Choreographer and Director: Eva Yerbabuena
Those who like to stay in the bar until the final bell will miss the beginning of Eva Yerbabuena’s new show Yerbagünea staged at Sadler’s Wells as part of the annual Flamenco Festival running across the first two weeks of June. It is because the dancer is keen to begin her stylised show before the lights go down with a performance art segment in which she and her company circle the stage, readying the audience for a show whose title translates as ‘bright dark’ and spend the remainder of their time on stage exploring transitory states and opposing forces.
Yerbabuena is clearly an experienced and beloved flamenco performer, and this show is bookended by two tightly focused and extended flamenco solos that showcase her impressive footwork and rhythmic understanding of the art form. Both are intense pieces that contort the dancer, demanding pace and drama from her restless feet, accentuated by piercing songs voiced in turn by Segundo Falcon, Antonio “El Turry”, Miguel Ortega and Manuel de Gines. These are theatrical, expressive sections of the show which spotlight Yerbabuena’s technical precision and musical creativity.
What happens in between is less convincing and ultimately less reliant on Flamenco as its base note. Here you can see the influence of collaborator and friend Pina Bausch on the expressionistic nature of Yerbagünea which often prioritises stage pictures and style over the finesse of movements and even substance. In the second dance, Yerbabuena is dragged across the floor by co-dancer Christian Lozano, unable to stand by herself until animated and then limited by a trailing skirt sewn with bells that she has to constantly kick aside. There’s a medieval flavour here and Lozano gets to do his only bit of dancing when the lead exits the stage to change costume.
Lozano returns later for a fourth section in which his only role is to stalk in circles around the principal dancer and then dramatically remove red plastic slats from Yerbabuena’s skirt before tidying the stage for her latest solo. This hit-and-miss approach to flamenco proves more frustrating than revealing with opportunities to see Yerbabuena and Lozano dance together passed over. And while each of the different dances here is distinctive, there is a repetitiveness to the movements and approach which could be alleviated by duets and solos for the male dancer.
The musicians are a high point and are given several chances to spotlight their talents while the dancers change costumes, including a couple of impressive guitar solos from Paco Jarana who is also the evening’s composer and musical director. There is also attention to detail in the choice of image Yerbabuena creates using contrasting fabrics such as shiny dresses and fringed shawls, utilising Fernando Martin’s complicated lighting design to play with light and shadow as well as using differently coloured light to enhance the impression of costume and stature.
Advertised at 70 minutes but actually running to 90 minutes, Eva Yerbabuena: Yerbagünea is almost absurdist flamenco built around a big performance that includes silent movie acting and expansive gestures, although it isn’t always clear what is being communicated.
Runs until8 June 2024
The Reviews Hub Score
Absurdist flamenco
