Compañía Nacional de Danza

Good morning Mario. How are you? And a very happy birthday.

Very good, thanks!

You are from Madrid, from the Vallecas district. Was it there that you made your first steps?

Yes, my beginnings were in Vallecas, where I took up dancing, right off my own bat, in a small ballet school.

In 2014, you decided to opt for professional dance training, joining the Mariemma Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza. What was your growth as a dancer like? Is there any teacher that marked you particularly?

I quickly realised I wanted to dance for a living. Bit by bit I began to understand what this art is about; a process I’m still in and one that makes it all very special. I would not be who I am, either as a dancer or as a person, without each and every one of my teachers. There are some, like Ricardo Franco, who have marked a before-and-after for me, especially in my way of seeing and understanding dance.

Why did you opt for classical dance? Which roles would you highlight in your repertoire?

It’s hard to say why I went for classical dance. I think it was because it is very in tune with my tastes in terms of movement and I will never get bored of it given that every day I get to understand it differently.

Throughout your training, you got to enter different competitions, such as the Ribarroja de Turia contest, which you won. What did that first success mean to you?

For me, it represented a recognition of all the work I’d been putting in over the previous couple of years. A good experience with good memories.

You also took part in the Concurso Internacional de Ballet de Laussane. Despite not making the final, what would your take-away from that event be? And if you were to do it again, what things would you try to improve?

It was undoubtedly a very rewarding experience in terms of learning how this world of dance works, if not so much actual dance itself. It helped me take a step forward, to understand the importance of self-confidence and how to value and criticise your own work; the most important things to move forward.

I wouldn’t do it again because I don’t see dance as a competition and I don’t think you can evaluate it with numbers or anything like that. My objectives were not so much winning but rather to take the opportunity to keep making steps forward.

You graduated in 2019 but decided to carry on training in the San Francisco Ballet School. Why did you choose that school? Was it an easy decision to jump the pond to study?

Well, I think it’s an extraordinary school with really good teachers. What’s more, I’ve always liked the company and I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to achieve my goals.

It wasn’t such a tough decision, as I’d long-since got to terms with the realisation that I would have to leave my hometown.

I later changed my mind and stopped thinking I needed to move far away from my city and loved ones. The pandemic helped me decide not to move so far for the time being.

Starting this year, you now form part of the Compañía Nacional de Danza, directed by Joaquín De Luz. How does it feel jumping aboard? What’s it like working with Joaquín De Luz?

I’m so happy to be aboard this company and I feel so welcome. It is curious and odd that, having always lived in Madrid, I hardly knew the way the company worked within and I never thought I would form part of it.

It’s Joaquín De Luz who gave me this opportunity; the chance to be in my city, to live off this profession, to take my first professional steps and to kick-start my career. Working with him in the studio, shoulder to shoulder, is so gratifying and rewarding.

In the CND, you’re with dancers with long career experience under their belts. Are your colleagues an example for you to follow?

This company is undoubtedly special for its dancers and the diversity of its cultural and dance base. They are all an example to follow and I try to learn from each one to add more experience to my bag.

Looking at the company’s track record and repertoire, what piece would you like to have danced? Which would you like to dance in the future?

Well, without a doubt, the works of Nacho Duato fascinate me. In the half season I have already been with the company, I’ve had the good luck to learn some of them, including White Darkness, and I would love to dance them.

And looking forward, nothing in particular … Just the most varied repertoire possible, to allow me to notch up as much as possible.

To finish, how do you think you’ll celebrate your birthday?

I hope to celebrate it in what is the simplest and most special way for me: surrounded by my loved ones.

MARIO GALINDO – CORPS DE BALLET CND

Interview by: Monserrat Martínez