Playful, fearless and constantly searching. Rating
Excellent
There is no straightforward path through Rayuela, and that is precisely the point. Named after both the game of hopscotch and Julio Cortázar’s landmark novel, Marco Flores‘ latest work embraces uncertainty, inviting the audience into a journey that is more emotional than narrative. Like Cortázar’s restless protagonist, the performance is driven by the search for something just out of reach. What that ‘something’ is remains deliberately undefined, allowing flamenco itself to become the vehicle for exploration.
Flores is joined on stage by guitarist José Tomás and singer Alfredo Tejada, and the three performers create a conversation rather than a conventional dance piece. Music, movement and silence constantly feed into one another, shifting between moments of quiet introspection and bursts of infectious energy. Rather than following a linear story, Rayuela unfolds through a succession of loosely connected episodes that gradually gather emotional weight.
The visual world plays a huge role in holding those fragments together. Ada Bonadei‘s lighting is exceptional, transforming an otherwise bare stage with bold washes of colour and dramatic shadows. At times the images resemble the rich contrasts of a Baroque painting; at others they evoke the glamour and theatricality of a classic Hollywood musical. The lighting gives each section its own identity while maintaining a sense of continuity throughout.
At the centre of it all is Flores himself, a magnetic performer whose personality is as compelling as his technique. He possesses an effortless ability to draw the audience in, mixing humour, confidence and vulnerability with remarkable ease. His flamenco is deeply rooted in tradition but never confined by it. Contemporary movement slips naturally into the choreography, with echoes of Pina Bausch’s theatrical use of repetition and space before giving way to moments of almost Fred Astaire-like exuberance, full of buoyant jumps, playful turns and, fittingly, a game of hopscotch across the stage.
His collaborators are every bit his equal. Tomás brings remarkable sensitivity to the guitar, while Tejada’s extraordinary voice has an almost gravitational pull, commanding complete attention whenever he begins to sing.
The performance isn’t entirely consistent. The central section occasionally feels adrift, lingering on ideas that never quite develop before moving on. Yet the production continually regains its footing, building towards a finale that captures the exhilarating spontaneity at the heart of flamenco.
The evening’s most memorable passages come when Flores, Tomás and Tejada challenge one another in musical and rhythmic exchanges. These moments feel less like a rehearsed performance than three virtuosos improvising together, pushing, teasing and inspiring each other in real time. It is here that Rayuela finds its true voice: playful, fearless and constantly searching.
Direction and Dramaturgy: Franscico López
Choreography and Dance: Marco Flores
Guitar: José Tomás
Cante: Alfredo Tejada
Lighting Design: Ada Bonadei
Rayuela has concluded its run at Sadler’s Wells East.
