FORBIDDEN/PROHIBIDO

My project is inspired by my childhood and explores issues of gender, masculinity and femininity in flamenco and Spanish culture.

I come from a family of female flamenco dancers: my aunts, cousins, and my mother (twice a National Treasure of Spain in flamenco). She taught flamenco, but I was forbidden to dance. Thinking I lacked talent, she wanted to save me from the hardships of a dancer’s life.

My father believed male flamenco dancers were homosexuals and drug addicts.

I watched her classes, sitting totally still but memorizing everything.

Afterward, I ran home to practice in a closet surrounded by their costumes, wearing my aunt’s too-large shoes. I was fascinated by the movements, the shawls and fans, and the colorful dresses with their skirts and ruffles.

After a year of hiding, my mother caught me dancing in public. She severely reprimanded me for dancing, and for dancing with movements intended only for females–I had no idea. She begrudgingly agreed to teach me, and after only a year, I had my first professional job. At 15, I left home and began my career as a professional flamenco dancer and choreographer.

I am now also a National Treasure of Spain in flamenco.

Recently I was gifted three vintage flamenco costumes worn by Rosario, a beloved Spanish dancer who danced internationally and in many Hollywood films. On a whim, I decided to make self-portraits wearing one of the dresses, and the memories of my childhood and my interest in transgressing traditional flamenco boundaries came flooding back to me.

My project features gay men wearing the vintage costumes of renowned female flamenco dancers.

I intend to pay homage to the female dancers that inspired me, to

explore the intersectionality of gender, sexual orientation, movement and posture, costume and dress, through the lens of traditional flamenco.

SHORT PROJECT SUMMARY

My project explores gender fluidity and traditional flamenco dress and movement, featuring gay men and the vintage costumes of renowned female flamenco dancers.