Did you dream of becoming a dancing diva? I never thought about it as a girl when dancing was like playing. I began my own all-female company in 1997 and I still don’t know how it happened.

How fit does a flamenco dancer have to be? For the pace of life that I have, I need to look after myself well. I do between 170 and 300 performances a year, and in one 80-minute show I am off stage for only four minutes. I’m in great physical shape and thankfully I have a strong body. I don’t usually get injured or suffer pain.

Do you top up on the treadmill? To be honest, I work out enough on stage and don’t need to go to the gym. Before going on stage I will do warming-up exercises to stretch my muscles.

Do you carry on dancing after the show has finished? We usually all go for supper together and stay up late chatting about dancing and, of course, flamenco because we are very boring! This is how I relax. When I have a couple of free days I go home to Cadiz, in southern Spain, to see my family and recharge my batteries.

What tempts your tastebuds? I love my mother’s cooking, especially her lentil stews and thick soups, I also love the traditional dishes from Andalusia. When I’m on the road I eat lots of pasta to give me energy.

Champagne or sparkling water in the fridge? Still water, beer and lots of yoghurts.

What’s your poison? Marlboro cigarettes, but not Light. There’s nothing light in my life, it has to be the real thing.

Ever had a bad injury? Last Christmas, when I was dancing in Barcelona, I pinched my spine. It hurt me tremendously and made me cry while I was dancing but I didn’t cancel any performances. I’ve danced with fever, flu . . . to cancel a performance, I’d have to be dead. Instead I was given painkilling injections to get me through the pain.

Where does this courage come from? From my passion for dance and my childhood. My father was in the military and my mother, a dance teacher, instilled the discipline.

Green tea or GP? I never go to the doctor. I don’t like taking medicine. As for tea? Never, I drink only coffee.

Pop any pills? Only vitamin pills.

Does physical self-expression come naturally? When I go on stage I lock away all that could be negative. There are dark days when I don’t want to dance for anyone and I sit in my dressing room thinking about how I would like to do something else. But when I’m on stage I forget all that.

Is flamenco dancing a vertical representation of horizontal desire? I don’t think there’s much sexual frisson among flamenco artists, but flamenco dance does have very sensual movements that express, happiness, sadness and many other things. But it’s up to the individual. Sex is not the only characteristic of flamenco.

Are you a sex symbol? No. I’m a symbol of the art of dance, I hope.

Does your soul dance, too? Of course.

Is stage fright ever a problem? Every day. One has to please the public, make them feel passionate, and this responsibility frightens me sometimes. When I was young I was less afraid. But the moment that I step on the stage, I totally forget my stage fright. It’s the most enjoyable part of my day.

When on tour, what’s in your vanity case? The same things as in anyone else’s, but in my suitcase I have colouring books and crayons. When I have free time, I like to fill them in, it helps me to relax and get my head straight.

What’s next? I am working on a film, called Iberia, with the director Carlos Saura. But one day I would like to form an official state school for flamenco in Madrid with similar courses to those at conservatoires for ballet.

Ultimate ambition? I have had the greatest luck to dance in the most prestigious theatres in the world. Other than to continue at this level, I would like to do more for others.

When will the castanets stop clicking? I hope I have the courage to retire at the right moment. Actually, I want to have a break soon because I want to have a child.

Sara Baras is performing in the Flamenco Festival London at Sadler’s Wells from January 20-23. To book tickets: 0870 7377737

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