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The new Sevillian school

Matilde Coral (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Antonio Canales and María Pagés could also be considered the tip of the iceberg of the modern Sevillian school. The city of La Giralda is the most fertile breeding ground for bailaores, some of them born within its borders and others adopted from other lands by maestros with unique schools such as Matilde Coral, Manolo Marín and José Galván. Learning the norm, absorbing it, breaking it... The trends which have arisen from the same roots touch upon everything between orthodoxy and heterodoxy, a variety enhanced with the personality of immensely worthy young bailaores. Isabel Bayón, Javier Barón, Rafael Campallo, Ángeles Gabaldón, Rafael de Carmen... are bailaores who firmly defend tradition, each adorning classicism with airs of the times they live in, with their respective ways of expressing themselves. Enough approaches to create shows of their own which are becoming known little by little on the Spanish and international circuit. This line is already being refurbished by still younger bailaoras like Pastora Galván and Adela Campallo.

Israel Galván (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

There are those who are more extreme from the creative viewpoint. Rafaela Carrasco's flamenco regard is full of originality. She resorts to the musicality of dance, the opening-up of perspectives, intimacy. Along similar lines is Andrés Marín, a cante lover constantly in search of movement, with a peculiar figure and shows like ‘Más allá del tiempo’ (‘Beyond Time’) and ‘Asimetrías’ (‘Asymmetries’) performed in countries such as France, Spain and the United States. Israel Galván is the eccentricity of flamenco dancing, pure experimentation, deconstructed flamenco dancing. He usually shakes up spectators with shows like ‘La metamorfosis’ (‘The Metamorphosis’), ‘Galvánicas’ and ‘Arena’ (‘Sand’). Nothing is more avant-garde.

Nor to be forgotten is the singular road taken by two terrific grass-roots baile maestras: Manuela Carrasco and Juana Amaya. They are bailaoras with a mark, with fury, containing the passing of time. Both in the touches of their repertoire they provide in summer festivals and in the more elaborate shows they take to the great flamenco events, they make it clear that non-academic baile with natural expression, with touching gestures... has those who uphold it.

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