Network of Cultural Centres, Spanish Cooperation
giving them strength, a strength that becomes even more visible when they dance. I suggest that Delmati choreograph a fragment and the result is impeccable. We première the work on the day of the inauguration of the first LGBT Cultural Expression Week to be held in Equatorial Guinea. This is an initiative of the Spanish Embassy, and signifies a revolution in the country and throughout Africa. Using the acronym means that a large proportion of the population does not realise what this new white extravagance is about. In Guinea, as in most of Africa, homosexuality is taboo, in many cases illegal, and the punishment is severe. It is neither named nor can be named. The dance piece is called The night of the times and it is a total success. Second part of the project. July and August Abraham Gragera, my partner and artistic collaborator in the company, comes to visit me during the last month and ends up taking part in the project. We decide to divide the group into two, according to their ability. The intention is to work intensively with those who have most talent and vocation, with the idea of bringing the piece to Spain. I feel this would be a great opportunity for them and that it is my duty to try. The division causes discomfort on both sides. They are tribal, a collective body, a cohesive cultural group, a kind of family. I explain that it isn’t practical for everyone to travel, but that this is only the beginning of a long-term project and that, if everything goes well, there will be more opportunities. They don’t understand and they don’t feel reassured, but they have no choice in the matter, and have to accept it. For the elite group, I select six dancers, four boys and two girls, but in a few days the number falls to five: Pedro, Naftalí, Richie, Miguel and Iris, the only girl. It’s the August holidays and many will go back to their home towns. Richie, who becomes Delmati’s second in command, is the new leader. Together with Miguel, he is an exceptional dancer, specialising in urban dances, with a sensitivity that allows him to express a wealth of nuance and textures without having to resort to acrobatics. His virtuosity is poetic. He is a perfectionist; he spends many hours dancing. We make a secret alliance. He wants to dance in Spain, and he needs the group to respond and for everything to go well. Miguel is a dance genius, more strongly influenced than others by tribal dances, but with a modern interpretation, creative and wild. In his dance, a playful nature is mixed with a tremendously dark energy. When he dances, I feel that his dead ancestors accompany him. Miguel is always laughing, always teasing, feinting. When he dances his smile makes his face a mask. When he dances, there is something there, something that is impossible, but nonetheless real. I think he is the best dancer I’ve seen in my life. Neftalí dances very well and has a beautiful quality. He has a lot of talent and infinite potential, but perhaps he doesn’t take dance so seriously. Pedro does not have all the dance skills of the others; however, he has a lot of dramatic talent. Abraham saw that the very first day, and became fascinated by him. He is the one who best understands the piece, the one who is most capable of giving depth to the gestures, of finding meaning in looks and contact. He and Iris take on the most theatrical fragments of the piece, heavy with specific meaning. Somehow, they are the protagonists of the piece. Iris has an impressive stage presence, strength and depth, despite having fewer resources as a dancer. During my stay, I give classes at an American school to children from rich families. I ask the
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