Sadler’s Wells has moved the date of its annual and much anticipated Flamenco Festival London from its usual chilly February to the hot summery atmosphere of July: Tuesday 2 July– Sunday 14 July 2019.

Sara Baras and her Ballet Flamenco company opened this 16th Flamenco Festival London with her latest production Sombras – the whole company gave an outstanding performance, deserving of the several standing ovations they received and more!

Sombras (Spanish for Shadows) is an artistic feast not only of brilliant flamenco dancing, (Sara Baras and her company of six dancers: María Jesús García Oviedo, Charo Pedraja, Cristina Aldón, Sonia Franco, Daniel Saltares and José Franco), singing (Israel Fernández and Rubio de Pruna) and music (directed by Keko Baldomero). The choreography and costume design (Luis F. Dos Santos) with the stage set (Andrés Mérida) and lighting (Óscar Gómez de los Reyes) combine to create a moving work of art, which heightened one’s sensitivity to movement and stillness, sound and silence, shadows and silhouettes, with dappled and flickering sparkles of light against shadows, black against white, colour against black and white, all supported by a pulsating rhythm (from the footwork of the dancers and the fiendishly fast Sara Baras with percussionists: Antonio Suárez and Manuel Muñoz ‘Pájaro’) that grabs hold of you from the start and does not release you.        Don’t miss it!

Sombras with Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras, Tuesday 2 July– Sunday 7 July 2019: tickets

Sara Baras is celebrating 20 years of having her own company this year, and as she tours Sombra  around the world, during her season in Barcelona, she recorded this interview:

Flamenco Festival London continues with a superb line up of new young performers and established flamenco artists at the peak of their careers:

Amir ElSaffar Ensemble presents Luminiscencia fusing Iraqi maqam tradition with flamenco and jazz with Amir ElSaffar (jazz trumpet), Gema Caballero (vocalist), Vanesa Aibar (flamenco dancer), Dena ElSaffar (violin and Iraqi fiddle) and Lorenzo Bianchi Hoesch (electronics) on Saturday 6 July 2019, 7.30pm tickets

Award-winning singer Miguel Poveda in a Recital of Cante on Monday 8 July 2019, 7.30pm tickets

The barrier breaking flamenco dancer Rocío Molina presents Fallen from Heaven on Tuesday 9 July 2019, 7.30pm. Tickets

Flamenco meets Jazz: Jesús Carmona (flamenco dancer) with Tim Ries (saxophone), Adam Ben Ezra (double bass) and David Peña Dorantes (flamenco piano) on Wednesday 10 July 2019, 7.30pm tickets

The flamenco dancer Olga Pericet presents The Thorn That Wanted to be a Flower, or The Flower That Dreamed of Being a Dancer on Thursday 11 July 2019 at 7.30pm Tickets

The flamenco guitarist David Carmona presents Un sueño de locura on Friday 12 July 2019 at 6pm. Tickets

The young flamenco singer Kiki Morente presents Albayzín on Friday 12 July 2019 at 8.30pm. Tickets

Gala Flamenca features the flamenco dancers Mercedes Ruiz, Eduardo Guerrero and María Moreno with guest singer María Terremoto  Friday 12 July and Saturday 13 July 2019 at 7.30pm. Tickets

Flamenco Festival London 2019 finishes on a high point with the choreographer, director and multi-award winning dancer Patricia Guerrero’s  Catedral on Sunday 14 July 2019 at 7.30pm. Tickets

Flamenco Festival London 2019 with Director Miguel Marín, is at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, Rosebery Ave, Clerkenwell, London EC1R 4TN. Tel. 020 7863 8000, sadlerswells.com

© Thérèse Wassily Saba 2019