Choreographer: Sara Baras
There is no doubting the exceptional flamenco skill of Sara Baras, who returns to Sadler’s Wells to open the annual Flamenco Festival with her 25th anniversary show Vuela, a two-hour marathon of dance performance and music. Divided into four acts performed without an interval, Baras’ show is a collaborative exploration of dance and music inspired by the language of movement that builds to a jazz-style coming together of performers to express their skills.
With 15 individual segments categorised in sections entitled Wood, Sea, Death and Fly (the translation of “vuela”), this is a loose and wide-ranging production that may not produce the consistent narrative that the synopsis suggests but does showcase the talents of Baras and her company, bringing together a series of solos, group pieces and instrumental musician showcases that celebrate the forms, range and intensity of the genre.
Visually, the style is largely monochrome, designed by Ras Artesanos with costumes by Luis F. Dos Santos and intense lighting by Óscar Gómez De Los Reyes that work together to create moody set pieces and dramatic spotlit sequences. Across both Wood and Death, the mood is sombre, using shadow and silhouette to intensify the sharp staccato taps and lines of the flamenco shape, while Sea and Fly are much lighter in both colour and tone; the former in green dresses with fishing net shawls while the latter mixes richer hues with fan work, both important flamenco props.
The choreography itself is equally complex, a combination of solos for Baras, group numbers and a single duet with her only male dancer Daniel Saltares as they vie with one another below a giant incense burner to portray Mourning. Baras understands well how to play to the audience, biding her time in her several solo sections to build anticipation before unleashing extraordinary speeds, the sound of her impossibly fast heels clacking through the floor-level microphones and relayed at booming volume through the auditorium.
It is a shame not to see enough, perhaps, of the ensemble dancers after a rousing cane-tapping introduction in the Wood portion of the programme entitled Rhythm, which they deliver in perfect formation. Later, the performers drift by in stunning purple flowered dresses as the piece transitions from Death to Fly, which brings a rare romantic, misty quality to the show that could be expanded to balance out the floaty elements of Vuela with the more serious flamenco statements.
Baras knows how to make an exit and in Vuela, there are rather a lot of them. The main show runs for about 90 minutes with a brief pause for an audience ovation and bows, but resumes for a further half an hour for an extended encore, giving space to the musicians and dancers to perform again. Each of these is punctuated by more ovations and bows before the show continues on – confusing audience members about what they are allowed to film and photograph. There is room to trim here, especially as the 15 pieces are each so short, and that might help to focus the show.
Sometimes leading the dancers and at other times responding to Baras’ taps, the musicians are enormously important with great platform moments for Alexis Lefevre on violin and Musical Director Keko Baldomero on guitar, which makes Vuela a collaborative experience. Baras is loved at Sadler’s Wells, and filled with her unrivalled style, her new show commands its audience.
Runs until 1 June 2025
