Press Release: Sadler's Wells Flamenco Festival 2016

[Jan McNulty]

Flamenco Festival London 2016

Sadler’s Wells, EC1R 4TN
Tuesday 16 - Sunday 28 February
Tickets: Sara Baras: £12 - £45
All other main house shows: £12 - £40
Ticket office: 0844 412 4300 or www.sadlerswells.com

SADLER’S WELLS THEATRE 

 

Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras: Voces, Suite Flamenca (UK PREMIERE)
Vicente Amigo: In Concert 
Farruquito & Farruco: Buen Arate (UK PREMIERE)                 
Gala Bienal de Sevilla: Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía / Farruquito / El Lebrijano / Antonio Reyes / Manuel Valencia (UK PREMIERE)                                                                                
Compañía Olga Pericet: Pisadas (UK PREMIERE)                 
Marco Flores & Olga Pericet: Paso a Dos (UK PREMIERE)          
Esperanza Fernández with Guest Artists Marina Heredia and Ana Morales: De lo Jondo y Verdadero (UK PREMIERE)        

             

LILIAN BAYLIS STUDIO

El Niño de Elche: Voces Del Extremo (UK PREMIERE)          
Daniel Casares & Adam Ben Ezra: Loco Strings (WORLD PREMIERE)                                                                                                                  

A celebrated staple of London’s dance calendar, the annual Flamenco Festival returns to Sadler’s Wells for the 13th year from Tuesday 16 - Sunday 28 February, representing the varied styles of the time-honoured artform with performances from some of the world’s finest flamenco dancers and musicians. 

 

 

Spain’s flamenco superstar Sara Baras opens this year’s Flamenco Festival with a new show, Voces, Suite Flamencaconceived as a tribute to past flamenco masters. Celebrated for her virtuosic footwork and captivating stage presence, Baras is lauded as an ‘‘undisputed phenomenon’’ (Dance Tabs), and “one of those performers you just can’t take your eyes off” (Daily Telegraph). With 15 performers on stage, Voces is a rhythmic and vibrant show that captures all the emotion, drama and passion of flamenco, building to a spectacular free-form finale.

 

Vicente Amigo has been widely fêted throughout his career as one of the greatest flamenco guitarists of our time, and was awarded the 2001 Latin Grammy for Best Flamenco Album. He returns to the Sadler’s Wells stage to perform songs from his new album, Tierra, with “a level of technical virtuosity and musical fluidity rarely seen in a single performer” (Chicago Tribune). He will be joined on stage by his set of musicians and dancer Antonio Molina “El Choro”.

 

Farruquito is known throughout the flamenco world for his passionate and energetic performances, which pay homage to his heritage and the traditional Spanish flamenco style. For this very special show, Buen Arate, he is joined by his brother, Farruco, giving Flamenco Festival audiences a rare chance to see two of flamenco puro’s greatest proponents on stage together. 

 

The line-up for this year’s Flamenco Festival Gala is packed with award winners from Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla, including Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía (awarded top prize for best show with Imágenes); Farruquito (best dancer); legendary singer ‘El Lebrijano’ (honoured for his artistic career); Antonio Reyes (best singer); and Manuel Valencia (best guitarist).

 

Described by the New York Times as “a compact powerhouse of a dancer”, Olga Pericet is a magnetic and fearless experimenter. For Pisadas, A Woman´s End and Beginning, Pericet and her company break away from pre-established codes, creating a feminine universe through a visual and choreographic language, to chronicle the personal journey of this versatile artist. Inspired by the cycles of life, this piece emphasises the power of connecting with our origins, rituals and mortality. 

 

Pericet also teams up with Marco Flores, regarded as being amongst Spain’s next generation of leading artists, for Paso a Dos. Alternating between poetry and virtuosity, intimacy and explosive movement, Paso a Dos is a unique and electrifying celebration of dance. This intimate and distinctive pas de deux represents another step forward in the duo’s long artistic journey, which spans fifteen years.  

 

Rounding out the Flamenco Festival for 2016 is flamenco singer Esperanza Fernández, renowned for her gypsy style. For this special evening, Fernández explores traditional flamenco, experimental musical crossovers and classical styles. She is joined by Marina Heredia, one of the greatest flamenco voices of her generation, and Ana Morales, principal dancer of Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía. 

 

El Niño de Elche and his band perform songs from his album Voces Del Extremo in the intimate setting of Sadler’s Wells’ Lilian Baylis Studio. El Niño de Elche’s New Flamenco style is rooted in classic flamenco, but fuses with other genres ranging from krautrock to ambient and new wave of the late 70s and early 80s. 

 

Also at the Lilian Baylis, in a world premiere that marks their first project together, Loco Strings, Spanish guitarist Daniel Casaresand Israeli double-bassist Adam Ben Ezra come together to perform a selection of well-known favourites, plus some new songs specially written for this performance. 

 

 

Other productions featuring flamenco in Spring 2016 season are:
Bartabas: Golgota, Sadler’s Wells, 14 – 21 March 
Richard Alston Dance Company: An Italian in Madrid, Sadler’s Wells, 29 & 30 March  
Wild Card at Sadler’s Wells presents dotdotdot dance, Lilian Baylis, 26 May
Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company: Patrias, Sadler’s Wells, 12-16 July

 

Notes to editors:

About Sadler’s Wells

Sadler's Wells is a world-leading dance house, committed to producing, commissioning and presenting new works and to bringing the very best international and UK dance to London and worldwide audiences. Under the Artistic Directorship of Alistair Spalding, the theatre’s acclaimed year-round programme spans dance of every kind, from contemporary to flamenco, Bollywood to ballet, salsa to street dance and tango to tap. Since 2005 it has helped to bring over 90 new dance works to the stage and its award-winning commissions and collaborative productions regularly tour internationally. Sadler’s Wells supports 16 Associate Artists, three Resident Companies and an Associate Company and nurtures the next generation of talent through hosting the National Youth Dance Company, its Summer University programme, Wild Card initiative and its New Wave Associates. Located in Islington, north London, the current theatre is the sixth to have stood on the site since it was first built by Richard Sadler in 1683. The venue has played an illustrious role in the history of theatre ever since, with The Royal Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet and English National Opera all having started at Sadler’s Wells. Sadler’s Wells is an Arts Council National Portfolio Organisation and currently receives approximately 10% of its revenue from Arts Council England.

 

About Flamenco Festival

Flamenco Festival is a not for profit organisation dedicated to the promotion of Spanish culture around the world directed and founded by Miguel Marin. Flamenco Festival’s annual international events showcase the leading flamenco names of today, from world renowned artists and icons of traditional flamenco to the most innovative, emerging young stars of flamenco, dance music and song. Flamenco Festival USA was founded in 2001, and since then has become a showcase for Spanish artists in New York, Washington DC, Miami, Boston and other American cities. In 2003, the first Flamenco Festival was presented in London at Sadler’s Wells, and since then it has become an annual date with Flamenco in London. Flamenco Festival is sponsored by Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música, INAEM; Instituto Andaluz del Flamenco, Turismo Andaluz and Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla. Flamenco Festival is supported by Instituto Cervantes Londres, AIE and Embajada Española en Reino Unido.