The Flamenco Festival will provide a platform for almost 100 artists, from the Los Farruco family with their pure gipsy style to Israel Galvan and his avant-garde twist of tradition.
Modern Flamenco
The festival is celebrating flamenco dancers but more especially innovator such as Maria Pages who through her body language offers homage to her hometown Seville and its rich flamenco tradition.
Maria Pages, through the years has developed a self-styled flamenco, bringing contemporary dimension to the strict form of foot-stamping hand-curling, skirt-swishing from Seville.
Los Farruco family is another notable Flamenco stars who are attending the Festival.
The Farruco flamenco clan feed this fantasy of the traditional gypsy family, but are in reality, like most of their contemporary, are travelling by plane all around the World from New-York to Beijing (where they attend Flamenco festivals throughout the year).
The 'legendary flamenco dynasty'
It started with the exceptionally talented Farruquito the young male virtuoso, and his very charismatic mother 'La Farruca', his brother Farru, his cousin Barullo and his aunt La Faraona. There were also three singers and two great guitarists.
The whole family was renowned for their purist approach to flamenco, with the spectacle and drama contained in their dances.
More history is celebrated by Mujeres (Women), in which dancers Merche Esmeralda, Belen Maya and Rocio Molina give a tribute to the divas of the past.
"In Mujeres, we try to show the different female styles of dancing across the eras; how flamenco has evolved in its techniques, concepts, staging and use of music," explains Maya, whose modern interpretations of the dance form have been nourished by her training in jazz and contemporary music.
The Flamenco Festival brings artists from across Spain and highlights modern flamenco dance. Traditional singers through concerts celebrate the gypsy flamenco from Andalucia.
So if you want to discover the Latin culture and tradition, and listen to pure Flamenco, you know now where to go!
Flamenco Festival, tonight until Mar 16, Sadlers Wells, Rosebery Avenue EC1, various times and prices (Mujeres, Mar 11 and 12, 7.30pm, £10 to £38). Tel: 0844 412 4300.
Nearest Tube Station: Angel
