Antonio Gades
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Antonio Gades (November 14, 1936 - July 20, 2004) was a Spanish flamenco dancer and choreographer (born Antonio Esteve Ródenas in Alicante). He helped to popularise the art form on the international stage. His most notable works included dance adaptations of Prosper Merimée's Carmen and Federico Garcia Lorca's Blood Wedding (Bodas de Sangre). In the 1990s, he toured the world with his show Fuenteovejuna based on Lope de Vega's play of the same name. He collaborated closely with the Spanish director Carlos Saura in the filming of his such adaptations, and also with Cristina Hoyos, one of the most prolific contemporary female flamenco dancers.
Gades has also co-founded and became the artistic director of the Spanish National Ballet (Ballet Nacional de España) in 1978. He died in Madrid after a long battle with cancer. About 6 weeks before his death, he had been decorated with the "Order of José Martí", one of the highest honors of Cuba, by the Cuban leader Fidel Castro, in Havana, Cuba. His ashes will be interred at a later date in 2004 at the Mausoleum of the Frank País Second Eastern Front, a memorial cemetery in Havana.
External links
- Cuban Government's webpage on Gades (http://www.cubasocialista.cu/texto/news/gades040721.htm)