Interview with Lili Del Castillo

The last and final interview for the Carmen Series is with Lili Del Castillo. I had the pleasure of meeting with Lili and interviewing her with all my desiring questions about the choreography in Carmen. At the very end, you will find a slideshow of Lili coaching Kate Aldrich and Kendall Gladen who both are the lead role in Carmen.

Can you describe the choreography in Carmen?

I essentially give Spanish culture 101 lecture. It starts from the way that Spanish people walk in ordinary times opposed to the way Americans walk. Americans slouch, Spaniards don't so I teach movement so that’s the base. From there I have to work with special ladies that are going to do dance movements within the act and so I teach them very simple moves that immediately say “Spanish” opposed to doing Tap or ballet or something like that. Its all about teaching attitude for Carmen, the strata of society you're dealing with is different than if you were upper class. I deal with movement and I do my own dance. In different Carmen's, sometimes I'm asked more and sometimes less. There have been Carmen's where I dance throughout Carmen, and where I've done the fight scene actually fighting Carmen. So I have to find out what the vision of the director is and what movements best describes what he or she sees as part of the scene.

What do you do to choreograph for each different character?

I do Carmen's, Frasquita's and Micaela and the chorus ladies. So that three levels of command within the group of Carmen's. Carmen is the boss so I give her dominant movement. Frasquita and Micaela are flirtatious, and the chorus ladies are having a good time so I give them more exuberant movement.

Do you often choreograph for operas?

I've been doing it for 15 years. Once I retired from the flamenco world. I got into it and word spread, and this is my last and retirement from opera. So I do Carmen's and La Traviata's. I’ve been trained in Spain, in both Flamenco and Spanish dance and that has helped me in the world of opera.

What do you feel the audience gets out of watching the choreography in an opera?

Excitement, exuberance, and a sense of the emotion from the specific scene.

What got you into dance in general?

From the time I was a little girl, every time I would hear music, stories would come in my head and I loved musicals and the musical movies. My family was a very proper Spanish family- and good girls don't dance. And so, when I was 14 I said I wanted to dance and I started taking lessons in Spanish Dance. When I was a teenager, I am such a stereotype in looks to a gypsy woman and a man who had just come from a company in Spain wanted to start a company in New Mexico, and he said he would train me if I were in his company. From there I married a flamenco guitarist and lived and studied in Spain where we were both on a flamenco troupe over there. When we came back from the U.S. we went to New Mexico and started our own company and toured.

What is the most fulfilling part of your job?

To be able to express what the music says to you. It enters you and through the years of taking lessons you have the technique to interpret the technique into movement that symbolizes your feeling.

Have you been trained in any other styles?

I've had some ballet and some jazz. And it helps a lot. Ballet gives you centering. And jazz lets you have movement flow through you. So ballet and jazz really helped my flamenco.

What is your favorite style of dance/What is your expertise?

For me personally, it would be of flamenco and Spanish classical. For watching any dance, I love beautiful movement of whatever culture or background. A good show is a good show!

Do you teach? Own your own company?

I've retired my company but I do teach and I coach. I teach students in Albuquerque, New Mexico; I like giving them a good base. I don't believe in clones and flamenco is very individual. Your personality comes out when you dance. If you only take from one person you become a clone of them so by taking from many styles, you learn what your style is.

Why did you decide to go down that path?

The only thing I was trained in was dance and in New Mexico there wasn't any other company to join so I started my own. I was fortunate to come into flamenco at the time where there were very few people doing it there and start a company and have a lifestyle strictly in the arts.

Anything else you would like to share with our readers?

That one of the great inspirations for me in flamenco is the fact that I'm married to a guitarist and I hear his music constantly and he gives me interpretations. If he gives me music that gives me bright and sunny things, and if I raise an arm he makes something that follows it. I'll give him a word such as “dark and smoky sounding” and he comes out with something that is evocative of something that is dark and smoky. It's been a lot of fun and has been quite the trip for the two of us. We married very young and have been together ever since.