On Tuesday 5 October 2010 Eva Yerbabuena premièred her new show called Cuando yo era … at the Teatro Maestranza during the Bienal de Flamenco in Seville. 

Like so many of her productions, it functions on a deep psychological level, which often only becomes clear long after one has left the theatre and replayed the production in one’s mind. 

Opening with the execution of two men – and a third who is spared for no reason, one is immediately reminded of the horrors of the Spanish Civil War, which is all the more shocking because of the expectation of seeing a flamenco performance. Although flamenco often expresses deep emotions including pain and grief, violence is not something commonly portrayed.

A potter’s workshop is the setting for the next scene and the short video below gives some idea of the exploration of the potenital expressiveness of flamenco dance which Eva Yerbabuena undertakes here. 

Eva Yerbabuena en “Cuando Yo Era… “ from BienaldeFlamenco on Vimeo.

The cock fight portrayed in ‘El Reniero’ is another spine-chilling experience, danced by Eduardo Guerrero and Fernando Jiménez. 

© 2010 Thérèse Wassily Saba