In the industrial space of Nave 1 of Matadero, known as Intermediae, Sarah Calero presented on Wednesday a first sample of intangible, his new creation, which promises to be one of the most daring and personal works of his career. Framed in the first Biennial Flamenco Madrid, this 'first sample' – a more precise term than the worn-out 'work in progress' that we borrowed from the Flamenco London Festival, which has adopted it in its current edition, revealed an artist in the midst of a creative transformation.
The staging was as intelligent as it was revealing. A square platform, slightly raised and perforated in the center, housed the musicians, while the approximately two hundred spectators who filled the space were distributed along three of the four sides of the square, creating an enveloping intimacy rarely achieved in conventional theatrical spaces. This arrangement, far from being merely functional, became a fundamental part of the stage's discourse: the audience as direct witnesses to a confession.
The musicians –Christina Pascual y Miriam Hontana to the violin and Batio Hangonyi on the cello—were not mere accompaniments, but an integral part of the performance. Their technical virtuosity and superb interpretation significantly elevated the emotion of the entire piece, establishing a constant dialogue with Calero's body. Their physical presence on stage, crowned by wide-brimmed hats that the dancer herself would later adopt, established from the outset a play on identities that would permeate the entire piece.
The body as a battlefield
For just over half an hour, Sara Calero displayed a universe of pent-up rage and unleashed fury which marks a notable evolution from his previous works. If in Finitude o Be reborn explored grief and transformation through a dance closer to Spanish dance, more aerial and corporal. Here, the dancer allows herself to be violent, fast, and, above all, angry. Calero's dance is grounded, unfolding in a constant, virulent tapping.
The only stage element – a simple white cube – revealed itself as a territory of multiple dramatic possibilities. Calero inhabited it as pulpit from which to point an accusing finger at the public, as a refuge to sit in moments of vulnerability, and as a dance partner at times.
"If previously she explored grief and transformation through a dance closer to Spanish dance, more aerial and corporal, here the dancer allows herself to be violent, fast, and, above all, angry. Calero's dance is grounded, unfolding in a constant, virulent tapping."
Intangible, or the woman who wanted to be a man –according to its full subtitle– seems to pose a visceral reflection on gender identity and social masks. The wardrobe functioned as a map of this journey: the wide-brimmed hat transforming Calero into a defiant, mustachioed gentleman, the black dress with a white interior and a long cape that covered her as a gentleman, temporarily turned her into a nun, and finally transformed her into the naked woman of artifice who extracts a blood-red handkerchief from her crotch.
This last image, of overwhelming symbolic power, seemed to condense the core of the proposal: blood as a biological truth, as an indelible mark of a femininity that prevails beyond adopted appearances. Blood was expelled, drawn out, to surround her waist in the most tense dramatic moments of the performance.
Calero's body music masterfully alternated between moments of almost robotic stasis and explosions of violent footwork, a duality that painted a portrait of a fragmented identity, of a woman who has learned to navigate diverse codes in order to survive socially.
The lively music of Vivaldi chosen –?Summer, The four Seasons?–, along with other musical fragments of a more contemporary appearance that we were unable to identify and that do not appear in the informative text of the work, provided a dark and dramatic sound cushion that, performed with exceptional precision, speed and sensitivity, perfectly sustained the emotional intensity of the proposal. The musicians managed to distance themselves from the flamenco traditional to embrace a more universal sound, creating an environment that amplified every gesture and every silence of Calero.
As the synopsis itself points out, intangible reflects on "the pleasure of contemplating two sides of the same coin," establishing a dialogue between the ephemeral nature of dance and the enduring nature of other arts. This first exhibition was a privilege: to witness the creative process of An artist who is not afraid to show her wounds, her doubts, or her questions.
In this new creation, Sara Calero has found a territory where her impeccable technique is put at the service of a more raw and direct expressive urgency.
Credits
intangibleby Sara Calero
I Biennial of Flamenco Madrid
Warehouse 1, Matadero Madrid
May 28th 2025
Idea, direction, choreography and performance: Sara Calero
Violin: Cristina Pascual, Miriam Hontana
Cello: Batio Hangonyi
