click for larger image / details © Joaquin Cortes company reviews

Described by the BBC as "the sexiest Spanish icon since Antonio Banderas", the 34-year-old Spanish flamenco superstar Joaquin Cortes has toured all over the world since he formed his own company in 1992. Cortes is a glamorous star with charisma aplenty. He is a dazzling virtuoso dancer with his fleet footwork, enhanced by the graceful movements of his arms and hands as well as his long flowing dark hair. His upper body is most vibrant and has a sculptural three-dimensional quality. His dancing is always full-bodied.

Cortes' private life is as much in the headlines as his dancing. His romances have included liaisons with the supermodel Naomi Campbell, Hollywood actress Mira Sorvino, and Mick Jagger's former lover Luciana Morad. Among his many fans are Madonna, Jennifer Lopez, and the actress Emma Thompson. According to the publicity material, Elle Macpherson called him 'pure sex'. And the Italian film director Bernado Bertolucci has written an ode to him.

Cortes has frequently been invited as a guest of honour to perform in movies, concerts, and award presentations. Pedro Almodovar cast him in his first movie role in "La Flor de mi Secreto" (1995). In 1999 Cortes participated in the 71st Academy Awards. He also performed with Jennifer Lopez at her concert in 2002, as well as with Alicia Keys at the Grammy Awards in 2001 where he surprised the audience by dancing tango instead.

Joaquin Cortes ©

I met Cortes in Hong Kong in early October when he spent a weekend giving a single performance at the Hong Kong Convention Centre of "Live", his latest show which was also shown at the Royal Albert Hall last year. "Live", which was acclaimed to be "as powerful as a religious experience" by a Spanish critic, was premiered at the Tivoli Theatre in Barcelona in March 2001. Since then it has been performed more than 250 times all round the world including Moscow, Japan, and Lebanon. But why is it that this latest production is only a one-man show without any other supporting dancers, unlike for instance his earlier show "Gypsy Passion" in 1995? I asked Cortes when I interviewed him shortly after the press conference at the Langham Hotel in Hong Kong through a Spanish interpreter, the day before his Hong Kong premiere.

Cortes explained, "I want to perform alone in public. I will dance for two hours without stopping, apart from when I change costume. It's a tradition in Spain for a flamenco dancer to perform alone." He also added that this show 'Live' "is a summary of the 24 years of my dancing career, as well as a retrospective of all my previous shows and experiences." Actually Cortes also has plans to "expand this show in future, so that I can even stage it for 100,000 spectators in a stadium." Cortes has always wanted to revolutionise flamenco and bring it into the 21st century, and to take it to as large a global audience as possible. He wants to attract the general public who doesn't normally go to a theatre. Recently he performed for 80,000 people around the beaches in Rio de Janeiro. Plans are also afoot for a new show, after the tremendous success of "Live".

Joaquin Cortes ©

In the last part of the show "Live", Cortes dances his solos bare-chested like in a Bejart ballet. He remarked, "It's very expressive when you dance with your whole body - arms, legs, and chest. It makes it very sensual, mystical, and spiritual." This sensual and flamboyantly self-indulgent style can perhaps be explained by his Gypsy blood. "It's been a ritual of the Gypsy people from the very beginning."

Born in 1969 in Cordoba in Andalusia, Cortes was seven when he met his uncle Cristobal Reyes, a flamenco dancer, in London. "My uncle made me appreciate flamenco." When he was 12, Cortes moved to Madrid to train in classical ballet and three years later joined the Spanish National Ballet. He was promoted to a solo artist before he left the company to work freelance both as a dancer and choreographer. In 1992 he finally formed his own Joaquin Cortes Flamenco Company.

So has he incorporated any ballet vocabulary in his show "Live"? "No, I haven't incorporated any ballet steps. I danced in classical ballet because it was a way for me to learn another technique. Also my knowledge of classical dance has enabled me to create my own style. I have mixed different forms of music and dance in my shows, but my style is still firmly rooted in the flamenco traditions. Flamenco is not as prepared as ballet. There aren't so many rules as with classical dance, and it's not so technical. For Gypsy people, it is in the blood and is a way of life!" He said proudly. Cortes also paid tribute to his two mentors - Antonio de Bailarin and Antonio de Mabela - who were both legendary flamenco stars from the previous generations.

Joaquin Cortes ©

Cortes' costumes have always been designed by Giorgio Armani, with whom he has had a cooperation arrangement for nine years. "I met Giorgio Aramani when I was in Italy, as well as Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana. But in the end I chose Armani because I liked his style the most."

He once said that he was going to retire when he is 33. Maybe he has changed his mind now that he is a year past that age? "I still have a lot of passion in my dancing...No one in Spain dances like me!" Good news indeed for Joaquin Cortes' legions of fans all over the world.