Is the Sarah Baras who goes on stage and is a force of nature, and there is the woman, with her vulnerabilities. There was a distance between them, but since she settled in the 50s – and confinement allowed her to reorganize things – she is better than ever, she says, she has more truth. That permeates ‘Alma’, a show that fuses flamenco and bolero, with live cante and guitar playing, which anchors at the Teatre Tívoli between June 1 and 19.
Do you have a bolero soul?
I have a flamenco heart and a bolero soul.
The bolero is sad.
It is deeper than sad. My father, not a fan of flamenco, had a hard time differentiating a seguiriya from a soleá or a taranto. So he wanted to do something that he, a bolero lover, could feel.
Colonel Pereira will be happy.
I premiered ‘Alma’ last December 17 at the Maestranza in Seville and he died on January 15.
I’m sorry.
It was my passion. A kind being, very calm, with a very beautiful energy. He kept all the press clippings of my career from the beginning, perfectly bound, like a good soldier.
“I have a flamenco heart and a bolero soul”
Where does the pinch come from?
From the earth. From the south. We all danced as children. And my mother [Concha Baras] She was a teacher, but she never dedicated herself because my grandfather, a classical pianist and director of the Cádiz Conservatory, would not let her. She is a strong woman, more protagonist. I think I am calmer.
Did you never want to be someone else?
No. In 30 years I have only stopped dancing during pregnancy. And that my mother was horrified by the artist girl. She only let me dance with other girls from school until, at 16, Manuel Morao He came to see us in San Fernando and said: “I want to take Sarita with me.” That’s how it all started.
It started and grew exponentially.
I have had my moments.
“When I became a mother I promised not to keep the ‘I love you'”
What does it mean?
That if you want something, even if you don’t always get the expected result, you have to give yourself 100%. I want to pass this on to my son, José.
Motherhood changes.
When I was a mom I promised not to keep the “I love you” or the “thank you” to myself. I have been thanking those who have helped me for 11 years, both friends and people in the profession.
José is the son of dancers, is he predestined?
I don `t believe. He suffers my work, because I have to travel, but he also experiences extraordinary things. In Madrid, we sat him down in the middle of the stalls, and when he saw me doing the wheelbarrow, he yelled: “Wow, mom, what a ‘crack’!”. But I insist over and over again at work. At the moment, he is a happy boy who studies at the English Center of Puerto de Santa María. He will decide.
You have decided. Separate, have a new partner, put the management of your company in other hands.
That’s why I told you that I have replaced sadness with depth. The 50 for me have been very important. I had imagined that I would feel worse, that I would have less speed, less strength.
And no.
It may be the best time of my life! As a woman and as a dancer. Being able to enjoy maturity on stage is a bestial gift.
“I thought that at 50 I was going to have less speed and strength. And maybe it is the best moment of my life”
How does that feel?
The technical part must have a very high level – I have a wonderful coach – so that you can truly forget about it and let yourself be carried away by what you feel. And you realize that dancing makes you free.
Have you freed yourself from much?
Of all the fears, he had them. At times I made a beautiful tour that I did not know how to enjoy.
Believe me it was not noticeable.
It was the strength of the character. But now I feel relieved. During the pandemic I was able to be with my son and my partner – whom I adore – at home, rehearsing. I valued what I was, what I had, and I knew that I had to maintain myself, but calmly. I have achieved it with my therapy, because there are certain things that one does not discover until others discover it.
“I have my therapy. There are certain things that one does not discover until they discover it”
Would you say you are wiser?
I look for beauty from another point. I’m not a fan of decorations. I like simplicity and truth. I feel like I have a percussionist in my feet and a painter in my arms.
Related news
And a lot of taranto, bulería and soleá to dance to.
I’m not in a hurry. I only ask that you be smart and know when I have to retire.