Flamenco Festival 2018, Sadler's Wells

A firm fixture of February at Sadler’s Wells, and a hugely popular one too, the Flamenco Festival brings some of the top names of Spain’s most famous art form to London.

Guitars, singers, castanets and fierce footwork will come dressed in extravagant flounces and oversized intricately embroidered shawls; but not in all cases.

In fact, one of the most exciting aspects of Sadler’s Wells’ Flamenco Festival is that alongside traditional interpreters it presents artists who are experimenting with flamenco and exploring avenues for its future evolution.

So the Gala Flamenca La Chana (21-23 Feb) is for fans of the most traditional flamenco puro. Four champions of the form come together in a homage to the mythical La Chana, who will herself put in a much anticipated appearance.

At the other extreme, the iconoclastic dancer and choreographer Israel Galván, who has been stretching flamenco to its very limits (and sometimes beyond), will direct the classical dancer Isabel Bayón and her company (20 Feb) in an avant-garde show that purports to explore the demons and superstitions of the flamenco world. Appropriately, this is called Dju-Dju.

In between you will find a large variety of approaches to flamenco, illustrating its sheer versatility and continued relevance. For example, in Yo Carmen, María Pagés Compañía brings a female approach to Prosper Mérimée’s tragic heroine, whose story has invariably been told by men.

Altogether seven acts will perform at Sadler’s Wells for just under two weeks – for the full programme, click here