ExploreDance

Jorge Navarro and Antonio Hidalgo gave a strong and impassioned performance tonight. They were accompanied by four talented musicians: Pedro Cortes, Cristian Puig, Gonzalu Grau and Sean Kupisz.

I talked to Antonio Hidalgo, Alegrias' special guest artist from Spain, after the show.

Robert Abrams: How did you start dancing?

Antonio Hildalgo: I started dancing in Cordoba where I was born. I had a younger sister who needed a partner for Flamenco Sevillanas.
This form of Flamenco is done in partnership, so she taught me how to dance.

RA: Who inspires you?

AH: Many of the great musicians. Antonio Gades. I have performed with him. He is one of the greatest. He has inspired me most.

RA: What in particular inspired you?

AH: He has been one of the people that make dance theatre the best. I like to introduce acting, flamenco plays. He did Blood Wedding. He did very good mixing of theatre and dancing.

RA: What are your recent accomplishments?

AH: I have been presenting shows at the Joyce every year. We got very nice reviews in the NY Times. Students take workshops and are excited about it. I work as both a dancer and choreographer, doing shows; and then I come with Jorge to do Alegrias.

RA: What do you hope to accomplish in the future?

AH: I have a few projects. It would be great to have my own company. Mostly I do freelance for other companies. I would like to do 100% my own work: that would be a nice reward for all of my work.

RA: Is there anything else you would like people to know?

AH: I am planning to be more often in New York, to teach and perform, including at Alegrias. I hope to see a lot of friends around here.

You can catch the show at Alegrias En La Nacional every Friday and Saturday night at 239 West 14th Street, 2nd Floor in New York City. Call 917-667-2695 or email NAVA1234@aol.com for reservations, or visit www.alegrias.com. Shows start at 8:30 pm and 11:00 pm. Authentic, flavorful food and drink are available at reasonable prices. La Nacional is a Spanish cultural institution, so many of the people who show up do speak Spanish, but like the people in Madrid, they are always friendly no matter what language you speak.