Christopher Walker reviews Carmona’s The Jump at the Sadler’s Wells
Sadler’s Wells explores flamenco every year in a festival which it says is “a unique opportunity to see world-class international artists in London.” And so it is, writes Christopher Walker.
Previous festivals have been straightforward explorations of the art form, but this year’s one examined how flamenco can permit social and psychological exploration.
It opened with Manuel Linan’s male dancers exploring flamenco’s feminine side.
It closed with Carmona’s The Jump, a glorious celebration of flamenco’s masculine dimension.
Flamenco developed in Southern Spain in the eighteenth century.
It is unique to that corner of Europe, and the local gitano (gypsy) culture, but also has roots in the Romani dance traditions that originated in Persia and Northern India.
There is no better male flamenco artist to showcase than Jesus Carmona. He is flamenco’s chief wizard.
He started his professional career at the age of 16, among prestigious companies like Carmen Cortes, El Güito and Antonio Canales.
He honed his art, learning from the greats – Antonio Canales, Eva Yerbabuena, Domingo Ortega, and Manuela Carrasco.
At the age of 25 he was elected flamenco’s ‘Best Dancer’ in Madrid.
Carmona is also an accomplished master of tap dancing, and for three years even had a side gig as the first dancer of the Spanish National Ballet, before triumphing with his show at the Flamenco Biennal in Seville in 2011.
The Jump is a highly personal work which both showcases every element of Carmona’s many skills and explores what he describes as “his own journey around masculinity in the 21st century.”
Carmona is ever present and in his high heeled flamenco boots raps out the rhythm like a machine gun.
The work is a series of set pieces each exploring different elements of masculinity, with a particularly Spanish strain.
Each piece is themed and is costumed in different male garb.
The music was wonderfully atmospheric, with the glorious voice of José Valencia, crying out the pain that Carmona is feeling.
The live musicians were also excellent. Juan Requena on guitar and Manu Masaedo on percussion.
The whole piece has a slight café feel, and my only regret was not to be closer to the performers, sitting at a table on stage with a jug of sangria.
Ole Sadlers Wells!
Pictured: Carmona’s The Jump – Picture: Tomas Muruaga
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