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Jose Vences was born and raised in Morelos, Mexico where be began his training and love of dance at the age of sixteen. He studied dance with Jesus Parra Duje at the Universidad Autonoma de Morelos in 1983 while earning a degree as an elementary school teacher. He was honored with being selected to participate in the Cultural Exchange program with Kansas City, Missouri in 1984.
He later became a member of the Compania Universitaria del Centro Cultural Morelos under the direction of Raul Rubi before deciding to further his professional dance training by moving to Mexico City. He attended summer classes at the Escuela Nacional de Bellas Artes in 1985, then auditioned for and was accepted with the world famous Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez. He became a member of the resident company in July 1986 and later was promoted to the first company in January 1987 where he performed throughout Europe, Mexico, Brazil and the United States. In 1990, Mr. Vences moved to Los Angeles and in 1992 was an original founder of Ballet Folklorico del Pacifico (now known as Pacifico Dance Company), where he served as artistic director for 9 years.
Mr. Vences' approach to instruction is to place high expectations on his dancers, to push them to discover their true potential, at times beyond their own expectations. This work can be very emotional; Mr. Vences challenges his students to work at their very best and draw from within themselves all the strength and talent ballet folklorico requires.
"I will say that this job can be difficult," Mr. Vences explains, "because this company is made of dancers with a diversity of backgrounds- some are trained technical dancers, others have a more organic talent. My expectations for each of them are the same: to perform at their personal best. I provide them with strategies, with the knowledge that has been taught to me throughout my career, to empower them. It is an emotional experience. I try to connect with my dancers, through metaphors and personification, and even jokes, to draw connections between what I am expecting in the studio and their own personal experiences. Sometimes this process challenges them to change their concept of dance, a new relationship between movement, intentions, emotion, and the music. More than anything, I would say that I demand commitment, because I believe that where there is genuine intention, there is a good result."
The following is from a small interview with Jose Vences taken in April 2006.
Q: Where are you from?
Jose Vences: I was born in Jojutla, Morelos, Mexico, which is a town just south of Mexico City. I was raised there by my father and mother, Epigmenio Vences and Epifania Camacho, along with my 5 brothers and 4 sisters.
Q: Who were your early inspirations?
Jose Vences: When I was young I didn’t really have a dancer I looked up to mainly because I didn’t know of any professional dancers. Instead, the music itself always served as an inspiration for me. As a kid, I would listen for the rhythm of particular songs and visualize what dance steps would go with what song, and so my ideas about dance were born from that experience.
Of course as an adult, Amalia Hernandez was a true inspiration for me. Her work was inspiring not just because of how creative it was, but also because it challenged me to do things beyond what I already felt I could do. Dancing with Amalia Hernandez was definitely one of the most important experiences of my life.
Q: What is one of the hardest things about running a company like Grandeza?
Jose Vences: The most difficult thing about running a company like this is when I am not sure if my dedication goes beyond what my dancers feel they are capable of. As an artistic director, it is easy to become obsessed and expect more and more from your dancers. Sometimes, the people you work with – dancers, assistants, volunteers – feel you don’t understand where they are coming from in terms of all they do outside of the studio. In reality I do understand and am always aware of it, but as a director my passion is for what I know is possible is foremost in my mind, and finding the right balance can be tough.
I think about all the sacrifices I made, just like so many others, to be able to dance. I immigrated here, and worked hard and faced a lot of the challenges others face, but I still found a way to make dance a priority. I know what it means to work hard, and so I expect my dancers to push themselves, too.
Q: How do you come up with ideas for choreographies?
Jose Vences: There are many different sources. I like to research a lot, using books, photos, videos, and other things to learn more about a region or type of music and ideas come from that. Other times, dancers of people around me will have ideas and we’ll discuss them and explore them further. Also, I think about what audiences would like to see, what would move them, and I build on that. Sometimes, ideas just come to my mind – things that seem like natural ideas that would work easily and look great.
Q: Where will Grandeza Mexicana be in the future?
Jose Vences: My ultimate goal has always been to share with my dancers all that I have learned, to help them build their talent and leadership skills. This company will continue and succeed on their shoulders – I want Grandeza to become a great company through all of our efforts – working together as a family.
