This show from Ballet Nacional de España at London’s Sadler’s Wells had everything you could want from Flamenco and it deserved every minute of its two standing ovations.

Before the first standing ovation at the end of part I we enjoyed an intriguing fusion of ballet and flamenco. The dance had all the passion and heat of flamenco but with an interesting quiet softness which left the audience still and mesmerised. There was so much to look at, from technical brilliance to intricate arm movements that we all sat quite still, enchanted by the dance. When the curtain came down, we couldn’t believe our luck that there was more to come.

Part II was equally brilliant, with multiple shouts of appreciation from the full house watching the show unfold. The introduction of more flamenco elements; singing and guitars, only increased our collective adoration and admiration of the performance. There was increased foot tapping and a definite rhythmic sway throughout the stalls. We were again delighted when we thought it was all over that our emphatic applause led to a beautiful encore, the only disappointment was learning on leaving Sadler’s Wells that we had not, as we believed, been transported to the white walls and sunny skies of Andalusia. Bravo! Bravo!

BSS member and dance critic Graham Watts previews the 2024 Flamenco Festival in edition 263 of La Revista.