Flamenco Festival London reaches its 21st edition championing flamenco as an artistic expression in permanent transformation, capable of preserving its essence while continuing to open itself to new languages. Under the slogan ‘Flamenco: Expanding Roots’, the festival will present a programme from 13 to 30 June featuring 13 companies, 80 artists and 20 performances across London and, for the first time, Manchester. This journey through flamenco’s expanding roots — through the different ways of understanding it and inhabiting this universe — is reflected in the programme of the 21st edition of Flamenco Festival London, with each company bringing its own vision to stages across London and Manchester from 13 June onwards. Among those broadening the boundaries of the jondo universe is dancer and choreographer Rafaela Carrasco. Faithful to her path of research within contemporary flamenco, she will present Creaviva at Sadler’s Wells Theatre on 18 June, a piece that explores the mystery of artistic creation through flamenco, live music and poetry. The work brings together six performers embodying the nine muses of Greek mythology in a proposal structured as a suite of autonomous pieces united by a shared conceptual axis: inspiration as an intimate, shifting force in constant search of form. With dramaturgy by Álvaro Tato, Carrasco creates a dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity, reflecting on the creative process as an essential human experience shaped by solitude, the emergence of ideas and their transformation into stage material. Within the strand of performances that expand the margins of contemporary flamenco — and as part of this year’s special focus on cante from Extremadura — singer Francisco Escudero ‘El Perrete’ will present Luz de guía on 20 June at the Lilian Baylis Studio. Arriving in London with the support of the Provincial Council of Badajoz, the performance offers an intimate journey through the artist’s creative universe in constant dialogue with the great masters who have shaped his career. From the deepest flamenco roots to a sensitivity open to new sounds, his intense and nuanced singing turns each interpretation into a living reflection of his artistic evolution. Accompanied by guitar, percussion and keyboards, El Perrete delivers a proposal that honours the essence of flamenco while projecting it into the future with a distinctive personality. Winner of the National Flamenco Art Prize of Córdoba and recognised at competitions such as the Festival de Cante de las Minas, his presence confirms the renewal currently taking place in flamenco singing on the contemporary stage. Rocío Molina will also return to meet London audiences. Awarded the Silver Lion for Dance at the Venice Biennale (2022), the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts (2022), the Spanish National Dance Award (2010) and the UK National Dance Award (2019 and 2016), among many other accolades, the choreographer and dancer will present Calentamiento at Sadler’s Wells on 24 June; a work that pushes to the limit her renowned ability to explore the expressive boundaries of flamenco. Conceived as a process in perpetual beginning, the piece revolves around the idea of a “warm-up” that never ends: a state of physical and emotional boiling point in which the body — traversed by sweat, breath and vital pulse — becomes a channel for deep, telluric forces. Through this circular journey between pleasure and exhaustion, intimacy and celebration, Molina creates a constantly transforming stage experience in which every gesture seems to open a new beginning, and movement asserts itself as an act of resistance, joy and liberation. Among the proposals engaging with new forms of contemporary flamenco, the Andalusian collective Califato 3/4 will perform at Jazz Café on 27 June. Formed in 2018 between Seville and Málaga, the group has established itself as one of the most singular voices on today’s scene thanks to a genre-defying proposal in which flamenco coexists with funk, hip hop, dub and other urban and electronic influences. Their music celebrates a mixed and popular Andalusia, creating a unique sonic imagination where tradition and modernity do not clash but intertwine in a radically contemporary language. Flamenco’s roots also expand through dancer María Moreno, who will present Magnificat, a piece developed within the In Progress artistic residency programme promoted by Flamenco Festival and Torrox Town Council (Málaga). The work will be performed at Sadler’s Wells East on 28 June and explores flamenco as a territory of celebration, encounter and shared emotion. Inspired by the biblical scene of the Visitation, the piece does not seek to narrate but to explore what happens when two bodies meet while overcome by uncontrollable joy: a vital impulse expressed as festivity, communion and energy passed from one to another. Through a language deeply rooted in tradition yet open to contemporary codes, Moreno transforms the stage into a space of collective revelation where joy takes shape and expands. The same venue, Sadler’s Wells East, will host Rayuela by dancer, choreographer and director Marco Flores on 29 June. Inspired both by the children’s game and Julio Cortázar’s celebrated novel, the work reflects on creative freedom, identity and the search for meaning, while also marking the artist’s 25-year career. Flores shares the stage with brothers David Lagos and Alfredo Lagos on vocals and guitar respectively, creating a hybrid and dynamic language. Rayuela thus becomes an invitation to travel, from multiple perspectives, along the open paths of contemporary flamenco. As a unique proposal within the programme, and in collaboration with Instituto Cervantes London, the National Gallery will host Paraíso perdido on 15 June; a creation that unites flamenco and Baroque music in an exceptional dialogue with the visual arts. Conceived by viol player Fahmi Alqhai and dancer Patricia Guerrero (director of Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía), the piece has been designed to interact directly with the work of Francisco de Zurbarán, coinciding with the exhibition dedicated to the Spanish Golden Age master by the London gallery. In this meeting of disciplines and eras, the language of flamenco and Baroque sonorities intertwine to create a unique stage experience in which the expressive intensity of both universes is projected into the museum space, expanding the festival’s usual boundaries. The event will also feature an introductory talk by academic Alicia Navarro. Alongside the more experimental proposals, the 21st edition of Flamenco Festival London also includes artists who continue exploring flamenco through its most essential codes, delving into its structure and uncovering new resonances within tradition. The first of these is dancer Jesús Carmona, who will present UnYdos in two performances on 16 and 17 June at Sadler’s Wells Theatre. The piece is conceived as a journey towards the essence of flamenco — not through a complex narrative, but as a celebration of its most direct, honest and expansive form through dance. Built from the aesthetics of the traditional recital, the performance embraces a contemporary stage perspective that allows Carmona to engage with flamenco’s codes from his own artistic identity. On stage, some of his most representative palos — such as alegrías, taranto and soleá — coexist in a journey alternating moments of rhythmic intensity with others of introspection and intimacy, reinforcing the connection between performers and audience. Accompanied by guitar, singing and a cast of guest artists, UnYdos is conceived as flamenco in its purest state, where tradition is revealed as alive through the present moment of performance. On 19 and 20 June, Sadler’s Wells Theatre will host three performances of the Gala Flamenca, one of the central pillars of Flamenco Festival London, bringing together some of the leading figures in contemporary flamenco. Dancer Eva Yerbabuena will contribute her renowned expressive depth and emotional intensity, while Manuel Liñán brings a bold contemporary perspective that has helped expand the language of stage flamenco. El Farru represents the weight of lineage and continuity of a fundamental artistic dynasty, while Juan Tomás de la Molía contributes the freshness and precision of a new generation already forging its own path with a distinctive personality. In the area of cante as a space for transmission and reaffirmation of flamenco tradition — and also within the focus dedicated to cante from Extremadura supported by the Provincial Council of Badajoz — Esther Merino will present En tierra de hombres at the Lilian Baylis Studio on 20 June. The performance champions the female voice in flamenco through maturity, expressive strength and profound knowledge of tradition. A leading interpreter of flamenco singing from Extremadura, combining festive and root-based styles with deeper palos such as seguiriyas and soleás, Merino will perform alone on stage before an all-male ensemble, articulating different forms of interpretation within a sober black-and-white format where the voice takes centre stage. The work thus reflects on the place of women within contemporary flamenco through a solid, personal interpretation of great artistic character. The flamenco guitar — the quintessential instrument of this art form — will naturally also have its place in this edition. On 25 June, Sadler’s Wells Theatre will host La noche de la guitarra: a concert with Gerardo Núñez, Antonio Rey, Álvaro Martinete and Olga Pericet, an evening dedicated to flamenco guitar paying tribute to the legacy of legendary guitarist Sabicas, a key figure in the internationalisation and stage evolution of the instrument. The event will bring together three leading guitarists — virtuoso Gerardo Núñez, two-time Latin Grammy winner Antonio Rey and young talent Álvaro Martinete — each engaging with tradition from different perspectives. They will be joined by dancer Olga Pericet, who will evoke the figure of iconic performer Carmen Amaya, Sabicas’s historic collaborator, adding a theatrical dimension to the tribute. The result is an intergenerational encounter celebrating the guitar as a space of memory, freedom and continuous evolution within flamenco. Returning to flamenco dance, one of the essential expressive pillars of this art form, the festival will welcome Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía. On 26 and 27 June at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the company will present Tierra bendita, a creation directed and choreographed by Patricia Guerrero celebrating the diversity and richness of Andalusian flamenco through a large-scale stage production. The work proposes a journey through Andalucía’s different cultural landscapes, exploring how each territory has shaped its own styles, songs and dances in a constant dialogue between tradition and contemporaneity. Structured as a suite linking different pieces, Tierra bendita moves between old and new, bringing together musical and choreographic languages that coexist without hierarchy, from more archaic forms to contemporary sensibilities. On stage, 15 dancers accompanied by singing, guitar and percussion give shape to a production that highlights a new generation of performers, presenting an evolving flamenco rooted in tradition while embracing formal experimentation and creative freedom. Beyond the main stages, Flamenco Festival London expands its programme with a series of parallel activities co-produced with Fin de Fiesta, designed to bring flamenco closer to new audiences through a more direct and participatory experience. Highlights include the Juerga on 20 June at The Peacock and the Late Night Tablao on 27 June at The Angelic (formerly George IV), featuring singer Miguel Lavi alongside local artists. The programme is completed by a series of workshops taking place at Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Sadler’s Wells East, offering audiences the opportunity to immerse themselves in flamenco practice. These include a beginners’ workshop led by a local artist (27 June), as well as sessions taught by dancer María Moreno (27 June) and dancer Roberto Jaén (28 June), consolidating a space for encounter and learning around living flamenco. As a new addition, Flamenco Festival London will include a satellite venue in the city of Manchester. There, choreographer and dancer Olga Pericet, winner of the 2018 National Dance Award, will open the programme on 13 and 14 June with two performances of Baile sonoro. The stage of The Quays Theatre will host a proposal conceived as a concert space in which dance becomes living material for dialogue and transformation: three bodies — her own alongside the guitar of José Manuel León and the singing of Mercedes Cortés — create an intimate encounter where movement, sound and emotion intertwine in constant mutation. Far from being a fixed form, the piece is conceived as an “open study” that adapts to each context, exploring new expressive possibilities from flamenco roots. The city’s programme concludes with a performance by Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía on 30 June at the Lyric Theatre, where the company will also present Tierra bendita.THE NEW EDITION OF FLAMENCO FESTIVAL LONDON WILL CELEBRATE FLAMENCO AS A LIVING LANGUAGE IN CONSTANT TRANSFORMATION
Innovation in the world of flamenco
Flamenco and Baroque Music at the National Gallery
Tradition as a living territory
Beyond the stage: encounter, participation and live flamenco
Manchester, satellite venue of this edition
