Review: BALLET FLAMENCO SARA BARAS: ALMA, Sadler's Wells

“I am the soul that dances chainless. I am the moon’s insatiable dream. I am a witness in life’s shadow…there is no need to tell you that this is my flamenco heart which has a bolero soul.” And, with this, Alma's opening speech lays bare the poetic nature of this legendary flamenco dancer’s highly dynamic and deeply hypnotic shows.

And prize-winning, too. When she last performed in London in 2019, Baras’ show Sombras bedazzled not just the audience but the Olivier Award judges too. She went on to win the Outstanding Achievement in Dance and was all set to collect her trophy before the Awards ceremony and (pretty much everything else) was cancelled the following year. Four years on after that production, she finally picked up her award from Sadler’s Wells’ Artistic Director Alistair Spalding and Oliviers co-producer Hannah Essex during one of the (many, many) curtain calls. Better late than never.

Baras is more a shawl gal than a cape-wearer but she is something of a hero to the global Flamenco community. Since founding her own company Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras in 1998, she has choreographed and directed over a dozen shows which she has taken around the world. Her 200-plus shows at the Champs-Elysees Theatre garnered her a Gold Medal Of Fine Art in 2020 and this week she returns to Sadler’s Wells and their Flamenco Festival with her latest creation, Alma (Soul).

Age has not withered her dancing skills but, at 52, Baras sensibly uses a well-honed backing troupe of six dancers to perform alongside her and give her a breather between extended displays of solo bravura foot-stomping. Her individual routines are mesmeric to watch, poetry set to motion, a rapid rat-a-tat-tat that threatens to get away from her but then stops on a penny to create pin-drop moments. Around a dozen segments showcase a variety of Flamenco forms - not least Algo Contigo’s gorgeous bulería, Alma’s heartstopping bolero, Adoro’s impossibly precise jaleo – drawing in her crew (including the wonderful Daniel Saltares) in several deliciously choreographed pieces.

Few dance forms are traditionally as closely connected to one instrument as flamenco and, on guitar, musical director Keko Baldomero and Andres Martinez do not disappoint. Diego Villegas adds feisty flavour to proceedings with his soaring jazz saxophone solo and harmonica playing while on the drums Anton Suarez and Manuel “El Pajaro” Munoz complement the dancers’ rhythmic beats with their own. Rubio De Pruna and Matias “El Mati” Lopez sing from the heart with an abundance of sorrow, fire and passion.

Two hours with no interval is a long time for any show but the highly visual staging keeps the attention throughout. Domingo Martin’s lighting creates an elegant nightclub vibe with cones of lights and spots picking out the dancers while curtains add depth to the choreography and abstracting away the band when focusing on the physical action. The colourful mantóns (shawls) intrinsic to flamenco and voluminous dresses move our eyes off the floor to take in more than just the highly skilled footwork.

From crown to corns, Alma is slicker than wet wellies and, even if Baras tried our patience towards the end, it is another outstanding testament to the appeal and talent of one of the dance world’s global icons.

Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras: Alma continues at Sadler’s Wells until 9 July. The Flamenco Festival continues until 15 July.

Photo credit: Sofia Wittert

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