By Carey Hix Skiff staff As Fernando Bujones, TCU's choreographer-in-residence, supervises the rehearsal of his piece, "Greek Breeze and Teas," his eyes burn with intensity as he scrutinizes the dancers' movements. A self-admitted perfectionist, he commands perfection from his dancers. At times, he chastises one for a mistake, at others he praises them for a job well done. At several points, he leaps to the floor to demonstrate how he wants a step to look. His lithe body moves gracefully across the floor as the dancers pay close attention to his instruction. Bujones came to TCU as choreographer-in-residence in 1995, after a lengthy career as both a dancer and guest-choreographer for many well-known worldwide companies. His wife of 10 years, Maria, who he met in Stuttgart when she was a dancer with the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany, is now his assistant.
Appetite for dance Bujones's career as a dancer began in an interesting way.
"Just let him be the way he is," the doctor said. "And if he doesn't want to eat, let him not eat. When he gets hungry, he is going to open the refrigerator door himself." However, the doctor suggested that it might be helpful to engage the boy in some sort of exercise to stimulate his appetite. Since his mother was a dancer at the time, his parents decided that Bujones would take up ballet as a form of exercise. "That's how, by coincidence, I started doing ballet - due to a lack of appetite," Bujones said. "And it worked out perfectly. My appetite improved immensely, and I started a professional career."
Olympian of dance And he never looked back. He began to study classical ballet at age 7 in Havana because, although he was born in Miami, his parents were from Cuba. At the age many teenagers are settling into their residence halls to begin college, Bujones was making history. In July, 1974, at age 19, while working as a soloist for the American Ballet Theatre, he won a gold medal for dance at the VII International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, becoming the first male American dancer to hold the honor. Though Bujones was considered a junior competitor, he won at the senior level, which made the triumph an even more significant accomplishment. Known as the "Olympics of dance," the prestigious Varna competition was one of only two of these types of events. The other one was in Moscow.
Turning pointe Although highly regarded in his field, Bujones is very down-to-earth. He is soft-spoken as he tells of his achievements on stage without an ounce of pretense. He shows humility even though it is apparent he is proud of his accomplishments. He commands a style and grace all his own, which is evident in his intelligent, insightful answers to questions and his eloquent way of speaking with a hint of Spanish accent. Speaking of his win at Varna, he said, "It is an event that will always be inside of me, and that will always (give me) tremendous, profound satisfaction. It stands in my mind and in my soul as one of the most courageous events and one of the most important triumphs of my life." At the time of the competition, there were very few American dancers participating in these competitions because they took place behind the iron curtain, either in Russia or Bulgaria. He considers himself a pioneer because after his achievement in Bulgaria, more and more Americans began to participate in the competitions. "I opened what I consider a new door, a new era for future male dancers," he said. "It was a major turning point for American dance." The win was also a major turning point in his career. When he returned from Bulgaria, he received his first principal dancer contract, which elevated him from the position of soloist to a premier dancer. "I sent a telegram to the artistic director of American Ballet Theatre with just one word - Gold! When I came back she said, "You've got yourself a principal contract.'"
At center stage Bujones said his main triumph in life is the fact that he has achieved 98 percent of the goals that he set for himself, including guest performing with some of the major ballet companies around the world: He has performed several times with England's Royal Ballet, The Paris Opera Ballet, the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany and many others. He has performed with many legendary ballerinas of this time, including Natalia Makarova, Cynthia Gregory and Marcia Haydee. He has also performed every full-length classical ballet a dancer can with the exception of "Cinderella." The ovations he received were another source of his pride. He calls them historical. When he performed Rudolph Nureyev's production of "Don Quixote" in Vienna, he was told that he had received the same ovation that only Nureyev himself, the original choreographer, had received 20 years earlier. He also performed at the White House for President Ronald Reagan in 1985.
Taking a bow Bujones' farewell performance in New York June 2, 1995, was his last major performance with the American Ballet Theatre. Before the performance, he received a letter, which was published in the New York Times the next day, from President Bill Clinton, congratulating him on a lifetime of artistic excellence. Bujones wanted to go out on a high note. He was so busy guest teaching and choreographing around the world that it had become difficult to keep his body in the top shape that he desired so as not to risk injury. His being involved with choreography at that time made the transition from performer to choreographer easier. He began choreographing in 1984 with the American Ballet Theatre. Though classical ballet is what Bujones is most familiar with, his choreography expands into other genres of dance. "(My choreography) is primarily based on a classical vocabulary because that's where my main strength and knowledge is, but I do explore folkloric styles," he said.
Second position This year, as Bujones celebrates his silver anniversary of winning the gold medal in Varna, another honor has been bestowed upon him. He was unanimously appointed the new artistic director of the Southern Ballet Theatre in Orlando, Fla. Bujones said he is excited to be able to direct a company in his home state. The opportunity will allow him to combine his experience as a choreographer, coach, director and administrator to lead the Southern Ballet Theatre to greater artistic and financial heights. Bujones stresses that although he will be very committed to the Southern Ballet Theatre, he is thrilled to be able to continue his work at TCU. Preserving his affiliation with TCU is one of the things Bujones made a point of doing when he signed his contract with the Southern Ballet Theatre because he enjoys the interchange of information that he gets from working with students here. "I receive a lot from the students, and I learn a lot every day from them in terms of the intelligence they have, the quickness that they respond with when they learn a ballet and the enthusiasm and the attention that they (show)," he said. "(I am) able to be inspired and create, and they in return are able to get the continuing experience and knowledge from my own work."
Frog applause The faculty and students in the dance department realize what an honor it is to be able to have Bujones as choreographer-in-residence. "Mr. Bujones is probably the most technically strong, sound dancer the United States has ever produced - I would even say the world," said Nancy Carter, administrative assistant to the dance department. "He has such a wonderful gift to give the students here. That's why he's here, and he chose TCU because we have such a strong program." Ballet faculty member Elizabeth Gillaspy agreed: "His knowledge of the great classical ballets is so extensive that he has this amazing repertoire to pull from. It has just been a wonderful and amazing experience to have him here with us on the faculty." Bujones' primary advice to aspiring dancers and choreographers is to maintain a passion for dance. "Never try to be more than what you are," he said. "Be who you are, and try to be the best you can be. The more honest you can be, the better you can be as a human being. Be who you are, maintain an integrity, keep a passion for what you do and always have a little bit of space for good taste."
Carey Hix |
When he was a small child, Bujones' parents were concerned
with how little he was eating. They took him to a doctor, where he was
evaluated for about 10 minutes. Then the doctor announced to his relieved
parents that nothing was wrong. Bujones was fine.| The TCU Daily Skiff © 1998, 1999 Credits |