I don’t really have fat days
BORN IN Córdoba into a Romany family in 1969, the internationally renowned dancer Joaquín Cortés moved when he was 12 to Madrid, where he started his dance studies. At 15 he joined the Spanish National Ballet company. Touring the world, he performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York and the Congress Palace in the Kremlin.
In 1992 he formed the Joaquín Cortés Flamenco Company. His raw, sexually provocative pieces set him apart from traditional Spanish dancers. Last night he was invited to perform at the White House to mark the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month and his acclaimed production, LIVE, is showing at New York’s City Centre until Sunday. He lives in Madrid.
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What’s in your bathroom cupboard?
The usual grooming stuff: shaving gel by Clinique, a razor, and Pour Monsieur aftershave by Chanel.
Name your desert-island essentials.
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Well, I’d definitely take some music and a beautiful woman. No, actually, I wouldn’t take one, as I might meet someone out there.
Do you have a beauty secret?
No. I suppose common sense prevails.
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What do you wear on a fat day?
Hmmm, I don’t really have fat days. But I’d stick on a pair of glasses if I’m feeling groggy.
How would friends describe your style?
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Very laid-back.
What’s the most treasured item in your wardrobe?
Boring, but jeans and T-shirts are the mainstay of my sartorial get-up every day, so I couldn’t really live without them.
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What do you never leave home without?
My cowboy boots.
Hot date. What do you wear?
Jeans and a shirt.
And when you’re home alone?
A pair of boxers.
What do you wear to bed?
Nothing.
You’re the fashion police for the day. What do you ban?
Vertical-striped suit trousers with horizontal-striped jackets.
Has your outfit ever embarrassed you?
No.
How old is too old for a micro-mini?
If you’ve looked after yourself well, I don’t think that age is an issue.
If you could live in a period of time for its fashion, when would you choose and why?
A toss-up between the Thirties, for its elegance and attention to detail, and the Seventies, for great hippy clothing and music that rocked.
What is your most recent purchase?
A big tome on Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings.
What quality do you most admire in a person?
Honesty.
Can you judge a book by its cover?
Yes.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Fast sports cars, although I’m also looking to buy a 4x4.
What are your guilty pleasures?
Dried fruit and pistachio nuts.
And your dirty habits?
Nothing springs to mind.
Name a cheap thrill.
Walking the streets.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
Be honest in life.
Your favourite smell?
Cinnamon. Especially cinnamon candles.
Describe your best holiday.
A great week in Capri with lots of friends. It was a fantastic mix of good food and company. I don’t holiday much, so it was welcome time off.
What are you most and least proud of?
I’m most proud of my performing and least proud that my pride can sometimes be a downfall.
What’s your idea of pure bliss?
To lose yourself swimming in the sea.
As whom or what would you like to come back in your next life?
A bird.
What would you eat for your last supper and with whom, dead or alive, would you most like to share it?
With a fabulous woman; I don’t really care about the food.
Yes or no to a nip ‘n’ tuck?
No.
What part of your body would you change?
Everything.
What would you like to achieve before you die?
To continue to enjoy peforming.
How would you like to be remembered?
For what I do best: dancing.
How good looking are you on a scale of 1-10?
A shy 4.
Tickets to LIVE at City Centre: 001 212581 1212