
Sara Baras at the Sadler’s Wells Flamenco Festival 2025
- Posted by membership
- On June 5, 2025
The release of the Sadler’s Wells Flamenco Festival programme always creates much excitement at the BritishSpanish Society. We know we’ll take a group of members to see a show, but which one? This year’s choice was difficult but there was one name being excitedly whispered across the team with much vigour, Sara Baras.
The show ‘Vuela’ was billed as a ‘choreographic journey of 15 unique pieces across four acts revolving around a different word: Wood, Sea, Death and Fly’, elements which were clearer to see and follow in some of the pieces than in others. It seemed deliberate that Sara started the show relatively calmly, showcasing elements of flamenco as feet only pieces, with steps peppering the stage like bullets; arm and hand pieces, contorting into positions that made the arthritic amongst us wince, it felt as though we were being led on a journey of discovery to learn what all these small intricate pieces could become when joined together. The wait felt a little too long, perhaps it was the lack of an interval, or maybe Sara was teasing the audience, but a few of us shifted impatiently in our seats waiting for the explosion of music and movement. When it came we weren’t disappointed. Dance, music, singing – all exceptional.
Sara clearly performs for herself and for audience, she known for cajoling the gallery, encouraging them to provide feedback through whoops and calls of ‘olé’, she received plenty. When we were slow off the mark to congratulate her company we were gently scolded, shows of appreciation was also rewarded, with the gentleman seated behind us, whose enthusiasm rocked our seats and tickled our eardrums, receiving a blown kiss from Sara for his efforts.
We didn’t know when the show would end. The curtain came down, the lights went up, some went home. Then the real show began. An encore longer than the show itself. It felt as though Sara had served her contractual obligation to put on a show, then the real show began.
Sara showed her company extraordinary generosity. The show carries her name, a position she has earned having danced flamenco since childhood, and still headlining in her 50s, yet her constant focus was on her company, regularly handing the limelight to them, putting them centre stage to show off their own musical and dance abilities. Instead of ‘look at me’, which a dancer of her heritage and quality could easily demand, the show narrative was very much ‘look at them’. We may have been drawn to see Vuela because of her name, but the bonuses were in the performers gifted to us by Sara.
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