Javier Barón

Flamenco Dancer (Alcalá de Guadaira, Seville, 1963). He began at age 7 learning Sevillanas from the Maestro Zarandilla. His interest in flamenco came about at the hand of Pepe Ríos. At age 10 he set out for Madrid where he stayed with his uncle Manolo Rico who was a bullfighter. This allowed him to dedicate himself to dance until he joined the Luisillo company, with whom he performed in 1975 before the Pope Pablo VI. At age 14 he received an honorable mention in the Eighth National Contest of Cordoba for, "Juana La Macarrona" by Mario Maya. Later he won first prize in the televised contest, "Gente Joven". He performed in the National Ballet under the direction of Antonio and Maria Avila and Antonio Gades. Around 1987 he adopted the artistic name, Javier Barón. In the Fifth Bienal of Seville (1988) he won the Second "Giraldillo del Baile" at the young age of 25. After that he played a main role in "Aire y Compás" by Manuel Morao (1993) and put together "Mira qué Famenco!" in 1993, featuring on Sara Baras. He also participated in the Eighth Bienal of Seville in the show dedicated to Antonio (1994). In 1995 he was named director of the "Taller de Creación" (Creation Workshop) in the flamenco department of the Andalucian Center for Dance and in the Ninth Bienal of Seville (1996) he worked in "Por Aquí te Quiero Ver", by Manuel Soler. In 1997 he formed his own dance company and put together the show, "El Pájaro Negro". In the Tenth Bienal (1998) he debuted the show "Sólo por Arte!". In 1999 he choreographed, "Ramito de Locura" for the Andalucian Dance Company and he participated in the Festival of Granada, dancing with Isabel Bayón in "Elegía Flamenca", an homage to Antonio.