In 2004 I saw her win the \u201cCarmen Amaya\u201d prize at the C\u00f3rdoba contest. She surprised me with her intelligent mix of the sedate Seville school, acquired during her time in that city, and the energy of Jerez where she was born. She\u2019s given courses in Japan and Russia among many other places. This is a woman with firm convictions and temperament that comes from the experience of a thousand battles.<\/p>\n
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On February 26th this interesting dancer will present her work O D I S E A at the Museos de la Atalaya within the program of the Festival de Jerez.<\/p>\n
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Soraya, you\u2019ve been a professional dancer for 25 years. \u00bfDo you feel properly recognized in Jerez? \u00bfAnd outside Jerez?<\/strong><\/p>\n In my hometown of Jerez de la Frontera, yes, I\u2019m recognized on a professional and personal level, and I\u2019m known as a hard worker. Where I don\u2019t fit in artistically is in the opinion and behavior of some of the artistic families of Jerez who don\u2019t want to recognize my achievements and personality as a Jerez artist. Buler\u00edas is a very popular dance form in Jerez, for which I was awarded the National Prize \u201cCarmen Amaya\u201d in C\u00f3rdoba in 2004, something I\u2019m very proud of personally and for my city.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Has flamenco dance changed in this quarter century?<\/strong><\/p>\n Yes, a lot, the dance as well as the criteria and demand for flamenco. Everything is in flux, there\u2019s a great deal of ignorance, egos, uncontrolled lucrative earnings, and above all, a lack of respect. This leads to the art-form, the spontaneity, the very nature of the genre being gradually lost or becoming deformed.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Your artistic personality is unique, subtle and yet intense. What maestros have you had to be able to create these forms?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve looked up to a lot of people, but my dance per se at this precise time, and the age I have, is very carefully worked, forged and marked by my own self, by the belief I have in myself, both physically and psychologically, I only listen to myself. I look at everyone from the present generation, and from all the previous generations. But when it comes time to dance, the concept, the experience and talent for flamenco dance are my own, for which I give thanks to God every single day.<\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n Several years back I heard you say you liked using the traditional accessories of women\u2019s flamenco dance\u2026the bata de cola, <\/em>the fan, castanets, shawl\u2026 For a time these accoutrements had fallen into disuse, but you\u2019ve continued to defend them. \u00bfWould you say they\u2019re back in style?<\/strong><\/p>\n They haven\u2019t been lost, but it\u2019s true they\u2019re not used with flamenco intent because there\u2019s now confusion between classic Spanish dance and flamenco. A shawl should be moved in rhythm, treating it with affection and tenderness because it\u2019s an accessory with great artistic possibilities. Nowadays the shawl is moved brusquely, or as knowledgeable maestros would say, \u201cshaking out the dust\u201d. As far as castanets, the music has been lost, the rhythm and the sound shading. They\u2019re played very aggressively, with the wrists flapping. And the bata de cola, my beloved bata de cola that I respect and admire so much, it\u2019s become an acrobatic complement for kick-boxing moved like Ferraris!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do you like dancing in trousers? <\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve danced in trousers, and in fact I really like it. I used to wear them for siguiriyas in my mid-twenties. I was very young and fresh, with a youthful body, slim and curvy. I wore traditional men\u2019s pants with a cropped jacket. That way of dressing was called \u201cpantal\u00f3n de corto\u201d. I stopped using it because I had a very bad experience with the singers and guitarists, they spent more time looking at my behind than my dance.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In previous works you\u2019ve made use of veteran artists like Fernando de la Morena and Concha Vargas. This year you\u2019re coming to the Festival de Jerez with Angelita Montoya, which is very interesting. What does Angelita do in this show?<\/strong><\/p>\n Angelita Montoya\u2019s participation in my project O D I S E A is to be a surprise, you\u2019ll have to come and see it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What is this show about that you\u2019re bringing to the Festival?<\/strong><\/p>\n It\u2019s the project of my life where I\u2019ll be seen as a completely regenerated woman, reset and very committed to myself. The woman of the future, a fearless woman who has made peace with her loneliness, accepting herself with all her defects and virtues. The gift of life sets up false steps and trials that force you to be a fighter\u2026life is an O D I S E A.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Do you think we\u2019ve seen the worst of the pandemic, or do you still feel vulnerable?<\/strong><\/p>\n I\u2019ve come out of the pandemic stronger and more self-assured, and I\u2019ve learned I don\u2019t need to please everyone else\u2026only myself.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dancer Soraya Clavijo has always shown her admiration for classic flamenco, but now she\u2019s returning to the Festival de Jerez, renewed and reset, determined to put all her cards on the table.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":38830,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[68,4351],"tags":[76],"class_list":["post-38836","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-estela-flamenca","category-news-opinion","tag-flamenco"],"yoast_head":"\n