Choreographer: Fernando Romero
Director: Jude Kelly
This contemporary flamenco performance is an exuberant display that exemplifies passion personified. From the precision of each dancer to the raw musical and vocal expressions, this show is dazzling in every way. The renowned flamenco guitarist, composer, and producer Paco Peña’s show, Solera, directed by Jude Kelly and choreographed by Fernando Romero, returns to Sadler’s Wells.
A number of soulful performers drive this show, each unique in their own way. With a mix of young and mature performers, Solera embodies the flamenco tradition that is passed down from one generation to the next. The word Solera originates from an Andalusian wine-making process that involves blending liquids of various ages.
Set on a minimalistic stage with chairs, guitars, a drum kit, and a clothes rail, the opening scene shows the performers out in public rushing to get to the dance studio, where the magic unfolds. Once inside, they’re positioned in a semicircle facing the audience, taking it in turns to showcase their talents.
The fluidity starts off in a natural way, with the musicians warming up their instruments and everyone engaging in subtle ways. Almost like a form of calm before the storm. Each ensemble member is given the chance to shine; there is no air of competition.
The crowd is blown away by the musicianship and dedicated dancing, often cheering, some in Spanish, and clapping during the performance to encourage the artists and uplift the spirit. Although the dancers aren’t wearing the traditional, vibrant flamenco costumes, also referred to as traje de flamenca, they most certainly don’t lack the rhythmic footwork. While the performers all speak Spanish, truly sticking to the authenticity of the craft, you don’t need to understand the language to feel the powerful storytelling.
The second interval begins with dancers wearing white, and the musicians and singers in black. The lights are dimmed as three spotlights follow the dancers. At one point, Peña unleashes his emotions on his guitar during a solo scene while under one of the spotlights, a sight that makes him look almost angelic. Peña says that the show’s “initiatives celebrate a great diversity of artists and cultural traditions, be it mature artists or emerging young ones determined to reimagine everything about their art forms”.
Formed in 1970, the Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company has been making headlines for almost 60 years and has toured in artistic hotspots around the world, such as Edinburgh, Adelaide, and Athens. Peña was voted as the Best Flamenco Guitarist of the Year in the USA’s Guitar Player magazine for five years in a row during the 1980s.
Director Jude Kelly has directed over 200 theatre and opera performances and is the founder and CEO of The WOW Foundation, Women of the World, an organisation that honours the achievements of women and girls. The charity also aims to create an inclusive future for non-binary people.
With a running time of two hours and ten minutes divided between two acts, we acknowledge the true meaning of flamenco through the lens of both generations who are committed to music-theatre.
Runs until 4 April 2025
