Forget the World Cup – flamenco will give you more intoxicating thrills, unparalleled physical excellence and outstanding drama than you can ever imagine!Rating
Unmissable!
Forget the world cup. If you want to see thrilling, high energy performance, drama and exceptional physicality all bound up in a collaborative, fraternal feel (with additional fancy costumes) get yourself down to the Flamenco Festival 2026 at Sadler’s Wells.
Of all the events taking place this year, I chose Gala Flamenca, hoping for a variety of styles, and OMG, was I delighted I did! Artistic Director Manuel Liñán brings together a meticulously crafted, boldly provocative and viscerally pleasurable programme, each performer magnificent in their individual talents and together simply stunning in collaboration. This gala is an emotionally overwhelming piece of art that had the audience crying out loud in appreciation.
The opening sequence alone is like a creative gut punch: it is a sensory triumph. A stark black and white setting elevates the drama (the impressive lighting overseen by Ángel Olalla is exquisite throughout the evening), as singing in Spanish resonates palpably throughout the auditorium. Vocalists, Juan de la María, Manuel de Ginés and Sebastián del Puerto supply the fuel, while the heels of the dancers drill into the stage, creating the sparks that set the evening alight. As the elements combine, it’s almost as if the oxygen has been sucked from the room; totally breathtaking.
Juan Tomás de la Molía brings an intoxicating, masculine playfulness to his exceptional dance. A human gyroscope, he turns and spins flawlessly, teasing the audience with a cheeky, sexy masculinity that’s joyfully disruptive and searingly energetic, while still demonstrating the intense rigour of the traditional elements of the dance. It leaves the audience squealing – thrilled and desperate for more.
We then enjoy the sizzling, fabulously expressive technique of El Farru who commands the stage in an attention grabbing scarlet suit as he delivers a dynamic performance. He’s accompanied by outstanding guitar playing from Paco Jarana and Francisco Vinuesa, alongside precision percussion by Daniel Suárez.
And all life is here on this stage, this production redefining the norm as it celebrates intergenerationality and uses gender-blending performance to connect the masculine and the feminine. Liñán claims the liminal space between binaries and owns it through flamenco, performing dazzlingly in a woman’s traje de flamenca. It’s delightfully uplifting but never feels as if he is taking the dance for men, but is instead celebrating feminine ability by emphasising it in a new, middle form. A bright red shawl is given astonishing, elegant flight, becoming almost a prosthetic as his movements demonstrate the skills of co-ordination, rhythm and outright strength required to complete this entrancing routine.
Men don’t get all the spotlight, however. The spellbinding Mara Rey makes the boards her own, exuding feminine passion and seeming to expose her very soul as she sings and pushes the very boundaries of the stage in her astonishing performance. And the incredible Eva Yerbabuena defies description with her phenomenally powerful and technically exact delivery that crackles with emotional fire. This is indisputably high art; perfection accentuated with confident visuals that define her very essence in shifting silhouette and bold colour.
The finale of the show sees the ensemble come together to share space in a crescendo of collaboration and esteem and it’s hugely heartwarming to sense how they communicate between themselves intangibly but perceptively. They are clearly deeply respectful of each other’s ability and above all relish the extraordinary craft they have forged together.
I left the theatre on an absolute high and am already planning my next event in the festival. If you have never experienced flamenco before, the time is now. Switch off the TV, leave the football behind and get a ticket to experience life like you’ve never lived it before.
Produced by Flamenco Festival
Executive Producer: Beatriz Hoyos
Artistic Director: Manuel Liñán
Sound Engineer: Ángel Olalla
Lighting Technician: Valentín Donaire
Gala Flamenca plays at Sadler’s Wells until Saturday 20 June. The Flamenco Festival 2026 continues until Monday 29 June.
