Patronatsverein

You have joined DresdenFrankfurtDanceCompany recently. Welcome. We enjoyed seeing you dance on stage here in Frankfurt already and are curious to learn about your decision to become a professional dancer. What formed your decision and when did you decide to follow this path?

Gaizka Morales Richard

Actually, my decision to become a professional dancer was not something that I planned or thought too much about. I could say that I was just following my instinct. I was born in a little town in the north of Spain, there was nothing related to dance around my life, so I started dancing quite late. When I first stepped into a dance studio, in a small village school, I already knew that there was something special lighting up in myself. From that moment on, I just went with the flow, enjoying the moment. For me dancing was everything, but I was still studying, and there were no opportunities to train professionally as a dancer near my hometown. Once I finished my high school, I moved to Madrid to really focus on what I wanted, to have a professional training in ballet and contemporary dance and to follow my dream. Honestly, it was a super easy decision for me and my family always supported me. 

Patronatsverein

Tell us about your ballet education. What part had the biggest impact on you and why? Is there a particular teacher you would like to mention?

Gaizka Morales Richard

I start dancing when I was 12, but as I said before, I didn’t really learn and train professionally until I turned 18. Before that, I learned a lot about enjoying the movement, the sensations that made me feel my passion for dance. But my real training started once I moved to Madrid. I went to a private school called “180” and I did the professional contemporary training that they were offering. Also, ballet classes everyday, in addition to different contemporary and modern techniques. I also took extra classes of classical ballet in different schools of the city. I arrived to the capital as a sponge and with great enthusiasm and actually my learning process went so fast. From this period in Madrid I could mention my first and only ballet teacher, Amaya Galeote. She really taught me everything about technique, and the most important, with her I learned to enjoy and have fun with the technique. After these years, I moved to Barcelona to join the young company “ITDansa”. This was my first experience as a company dancer, touring around different countries of Europe, and dancing diverse repertoire. This experience made me feel ready for everything and much more mature as an artist. It clicked myself as an interpreter and as a dancer. I would love to mention the three women who lead the company. Nora Sitges, Mathilde Van den Meerendonk and Catherine Allard, all amazing human and professionals.

Patronatsverein

Imagine somebody would offer you the stage of a former opera house, recently renovated, an architectural beauty come back to life. The stage is yours. What music would you choose to accompany your dance on stage?

Gaizka Morales Richard

This is difficult to imagine but it will be amazing, of course. I think if something that special happened to me, I would love to fill that stage with live music all the time; a beautiful grand piano, with someone playing any composition from Vivaldi or Beethoven; some candles and lamps accompanying a live jazz, soul or blues concert, with music from Etta James, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse, B. B king…; or maybe a big tribute, as a big rock concert of Queen or Bon Jovi. Would be very diverse, because I love very different styles of music, but of course, dance would be there always, being part of that space. 

Patronatsverein

If you had to sum up what dance means to you in one word, what would it be?

Gaizka Morales Richard

This one is really difficult… I would say something like “present”. Because when I’m dancing, I’m really living and I am 100% in that moment, I’m not thinking of something else. When I am dancing, I’m totally conscious about what is going on in that specific moment. I think dancing is one of the best ways to connect directly with the present, feeling the freedom of living the present, without been disturbed because of past or future thoughts. 

Patronatsverein 

You come from the Spanish Basque region, a culinary paradise with some of the best chefs in the world and a rich history in food and wine. What do you miss most on the menu in Frankfurt? Did you find something unexpected you like here and have incorporated into your diet?

Gaizka Morales Richard

I left my hometown when I was 18 years old and became a vergetarian right away. So actually, when I come home to the Basque country I do not have so many options. But it is true that I enjoy the Basque food culture a lot when I was young. What I miss here is having very fresh vegetables and fruits directly picked from the orchard or trees. I can do that in my hometown. I still didn’t have much time discovering Frankfurt and its cuisine since I just arrived three months ago. But Frankfurt definitely offers a wide range of foods from different countries and cultures – this is what I like most. I can experience new things every day and there are a lot of nice and special restaurants. I also find the vegetarian offer is wider than in the Basque Country.

Thank you very much.