The dancer celebrates 25 years of her company with a tour of Catalonia
Sara Baras, one of the most recognized dancers in the world, has recently premiered Vuela, a show that pays tribute to the brilliant guitarist Paco de Lucía, who died a decade ago. The work, which also commemorates the quarter century of Sara Baras’s flamenco company, has been a great success at the Teatro Real in Madrid, where it sold out two nights in a row. Now, the artist is preparing to present her work in Catalonia, where she has already sold out the tickets for her performance at the Liceu on March 20. Before, she will perform at the Girona Auditorium next Saturday, and then, from October 23 to November 10, she will do a season at the Coliseum.
Vuela, a fusion of flamenco and music
Vuela is a show that seeks to reflect Paco de Lucía’s way of understanding flamenco, as well as the trajectory of Sara Baras’ company. The dancer admires the personality of the musician, who knew how to combine flamenco with other musical registers. The montage reviews the guitarist’s most famous songs, but also introduces other less known ones, which show the relationship between Baras and Lucía.
Four acts that tell a story of life and art
Vuela is divided into four acts that tell a story of life and art. In Madera, the influence of the roots and innovation of the musician, who introduced cajon percussion to flamenco, is shown. In Mar, he connects with some joys that evoke the place where the guitarist used to compose (he said that without the sea he couldn’t live, says Sara Baras). In Death, the scenes of mourning are collected and the emptiness is found due to the disappearance of the musician, which is added to that of his father (who already danced Baras in Alma, the previous production). Finally, in Volar, personal growth is sung, remembering absent people in a positive way and dancing a couplet, to link with the last album composed by Paco de Lucía, which he dedicated to popular songs.
The value of rhythm in flamenco
Flamenco has the value of rhythm. For Sara Baras (as the guitarist also said), artists of this genre learn to breathe life and music. This is an advantage over other artistic styles. The wide variety of suits and styles offers a very rich range. The audience does not need to know it, but this diversity is what allows a connection with live viewers: our audience has that rhythm, they know the difficulties and they get excited.
