Nacho Duato: "The fewer fascists who come to see us, the better."

BarcelonaFifteen years have passed since Nacho Duato (Valencia, 1957) left Spain after intense disputes with the Ministry of Culture when he was director of the National Dance Company. During that time, he has established himself as artistic director of the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Now he's returning to Catalonia with his own company, performing twice: at the Teatre Tívoli from April 30 to May 4 and at the Fact Cultural in Terrassa on May 9 and 10.

What has happened in those fifteen years?

— Many, many wonderful things have happened to me. I've been artistic director of the Staatsballett Berlin, I travel all over the world with my choreography, and in Russia I've recreated all of Petipa's classic ballets and created new ones, such as Prelude, Invisible and Romeo and Juliet. I have also directed two operas, Carmen and Eugene Onegin, and now we are talking about doing The Magic Flute either La BohèmeThese are two or three million euro productions, and I have two orchestras, the best singers from the Kirov Opera, and the best dancers in the world: Osipova, Lopatkina, Zakharova.

But Russia is a country at war.

— Yes, now they say Mr. Duato works in Putin's Russia, and that Putin is a murderer. What should I do, leave? At the Mikhailovsky, I have 180 dancers, 35 Ukrainians married to Russian women. How hypocritical! All countries are involved in the war, so we couldn't work anywhere. Spain also lets weapons pass through, and the United States is the world's terrorist. They've been at constant war for 35 years. I'm disgusted by what's happening today. That the biggest criminal in the world doesn't want criminals in his country, because he considers Mexicans criminals, but the Capitol doesn't consider him a criminal, when he's the biggest of them all.

He is not too optimistic about the world.

— The world is in a very delicate situation. My life has always been a struggle in search of inner beauty and truth. Why are we like this in Gaza? How is this possible? Cantus, my latest ballet, is dedicated to the children of war because they are the ones who suffer the most, they are left without parents, they are used as white slaves and soldiers. Recreation It was against racism, White darkness because my sister died of heroin, Rust on torture and attacks, Hevel about the decomposition of the body because there is no afterlife, Cobalt about dark eroticism... And now I've done three ballets about war. All my ballets have a certain vindictive quality. Enclosed garden, my first ballet, shows the struggle of the peasant to stay on the land; and Forest It was dedicated to the Amazon when it was being burned.

You're working in the best international theaters. Why complicate your life with a new company in Spain?

— It's actually a academy and a program traineeSome former dancers of mine came to see me and suggested I start a school. I told them, "What a drag, I'm too old." But they convinced me. Because, although I often say I don't feel Spanish, that I like gypsies and Moroccans, black people and Africans, I am Spanish and it really annoys me how things are done in Spain. In one month we had two thousand applications. I have two hundred and something students in the conservatory and sixty traineas from all over the world. There's an exquisite atmosphere, and we have tons of performances scheduled, and I don't have any more because I don't want to. The idea is to train them, and two years later, I'll find them jobs in other companies. But no one wants to leave.

How can you support it financially?

— Everything is done with private money. I don't want any politicians in my life, nor a hard-earned public. The girls pay a fee and recoup the money with performances, and the boys are on scholarships. I often work at a loss; I don't care about anything, and if necessary, I'll contribute money. I sell ballets all over the world, and I'm getting paid a fortune from the Mikhailovsky. No one is here to get rich; we're here for the love of what we do, to support these kids, and we'll have more and more tours, and it will be self-financing with shows, contracts, and the conservatory. But we don't want to not buy a chalet.

And it's called CND, Nacho Duato Company, just like CND, National Dance Company.

— I did it with all the bad intentions. But we've already decided to change the name to CDND, the Nacho Duato Company, to shut them up. But they're so low-class that even this bothers them.

Still upset with Spanish institutions?

— It's just that things don't work out in that country. After twenty years leading the CND and with the company at the top of its international prestige, the minister called me to tell me he was leaving because he was "eclipsing the ministry." He complained that in Hong Kong there was an eight-meter-high photo of me and on the right a small "Ministry of Culture." And I said, "Well, if you want, we'll put up a photo of you and I'll do a bad ballet so it won't be successful." I thought they were calling me because that year we had danced in Moscow and received two gold masks, also at the Australian Opera, and in Chile we had received the award for best choreography. But no, it was to say goodbye. And I replied, "May I leave your office?" And he said, "Why?" And I said, "To vomit." And then they came up with this new nonsense they invented about hiring directors for only five years. There were some general managers who were composers and wanted me to use their music, but I didn't, which is why I was fired. If I ever speak out... I know that when I say this, they'll call me conceited and unfriendly, but I've experienced that "you're outshining me" moment. And no, I won't be silent; I speak freely about whoever I want. There's a lot of jealousy in Spain.

He recently took to Instagram to say that people from right-wing parties are like dung-eating animals.

— Yes, and they gave me a hard time. Ayuso told me: "If you don't publicly retract, I'll cancel your performances." And she did. And also in Murcia. Well, the fewer fascists who come to see us, the better. Should I publicly retract to say that the right are like animals that smell shit? I won't do it. My sister tells me that if I had been born before the war, they would have killed me, like in Lorca: "Because you're fagot"You're an artist, you're successful, you speak languages, and you're handsome. And they would have caught you just like they did in Lorca," although I don't want to compare myself to him. And since they can't kill me now, they fired me.