Pilar López
Who is Pilar López?
Pilar López Júlvez was born in San Sebastián on 4 June 1912 into a family of textile merchants, and from the age of six studied dance with Julia Castelao, as well as piano, singing and music theory, going on to win first prize in solfège at the Conservatorio de Madrid. She made her public debut at just five years old and, independently, at fourteen. She was the sister of Encarnación López Júlvez, “La Argentinita” (1905-1945), one of the great figures of Spanish dance of her generation.
Career
From 1933 she formed an artistic partnership with her sister, with whom she premiered “El amor brujo” that same year at the Teatro Falla in Cádiz, and with whom she performed at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York between 1940 and 1945. After the death of “La Argentinita” in 1945, she founded her own company, the Ballet Español de Pilar López, with which she premiered “El Café de Chinitas” in 1943, inspired by the poetry of Federico García Lorca, and through which passed figures such as José Greco, Manolo Vargas and Rafael Ortega, and later young talents such as Mario Maya, Antonio Gades and Eduardo Serrano “El Güito,” whom she trained with a rigor and restraint that would go on to define the aesthetic of modern Spanish dance. The company continued touring internationally through Europe, America and Asia until the 1970s.
She married the musician and orchestra conductor Tomás Ríos, and combined her work as a dancer and choreographer with the artistic direction of a company that became a school for several generations of bailaores.
Style
Her work stood out for fusing choreography rooted in classical Spanish dance with the flamenco tradition, collaborating with composers such as Falla, Ravel and Rodrigo to give Spanish dance a more elaborate and symphonic theatrical dimension.
Legacy
She received the Premio Nacional de Flamenco in 1976, the Medalla de Oro de Andalucía in 1995, the Medalla del Círculo de Bellas Artes in 1982 and the Premio Max a las Artes Escénicas in 2006. She died in Madrid on 25 March 2008, at the age of ninety-five, leaving a decisive legacy as a teacher and mentor to some of the most important figures in twentieth-century flamenco dance.