañía Joaquín Cortés |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Joaquín Cortés |
| Country | Spain |
| Headquarters | Madrid |
| Genre | Flamenco, Ballet, Contemporary dance |
Compañía Joaquín Cortés
Compañía Joaquín Cortés is a Spanish dance company founded by Joaquín Cortés that brought flamenco to international stages, fusing flamenco with ballet and contemporary forms. The company emerged from the cultural scenes of Madrid and Barcelona and quickly toured across Europe, North America, and Asia, appearing in venues associated with institutions such as Teatro Real, Royal Opera House, Lincoln Center, and Sydney Opera House. Its work intersected with figures from Spanish music and cinema, including collaborations linked to names like Paco de Lucía, Plácido Domingo, Pedro Almodóvar, and Salvador Dalí exhibitions.
The company was established after Joaquín Cortés rose to prominence with the National Ballet of Spain and performances alongside companies connected to Miguel de Cervantes, Antonio Gades, and institutions like Teatro Real and Teatro de la Zarzuela. Early seasons included appearances at festivals such as Festival d'Avignon, Edinburgh Festival Fringe, and Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada, aligning the troupe with promoters of Festival de Cannes cultural programs and the touring circuits that feature ensembles associated with Comédie-Française and Sadler's Wells Theatre. Touring extended to venues linked to Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and Palau de la Música Catalana, and engagements with promoters connected to Royal Opera House and Opéra Garnier broadened its international profile. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the company intersected with artists represented by agencies associated with Sony Classical, Deutsche Grammophon, and producers who worked on films by Pedro Almodóvar and documentaries about Flamenco traditions.
The company's repertoire combined flamenco palo forms with choreography influenced by choreographers and institutions such as Maurice Béjart, Martha Graham, and companies like Ballet Nacional de España and English National Ballet. Works drew on musical collaborations evoking Paco de Lucía, Tomatito, Niña Pastori, and orchestral arrangements reminiscent of projects by Plácido Domingo and ensembles affiliated with Orquesta Sinfónica de Madrid. Choreography integrated percussive zapateado, palmas, and guitar accompaniments, while stagecraft referenced scenic designers associated with Gonzalo Fernández-Berridi and lighting approaches used by productions at Teatro Real and Royal Albert Hall. Repertoire items often referenced Spanish cultural narratives found in works related to Federico García Lorca, Diego Velázquez, and thematic programs similar to tributes performed at venues linked to Museo del Prado and exhibitions of Salvador Dalí.
Major productions toured in circuits that included Victoria and Albert Museum events, Milan Teatro alla Scala guest programs, and seasons at Teatro Colón and Sydney Opera House. Tours reached festivals like Montreal International Jazz Festival, Sibiu International Theatre Festival, and engagements at halls such as Manchester Arena, Barbican Centre, and Alhambra Palace-associated cultural series. The company staged full-length programs that drew press coverage alongside articles in outlets tied to The New York Times, The Guardian, El País, and magazines connected to Rolling Stone and Vogue España. Tours often included collaborative appearances with artists and ensembles related to Paco de Lucía, musicians who recorded for Sony Music, and guest artists previously associated with Ballet Nacional de España and Antonio Canales productions.
The company assembled dancers and musicians who had trained at institutions linked to Real Conservatorio Superior de Música de Madrid, Conservatori Superior de Música del Liceu, and academies associated with Ramón Oller and Victor Ullate. Guest collaborators included guitarists in the tradition of Tomatito and composers connected to labels like Universal Music Group and Decca Records. Choreographic dialogues occurred with artists tied to Nacho Duato, Cristina Hoyos, and dancers who later joined companies such as Ballet Nacional de España and Compañía Nacional de Danza. Administrative and production staff worked with festivals and promoters who had prior relationships with Festival Internacional de Música y Danza de Granada, Festival d'Avignon, and major European houses like Opéra de Paris.
Critical reception placed the company in conversation with flamenco revival movements alongside figures like Carmen Amaya, Farruquito, and Antonio Gades, and in reviews published by outlets associated with The New Yorker, Le Monde, and El Mundo. Legacy discussions reference its role in globalizing flamenco, influencing dancers who later joined institutions such as Béjart Ballet Lausanne and Staatsballett Berlin, and informing festival programming at Festival de Jerez and curatorial projects at museums like Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía. The company’s recordings and filmed performances circulate in archives that include collections linked to British Film Institute and institutional repositories of Teatro Real and Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, contributing to ongoing scholarship on contemporary flamenco in studies produced by universities such as Universidad Complutense de Madrid and University of Oxford.