Press Release
Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN
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
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 Flamenca conceived 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
Press Release
Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN
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.
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 Casares and 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.
Press nights:
Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras: Tuesday 16 February at 7.30pm
Vicente Amigo: Sunday 21 February at 7.30pm
Farruquito & Farruco: Tuesday 23 February at 7.30pm
Gala Bienal de Sevilla: Thursday 25 February at 7.30pm
Compañía Olga Pericet: Friday 26 February at 7.30pm
Marco Flores & Olga Pericet: Saturday 27 February at 7.30pm
Esperanza Fernández: Sunday 28 February at 7.30pm
Niño de Elche: Saturday 27 February at 8.00pm
Daniel Casares & Adam Ben Ezra: Sunday 28 February at 6.00pm
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
For more information about Flamenco Festival London 2016 or to arrange interviews
please contact Georgia McKay on 020 7863 8119 or georgia.mckay@sadlerswells.com
Press Release
Sadler’s Wells, Rosebery Avenue, London, EC1R 4TN
Press images can be downloaded from http://media.sadlerswells.com, please contact
eugenie.dunster@sadlerswells.com for login details.
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.