Choreographers: Eva Yerbabuena, Manuel Liñán, El Farru and Juan Tomás de la Molía
Artistic Director: Manuel Liñán
A superstar line-up opens the annual Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells with important new talent appearing in a quartet of performances alongside established and beloved dancers. Gala Flameca performed for just two nights unites the skills of dancers Eva Yerbabuena, Manuel Liñán, El Farru and Juan Tomás de la Molía, who all bring their respective fan base alongside renowned musicians, including singer Mara Rey, whose own solo numbers add drama to a highly theatrical evening, combining the mournful depths and intensity of flamenco with a more playful, even sensual new direction.
Running at 2 hours and 20 minutes, the evening contains four major solo pieces by each of the featured artists alongside a couple of ensemble works created by Artistic Director Liñán to bring them all together at once, something the enthused Sadler’s Wells audience applauds uproariously. But Gala Flamenca first recognises the power and significance of the musicians, putting singers Juan de la María, Manuel de Ginés and Sebastíán del Puerto centre stage as the curtain rises – one of a number of times throughout the production that the music alone is given precedence. Rey has her own song in the second act, decorative flowers falling from her hair as the impassioned vocalist despairs and pleads with the listener, petals strewn across the dance space later to be stomped on by the tapping flamenco heels.
This lyricism typifies a selection of dances that showcase the history and future of the genre, opening with rising star de la Molía who performs side on, facing the singers who trail him in a line as his rapid ankle movements and cracking heels drift across the stage. The energy is tempered by de la Molía’s seductive style, his jacket frequently dropping from one shoulder as the movement becomes more enticing.
Farru receives a brief introduction from his colleagues Yerbabuena and Liñán, who offer a duet before making way for the dapper soloist, dressed in red and using a cane as both prop and dance device. Exacting timing is essential to this routine, using the cane in lieu of a heel or coordinating three sets of clicks from both heels and cane at once. This complex piece builds in fluidity, eventually borrowing a little from Music Hall as the style expands. Not exhausted by his physical performance, Farru completes his set by playing the guitar, noting his all-rounder status.
Liñán opens the second act with a playful piece performed in full flamenco skirt and fringed red shawl used to generate much of the movement. Pushing the boundaries of gender assumptions and finding flair in the blending of old and new interpretations of flamenco as well as perceptions of who can dance it, this piece proves a joyful experience, full of comedy moments and jaunty audience engagement.
But the big star here is Yerbabuena, a flamenco legend who performs her renowned soleá, a sombre dance shrouded in fringed black that begins in silence as the dancer slowly walks across the stage, pausing to reach back to an unseen past or spectre. As the intensity builds, the rapidity of her movement and the skill is matched only by Yerbabuena’s emotive style, engaging constantly with the musicians who respond to her tempo instead of theirs.
Gala Flamenca is successfully pitched between honouring the work that has come before and finding new creative outlets for the dance and musical form, offering a celebratory opening to the annual Flamenco Festival.
Runs until 20 June 2026
The Flamenco Festival runs until 29 June 2026
