"Flamenquita", an educational show for children co-produced by the Andalusian Institute of Flamenco, performed in Larache (Morocco)

Antonio Esteve Ródenas, Antonio Gades, dancer, bailaor, actor and choreographer was born in Elda, Alicante (1936) and died in Madrid in 2004. A legendary figure in Spanish dance and flamenco, Gades is presented to us as one of the most influential figures in dance in this country, with the creation of a language and aesthetics that forever revolutionized Spanish dance. He lived in Madrid from a very young age and at the age of fifteen he began dancing in the studio of the teacher Palitos.

In 1952 he joined the company of the legendary dancer and bailaora Pilar López and remained there as principal dancer until 1961. A year later he went to Rome and choreographed and performed Ravel's Bolero, Ballet Anthology and a version of Carmen. Shortly afterwards he became principal dancer at the Ballet de la Scala in Milan. He reappeared in Madrid in 1964 at the tablao del Corral de la Morería and premiered his work in 1965. Don Juan. A production that was not well received, so Gades, together with his company, focused their efforts on the interpretation, study and evolution of flamenco forms and Spanish dance. These were years in which the artist was laying the foundations on which he would base his work. In 1974 he premiered Blood Wedding in Rome, a production that established him with great success on the international scene. First director of the National Ballet of Spain in 1978, he based his management on the recovery of the Spanish choreographic memory of the 20th century. Two years later he was dismissed and formed the Independent Group of Dance Artists (GIAD) in cooperation with other artists such as Cristina Hoyos, José Antonio Ruiz and El Güito.

In 1983 he premiered Carmen in Paris, the first stage work resulting from his collaboration with the filmmaker Carlos Saura. He later premiered Fuego (El amor brujo) (1989), at the Chatelet Theatre in Paris, and Fuenteovejuna, premiered in Italy in 1994. A work that reflects a compendium of popular Spanish dances adapted to the stage, united to narrate the future of a town. Antonio Gades has appeared in films such as Los Tarantos (1963) by director Rovira Beleta, nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, and in Carlos Saura's trilogy, Bodas de sangre (1981), Carmen (1983) and El Amor Brujo (1986), which was an important element in the diffusion of Spanish culture through dance.

Among the numerous awards he received, many of them the most prestigious in flamenco, are the Premio Compás del Cante (1998), the Calle de Alcalá Award for Dance (2002), the Festival de las Minas de la Unión Award (2003), the Sociedad General de Autores Award (1982), the National Fine Arts Award (1983), the Max Award for Best Choreographer and Best Dancer (1988) and the National Dance Award (1988).

Aware of the proximity of his death, Antonio Gades created a Foundation that bears his name in order to keep his legacy together and spread it, as well as to promote the knowledge and study of Spanish dance. He died in Madrid in 2004, and by express wish, his ashes rest on the island of Cuba."