Sarah Baras (Saint Ferdinand, 1971) Medellin’s Roman theater will fill an already magical stage with emotion with its ‘Alma’ show and will do so this Saturday as part of the Metellinum Festival (ten o’clock at night). Accompanied by the dancer and choreographer and some very special collaborators, the theater will take place in a night where famous bolero melodies and flamenco styles will meet in a tribute to his own father from Cádiz. He is in love with the bolero,” he explains.
What makes ‘Alma’ such a magical show?
I think the same energy. It is giving the soul and being able to share it. It does a nice magic in there.
Who will move?
Alma is a combination of well-known bolero melodies and very traditional flamenco styles. Keko Baldomero conducts the music and there are seven live musicians, seven of which are great artists. Dubbing features Rubio de Pruna and Matías López; Diego Villegas on the ropes; Antón Suárez and Manuel Muñoz ‘El Pajaro’, who are also great at percussion; Andrés Martínez and Keko Baldomero on guitar. There’s a great dancing boy, Daniel Saltares, and five girls who are five angels to me. And we live among all of us, we mix Playback for this we have cooperation with Juana la del Pipa, Israel Fernández and Rancapino Chico. And a special collaboration with Alex Romero in which he does a version of ‘Vete de mí’ on piano. Among them is spirit, energy and everything positive. While there are deep moments, there are no sad moments.
What makes these bolero versions more special?
The reason for this show is a tribute to my father, who was truly a bolero lover. It is not the first time to combine with flamenco, but this is how it is done. It is something different to be able to interpret the flamenco style together with a melody or bolero lyrics. And being able to dance is the choreographic part. Also being able to combine these two records is something very special. Honestly, I think I always have something to do. I would love to do more, the thing is, the show should last as long as it should. There are so many beautiful melodies and so many styles of flamenco that I want to interpret it so I wonder if it could be the second part of the show, the third part, etc. (laughs).
“Flamenco is an art that goes directly to the heart and does not understand passports”
‘A little pinch’ comes from the fact that it was a tribute to your father, you were also under your mother’s influence, were you always sure that you would become a bailaora?
The truth is if. I started dancing as a kid and it never crossed my mind. I don’t know life without dancing. I always thought I would dance, I never imagined I could go this far. Nor would my dreams of owning a company like mine and being able to travel half the world with it come true.
Not everyone can receive awards as prestigious as the Fine Art Gold Medal of Merit, what does that mean for you and your company?
It is an honor to receive important awards. They remind you once again that you are on your way and all the effort is worth it. My company is a private company and is publicly traded. I never have enough words to thank the public, which is what makes it possible for us to keep dreaming and make people dream. We have been with the company for 25 years, the journey is quite extensive. Awards fill you with enthusiasm and desire. Of course, I’m sharing it with all the people who have helped me and the wonderful public who have supported us from the very beginning.
The company also has 25 years of surviving a pandemic. How was the return to a post-quarantine scene where ‘Alma’ is brewing?
Of course, aside from all the people who suffered and had very bad days, there were some very good moments for us, and this was one of them. To meet again, to go on stage, to leave us one hundred percent of who we are. The whole team is great, they give everything they have on a daily basis. It was great to be back on stage. I think about it for the public as well, because feeling its warmth again has been a gift of animal life. We had everything, especially to share. It seems that after the pandemic, we gave more courage to hug each other, to be together, to add energy like pineapple with everyone, and it was very valuable.
How do you encourage people to go to this show on a stage as beautiful as the Roman Theater in Medellin?
The truth is, these are special places. I would tell them it’s about two hours where you immerse yourself in this beautiful magic that flamenco and in this case bolero have. Enjoy the beauty, the color, the space to feel that energy. We already know that the area is so magical, I had the chance to dance at the Roman Theater in Medellin and this is a very special place. So whoever wants to go, good things will happen for two hours. I am ready to dance with him and we are ready to give them our heart, our soul or whatever it takes.
“We don’t know how to interpret emotions, we know how to feel”
I think I got goosebumps for two hours… It will be very nice to be alive.
We often say that we don’t know how to interpret emotions, that we know how to feel. So it is transmitted and the truth is that these are very special places and we are already ready to seek that duende and that magic. That’s why I think it’s very beautiful. Well, of course, I love it very much (laughs).
He said that he had never thought before that he would travel and appear on such important national and international stages. Which one do you remember most fondly throughout your career?
The truth is I have so many, I couldn’t count one. But yes, there are theaters that I dreamed of and did not think I would walk through the artist’s door and go on stage. It’s amazing and I can say cities and theaters that I hadn’t even dreamed of. For example, the Opera House in Sydney, Australia, London, New York, Paris… We have performed all over the world. We had the chance to do an animal tour and the public nailed it. Maybe there are places where you think it will be colder or not understand you, but not at all. Flamenco is an art that goes straight to the heart and doesn’t understand passports. It has no language. This tour is great.
So, flamenco is well accepted in these countries.
The value of seeing flamenco as a great art is that Paco de Lucía, Carmen Amaya, Enrique Morente, Camarón etc. thanks to the artists. All of them opened the doors of the world to us. They made flamenco a very valuable art. Half the world respect him so much and it makes you proud. We are in music, dance, theater festivals… There are world-famous festivals and there is always a day dedicated to flamenco. This is a great thing.
“Helping is a privilege, not an obligation, and anyone who can do it should.”
You are such a complete and supportive artist, why is it important for influential people like you to show your humanitarian work?
There is a before and an after in my dance when I discover that I can help people in need. I am literally the godmother of the ‘Mi Princesa Rett’ Foundation from Badajoz and I am doing my part to change you. I think it’s very important that we all realize that we can help. Helping is a privilege, not an obligation, and anyone who can do it should. I sincerely admire all the parents who fight for their children and live a life of dedication, love and struggle to help them through this kind of illness. I’m talking about Rett syndrome because it’s the closest I have to it. I also cooperate with all kinds of associations, foundations and similar solidarity projects because they are very important to me.
Source: Informacion
