Javier Barón
Who is Javier Barón?
Francisco Javier Álvarez Rico, known artistically as Javier Barón, was born in 1963 in Alcalá de Guadaíra, Seville. A non-Roma bailaor of shy and humble character, he started with sevillanas at seven alongside maestro Zarandilla and continued his training with Pepe Ríos in Seville. At ten he moved to Madrid to live with his uncle, the bullfighter Manolo Rico, and there completed his training with teachers of the stature of Güito, Ciro, Rafael de Córdova, Tony el Pelao and Faíco.
Career
His career took off early: in 1975 he danced with Luisillo’s company before Pope Paul VI, and in 1976 he received a special mention at the VIII Concurso Nacional de Córdoba with the “Juana la Macarrona” prize. After working with the companies of Rafael de Córdova, Ciro and Rafael Aguilar, and winning the RTVE television contest “Gente Joven” in 1980, he joined the Ballet Nacional de España in 1981, directed first by Antonio Ruiz Soler and later by María de Ávila, where he rose to soloist and stayed for five years before requesting leave around 1987, the point at which he adopted the stage name Javier Barón.
In 1988, at just 25, he won the II Giraldillo del Baile at the V Bienal de Sevilla, before a jury that included Mario Maya and Pilar López, an award that placed him among the great bailaores of his generation. In 1997 he founded his own company, with which he premiered shows such as “El pájaro negro” (with Belén Maya), “¡Sólo por arte!”, “Baile de hierro, baile de bronce” — dedicated to Vicente Escudero —, “Dime”, “Notas al pie”, “Meridiana”, “Dos voces para un baile” and “Vaivenes”, this last one dedicated to the memory of his father. He has toured Japan, Canada, Monaco, Vienna, Lisbon, Paris and Los Angeles, and has collaborated with artists such as Sara Baras, Israel Galván, Rafael Campallo, Enrique Morente, José Mercé, Carmen Linares and Gerardo Núñez.
Style
He is known for a natural elegance free of showiness, an uncommon technical command and a rare balance between masculinity, refinement and naturalness; his work moves between the classical orthodoxy of the dance and a constant investigation of its aesthetics.
Legacy
In 2008 he received the Premio Nacional de Danza in the performance category, in recognition of his contribution to flamenco from the perspective of Spanish dance and of his research work on the aesthetics of the genre; he was the sixth flamenco bailaor to earn this award so far this millennium, after Eva Yerbabuena, María Pagés, Sara Baras, Israel Galván and Manuela Carrasco. Since his 1988 Giraldillo, he has been regarded as one of the great contemporary bailaores of flamenco.