Joaquin Cortes - Spanish Flamenco Dancers

Joaquin Cortes is a Spanish flamenco and ballet dancer of Gypsy blood who was born in Cordoba, Spain in 1969.

When he was just twelve years old, Joaquin Cortes began formal dance training in Madrid. By the age of fifteen the young ballet dancer would join the Spanish National Ballet where he would quickly demonstrate his talents and rise to the rank of solo performer. As a member of the company, Joaquin Cortes was able to travel and perform around the world in prestigious theatres such as the Metropolitan Opera House in New York or the Kremlin’s Congress Palace in Moscow.

Upon the dancer’s departure from the Spanish National Ballet, Joaquin Cortes began to perform with reputable dancers such as Maya Plisetskaya, Silvie Guillen, Pere Schauffus, Marie-Claude Pietragalla and Julio Bocca. He also started to work with several different companies as a dance choreographer or as a visiting guest artist. Some of highlighted performances include his work with the Summer Flamenco Festival in Tokyo, several performances at the Lincoln Center in New York and with the Caracas Ballet’s performance of “Don Quixote”.

Joaquin Cortes’ desire to have more control over the creative process led him to form his own dance company in 1992. The result was the Joaquin Cortes Flamenco Ballet Company which focused on creating a fusion between flamenco, ballet and modern dance. Joaquin Cortes’ first show, called “Cibayí” went on to tour Spain, Japan, France, Italy Venezuela and the United States.

Joaquin Cortes was featured in two international films in 1995, including The Flower of My Secret by Spanish director Pedro Almodovar, and then started work on his most successful production to date called “Pasión Gitana” (Gypsy Passion), for which he earned international attention as a dancer, choreographer and artistic director.  The show boasted a wardrobe designed by Giorgio Armani himself and went on to show performances in theatres and bull rings throughout Spain as well as throughout Europe. In fact, “Pasión Gitana” was shown at the closing ceremony of the Spoleto Festival in Italy and to more than 5,000 spectators at the Forum of Milan.

By 1996 the famous flamenco dancer toured the USA where he became the first Spanish dancer to perform his own show at Radio City Music Hall in New York before playing the Universal Amphitheatre of Los Angeles.

1997 saw Joaquin enter into the music business with the launching of his first CD with his band (also called Gypsy Passion). The Spanish flamenco artist collaborated on the CD by not only composing and directing the music but also by performing the percussion.

The success of the “Gypsy Passion” dance production led Joaquin Cortes to expand the show and create new choreographies. In 1997, the new production went on to tour Latin America and by 1998 it moved on to show in Sydney, Tokyo, Canada and New York.

International success and high profile relationships with famous names such as Naomi Campbell, Giorgio Armani and Mira Sorvino led Joaquin Cortes to be the subject of a documentary film in 1999.

In the 2000s, Joaquin Cortes has continued to appear in various forms of television, film, concerts and on stage. Although his public dancing performances have been infrequent, he has continued to participate in choreography and artistic direction.  On May 15, 2007, the dancer was recognized for his talents on a high profile segment of ABC’s Dancing with the Stars program.