Alfonso Losa and Patricia Guerrero Alter Ego 

at Sadler’s Wells Theatre Thursday 6 June 2024

Alfonso Losa and Patricia Guerrero’s Alter Ego at the Flamenco Festival London at Sadler’s Wells made a strong connection with the audience, which added an electric charge to the whole evening, as they responded to the dancers’ expressiveness, the imploring voice of Sandra Carrasco balanced by the gentler timbres of singer Manuel ‘Niño de Gines’ and the atmospheric contrasts created by guitarist and composer Francisco Vinuesa.

The ensemble of five for Alter Ego was made up of the two dancers Alfonso Losa and Patricia Guerrero, two singers Sandra Carrasco and Manuel ‘Niño de Gines’ and the guitarist and also composer of the music, Francisco Vinuesa. We heard Vinuesa’s excellent guitar playing on the opening night of the Flamenco Festival, as he was one of the two guitarists in Rocío Molina’s Al Fondo Riela – there, he was playing someone else’s composition but here, we heard him perform his own ideas. His role in Alter Ego is an essential binding element, following each of the dancers in their solos and duos, and accompanying the singers. From the start, Francisco Vinuesa sets the atmosphere with a slow build up from single notes on his guitar, spaced with silence that create anticipation and tension. As with everything in this production, its ‘apparent’ simplicity belies much craft.

Alfonso Losa and Patricia Guerrero created Alter Ego as a vehicle for exploring both the alter ego within and the reflection of each other; this concept was the basis for their choreography, which was made up of solos and duos, sometimes in unison and at other times in both reflection and conflict. There was a clarity of expression and a beauty in the lines and the forms that they each created. Sandra Carrasco’s singing contributed to the storyline the dancers were expressing, and this gave a special sense of unity in the performance – we weren’t watching dancers who were being accompanied by singers and a guitarist – we were watching five performers working together. 

The sets in this year’s festival are all quite minimal but the sensitive lighting design, here by Olga Garcia, more than compensate for this. Alter Ego’s props were four chairs, sometimes facing inwards and sometimes facing outwards; with each change of scene, the performers walked around them, repositioning themselves – once more, simplicity offering depths in its variations. The costume designs by Belén de la Quintana also played an important role, emphasising the movements and postures of each dancer. Patricio Guerrero has a beautifully distinctive way of extending traditional flamenco dance – without moving too far outside of the genre. The layered design in Patricia Guerrero’s outfit is particularly masterful in the range of shapes it could form in response to her movements. 

Alfonso Losa and Patricia Guerrero‘s Alter Ego was the third performance in this year’s Flamenco Festival London and, as it ended, there was an immediate and united response from the audience, who all rose to their feet for a standing ovation – even more spontaneously than on the previous nights: Flamenco Festival, directed by Miguel Marín, is certainly getting their programming right for their audience in London!

Flamenco Festival London 2024 continues until 15 June 2024 with:

Eva Yerbabuena presenting Yerbagüena (bright dark) on Friday and Saturday 7–8 June 2024, 7.30pm (and 3pm Saturday). Tickets

flamenco singer Israel Fernández with guitarist Diego del Morao presenting Pura Sangre on Sunday 9 June 2024, 7.30pm. Tickets

David Coria & David Lagos Company present ¡Fandango! on Monday 10 June 2024, 7.30pm. Tickets

Ballet Nacional de España, directed by Rubén Olmo present Invocación on Wednesday–Saturday 12–15 June 2024, 7.30pm (and 3pm Saturday). Tickets

 Sarah Jiménez presents Ave de Plata (Silver Bird) on Friday 14 June 2024, 6pm. Tickets

Florencia Oz & Isodora O’Ryain Saturday 15 June 2024, 6pm. Tickets

María José Llergo presents her second album Ultrabelleza Saturday 15 June 2024, 8.30pm. Tickets

for full programme: Flamenco Festival London 2024

Flamenco Festival London 2024 with Director Miguel Marín, is at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Ave, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4TN. Ticket Office Tel. 020 7863 8000, sadlerswells.com

© Thérèse Wassily Saba 2024