Maria Pagés: Flamenco Orgánico. An insight into her practice
Spanish dancer María Pagés will be joined by Alicia B. Adams, VP of International Programming and Dance at the John F. Kennedy Center, and journalist Paula Durbin to talk about her practice and her vision of the art of flamenco.
A pioneer in contemporary flamenco, iconoclastic Seville-born dancer and choreographer María Pagés has challenged traditionalism with her sensual rethinks of Spanish dance. She is internationally renowned for her personal aesthetic concept of the art of flamenco.
Comprehending flamenco has no limits, she has conquered a place in her own right in the global dance panorama. Using the fundamental codes of the Flamenco language, researching within and beyond this language, Pagés has proved to be a pioneer in the understanding of Flamenco as an art in evolution, contemporary and alive. She has overcome cultural differences in her choreographies, convinced that artistic interchange favors better understanding between human beings. In her own words, Flamenco is a clear example of how the union of cultures and religions, can create a common echo.
She started her professional career in the Antonio Gades Company. Highlights of her movie collaborations are her participation in Carmen, El Amor Brujo and Flamenco, all choregraphed by Antonio Gades and directed by Carlos Saura.
Pagés has received the following acknowledgements: National Prize for Dance, 2002 (for Creation); The Gold Medal of the Community of Andalucia; 1996 ADE National Prize for Choreography; Seven Girardillo Prizes, Flamenco Art Biennial (13rd, 15th, 16th and 17th editions); Critic’s Award for Best Performance in the 15th Flamenco Art Bienniale; 2004 Leonide Massine Prize (Italy); 6th Flamenco Hoy Prize, 2005; (for best Interpretation and Show); Cultura Viva Prize, 2006; 2007 Prize for Culture, awarded by the Community of Madrid; 2009 Audience’s Prize in the Jerez Festival; 2011 International Terenci Moix Award; Butaca Prize 2011, for the Best Spanish Theatrical Production; 2012 Audience’s Prize in the Jerez Festival; 2012 Actúa Prize, AISGE. Medal of merit in the fine arts (2014); Santiago world’s best dance show (2015).
Does María Pagés dance? […] We are all aware that María Pagés inhabits the genius of dance. We all know this and we proclaim it. But there is something more about this woman: she dances, and with her dance moves everything that surrounds her. Neither the air nor the earth are the same after María Pagés has danced.
—José Saramago
About Alicia B. Adams
Alicia B. Adams is the Vice President of International Programming and Dance at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. She joined the Kennedy Center in 1992. She curated the Center’s major international festivals: Ireland 100: Celebrating a Century of Irish Arts and Culture (2016), Iberian Suite: global arts remix (2015), Nordic Cool 2013, maximumINDIA (2011), Arabesque: Arts of the Arab World (2009), Japan! culture + hyperculture (2008) and the Festival of China (2005), among others. In addition to major international festivals, Adams also curates the Center’s Contemporary Dance series. She has worked in the field of arts management in New York City for institutions including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Belafonte Enterprises, Inc., City Center Theater, Harlem School of the Arts and International Production Associates.
About Paula Durbin
Paula Durbin’s career with the federal government spanned 27 years in public affairs and diplomacy. Durbin has written over 200 articles that have appeared in Dance Magazine, Monsalvat (Barcelona), Excelsior (Mexico City), The Forward, Elle (Paris) and The Washington Post, among other publications.