Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Pilar Andujar
Three Minutes, Three Questions
Flamenco dancer Pilar Andujar has been studying dance since she was 7 years old, moving away from her tiny Spanish town of Almoradi to become a professional Flamenco dancer in Madrid when she was just 17. She toured the world with the United States dance company Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana for seven years and moved to Austin, Texas, in 2010. This week, working with The House of Songs Ozark, she brings her performance to the Arts Center of the Ozarks in Springdale.
Andujar answered three questions for
What’s Up! readers.
Q: It sounds as if you were drawn to dance early in your life — and almost immediately, specifically, to Flamenco dancing. Can you tell us a little bit about why you think that particular art form had such a draw on you? A:
I was always a very active and passionate girl, and I think I found in Flamenco a way to express myself 100 percent. In my way of seeing Flamenco, there are no limits, and that allows me freely to be myself.
Q: You choreograph as well as dance now. Can you talk about the different muscles those two expressions of your art exercise? A:
To dance you need to be physically like a professional athlete. To choreograph, you need creativity, and sometimes you have to do an intellectual investigation of the subject. Everything that happens to me in my personal life favors my professional life, to my expression and maturity in the dance and to my new ideas as a choreographer.
Q: Is there a common thread or comment you hear from people after they see a Flamenco dance performance for the first time? A:
[In every country] I go to, there is a different answer, but in general everyone is impressed by the passion [and] the superhuman strength. I’m still surprised by the energy that I sometimes put on stage. I feel as if it comes out of my guts. And being able to move this energy so big helps me a lot in my personal life.