Joaquín Cortés (born February 22, 1969) is a classically trained ballet and
flamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
dancer from
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
of Romani origin.
A native of
Córdoba||-||-||}Córdoba is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. Located at 37.88° North, 4.77° West, on the Guadalquivir river, it was founded in ancient Roman times as Corduba by Claudius Marcellus...
, Cortés showed interest in dancing from an early age. Cortés and his family moved to Madrid in 1981. Soon after moving to Madrid, he began to take formal dancing lessons and studying seriously.
In 1984, he was accepted as a member of Spain's prestigious national
balletBallet is a formalized type of performance dance, which originated in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century French courts, and which was further developed in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form...
company.
Joaquín Cortés (born February 22, 1969) is a classically trained ballet and
flamencoFlamenco is a Spanish musical genre with origins in Andalusia. It can be both a musical form, known for its intricate rapid passages, and a dance characterized by audible footwork. The origins of the term are unclear...
dancer from
SpainSpain , officially the Kingdom of Spain , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula.
[The Spanish constitution does not establish any official denomination of the country, even though España , Estado español and Nación española are used interchangeably...]
of Romani origin.
Biography
A native of
Córdoba||-||-||}Córdoba is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. Located at 37.88° North, 4.77° West, on the Guadalquivir river, it was founded in ancient Roman times as Corduba by Claudius Marcellus...
, Cortés showed interest in dancing from an early age. Cortés and his family moved to Madrid in 1981. Soon after moving to Madrid, he began to take formal dancing lessons and studying seriously.
In 1984, he was accepted as a member of Spain's prestigious national
balletBallet is a formalized type of performance dance, which originated in sixteenth- and seventeenth-century French courts, and which was further developed in England, Italy, and Russia as a concert dance form...
company. He traveled the world with the Spanish National Ballet, performing in important venues such as the Cosmopolitan Opera House of New York and the
Kremlin PalaceKremlin is the Russian word for "fortress", "citadel" or "castle" and refers to any major fortified central complex found in historic Russian cities. This word is often used to refer to the best-known one, the Moscow Kremlin, or metonymically to the government that is based there...
in Moscow. During his stint with the Spanish National Ballet, he also became a principal solo performer known for his phenomenal stamina and athleticism.
Desiring more creative control, Cortés formed the Joaquín Cortés Flamenco Ballet company and launched his first international tour 'Cibayí' in 1992. The formation of Cortés' own company allowed him diverge from purist ballet and create his own fusion of flamenco, ballet and modern dance. In 1995, in addition to being featured in two international films- 'La flor de mi secreto' (The Flower of My Secret) and Carlos Saura's 'Flamenco', Joaquín Cortés embarked on what is often considered his most successful venture, 'Pasión Gitana' (Gypsy Passion). 'Pasión Gitana' marked the beginning of Cortés' recognition for not only his prowess as a dancer, but also as a choreographer and artistic director. In 1999 Cortés was the subject of a
documentary filmDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
and he launched a successful tour of 'Soul' across
NorthNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
and
South AmericaSouth America is the southern continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere...
. In the 1990s Joaquín Cortés gained notoriety for his close relationships with high profile celebrities such as
Naomi CampbellNaomi Campbell is an English supermodel.-Early life:Campbell was born in Streatham, London, England. Her mother, Valerie Campbell , is a former ballet dancer of Afro-Jamaican descent...
,
Giorgio ArmaniGiorgio Armani is an Italian fashion designer, particularly noted for his menswear. He is known today for his clean, tailored lines...
and
Mira SorvinoMira Katherine Sorvino is an American actress. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 68th Academy Awards for her performance in Mighty Aphrodite .-Early life:Sorvino was born and raised in New York...
.
Continuing into the millennium, Cortés' focus shifted from dancing to choreography and artistic direction. He continues to dance in a limited capacity live on stage, in film and television. In 2000, landed a role in the film 'Gitano' (Gypsy) and again in 2004 in 'Vaniglia e cioccolato' (Vanilla and Chocolate). In 2004, Cortés was involved in the international tour of 'De Amor y Odio' that took him to
EnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the North Sea to the east, with the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
,
PortugalPortugal , officially the Portuguese Republic , is a country located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of mainland Europe and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west and south and by Spain to the north and east...
,
ThailandThe Kingdom of Thailand is an independent country that lies in the heart of Southeast Asia.It is bordered to the north by Laos and Burma, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the west by the Andaman Sea and Burma...
and New York, among other places. 2007 marked the beginning of Joaquín Cortés most recent spectacle, 'Mi Soledad.' On May 15, 2007 he performed as a guest dancer in a high-profile semi-final segment on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars."
Cortes is also the visual inspiration for the character Vamp from the
Metal Gear Solidis a stealth action video game directed and written by Hideo Kojima. The game was developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and first published by Konami in 1998 for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Kojimas early MSX2 computer games Metal Gear and Metal Gear 2: Solid...
video game series.
Films
- La flor de mi secreto
The Flower of My Secret is a 1995 film by Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar.-Plot:Marisa Paredes is Leocadia Macias, a woman writing “pink” romance novels under the alias of Amanda Gris that are very popular all across Spain. Unlike her romantic novels, her own love life is troubled...
(1995) — Antonio
- Flamenco
Flamenco is the title of the following films:* Flamenco , a 1952 Spanish documentary film* Flamenco , a 1995 Spanish documentary film...
(1995) — himself
- Gitano (2000) — Andres Heredia
- Vaniglia e Cioccolato (2004) — Carlos
- Unleashed
Unleashed may refer to:In music:*Unleashed , a Swedish death metal band since 1989*Unleashed , also Danny the Dog Soundtrack, a 2004 album by Massive Attack*Unleashed, a 2000 country album by Renee Olstead...
(2009)
External links