The “Letters to Pastora” project arises in a magical way. I have always admired the figure of Pastora Imperio and the Thyssen Museum dedicated a day to her in the cycle “The flamenco dream of Julio Romero de Torres”, a program centered on the figure of the painter.
Everyone knows that Pastora was the muse of this great plastic artist, being his model in some of his paintings. The museum asked me to participate and I decided to honor Pastora with my dance on that day. And it happened ... what in principle was going to be a performance for that occasion, grew and grew until I realized that this was going to be my new work.
I have been inspired by her photographs and the few visual documents that are preserved of her and by what my mother told me about Pastora since she was little: how she moved her arms, her elegance, her bearing, her majesty ... I have never tried to imitate her at any time, it would have been a great mistake on my part, but it has served to enlighten me when preparing this work.
My admiration grew more and more and I felt the need to tell Pastora, and hence I wrote her letters in my show. In these, I relate the passages of her life that have marked me the most, I tell the audience this dialogue to make them participate in these feelings, of how the legacy of a bailaora from the last century can still mark a bailaora of this generation: that was Pastora Imperio.
Susana Lupiáñez La Lupi

artistic dossier (download)