Once again, the town of Malaga in Torrox hosts the creative residency program In Progress which, in its 2026 call for entries, will feature various selected projects, led by artists flamencoArtists such as David Coria, Paula Comitre, Alfonso Losa, Sara Jiménez, Rajatabla, and the flamenco duo Juan Tomás de la Molía and Águeda Saavedra will participate. These creators will have access to this space for research, experimentation, and artistic support, which aims to broaden the horizons of [the field/artistic expression]. flamencoopening a dialogue between different disciplines and cultural traditions and which has the support of Concienciarte Foundation, Flamenco Festival and the Torrox Town Hall, with the support of INAEM (Ministry of Culture).
In Progress thus celebrates its fourth edition, positioning itself as a benchmark in promoting new creative languages and processes within the flamencobringing together established and emerging artists in an environment conducive to reflection and creation. The program also offers the possibility, depending on the nature and objectives of the proposed creative process, of extending the residency in a second phase to the collaborating theaters of Flamenco Festival, which includes Sadler's Wells (London), New York City Center (New York) or Adrienne Arsht Center (Miami).
Thus, since its launch in 2021, Torrox has been a creative meeting point for artists, both of international renown and emerging talents. flamenco, leading to the production of innovative and multidisciplinary shows and placing the town and the flamenco at the center of the international map of this art.
"Once again, the town of Torrox in Malaga hosts the In Progress creative residency program, which, in its 2026 call, will feature various selected projects, led by artists flamencoas David Coria, Paula Comitre, Alfonso Losa, Sara Jiménez, Rajatabla and the flamenco dancers Juan Tomás de la Molía and Águeda Saavedra»
Exploring flamenco innovation
The project Babel. Living Tower, from the company of david coriaThe piece is currently being developed in residencies. Rooted in flamenco dance, it explores the power that divides, the utopia of communion, and the beauty of difference, taking the myth of the Tower of Babel as its starting point. Through an intense and ritualistic physical language, the work transforms the body into a space of encounter and tension, reclaiming collective construction as a profoundly human gesture, even in its fragility.
The artistic team brings together leading figures from the contemporary scene. The original concept and artistic direction are by David Coria, a key figure in the current flamenco avant-garde, renowned for his innovative approach and a career backed by numerous awards; the dramaturgy is by Alberto Conejero, one of the most influential voices in contemporary Spanish-language theatre; and the musical direction of david lakes, referent of the cante current and regular collaborator of the choreographer.
The artistic team for this piece, which will premiere on June 11 as part of the program of Montpellier Dance Festival (France), Pablo Peña, responsible for the original music, composer and producer linked to projects such as Pony Bravo, as well as creator of soundtracks and stage pieces, and Tiscar Espadas, in charge of the wardrobe, whose career combines fashion, conceptual creation and international projection, being one of the most recognized emerging designers on the current scene.
As part of his residency at In Progress, on Monday the 13th David Coria will perform at the Centre Pompidou Málaga to present, together with David Lagos, a sample of the creative process developed during these days under the title Other.
The proposal is conceived as a pure stage dialogue between body and voice, where both artists engage in a direct conversation between movement and canteFar from a closed reading of flamencoThe piece understands it as a living, transforming material, open to exploration and the intersection of languages. Thus, 'Otro' is structured as a territory of tension and mutual listening, in which Coria's body and Lagos's voice construct a shared dramaturgy where silence, gesture, and lament acquire structural value. The result is a raw and direct stage experience, in which tradition and contemporaneity coexist in a single creative pulse.
He will also be spending time at the In Progress residences this year. Velintonia, Rajatabla Dance, a proposal that pays homage to the Generation of '27 through the flamenco and stylized Spanish dance, in dialogue with contemporary poetry and music.
The piece reinterprets texts by authors such as Federico García Lorca, Rafael Alberti, Dámaso Alonso, Concha Méndez, Ernestina de Champourcín, and María Zambrano, also giving prominence to female creators of The HatlessSeven performers transform the verses into stage material, generating a visual imaginary that moves between the folkloric, the urban and the surreal.
The direction and choreography are by Esther Tablas, counting on Edward Loyal as guest choreographer and with original music by Josete OrdonezThe project is conceived as a contemporary approach to the legacy of the Generation of '27, where poetry, body and sound intertwine in a common stage language.
Another of the projects selected in this fourth edition is The company, by the choreographer Sara jiménezA stage piece that explores the idea of “otherness” through the body, the flamenco and contemporary dance. The work revolves around a traveling theater company that functions as a metaphor for a community in transit, where the popular, the absurd, and the marvelous coexist in a shared theatrical imaginary. Through references to vaudeville, mythology, and popular culture, the piece reflects on how identity is constructed and what mechanisms determine what is "one's own" and what is "other's."
The Madrid native too Alfonso Losa will do residency in Torrox with Corps de ballet, a piece that reflects on the relationship between the individual body and the collective body through the flamenco Contemporary. The work stems from the tension between the dancing body, subjected to wear and tear, limitations, and fragility; and the dance troupe understood as a community, questioning how the group organizes itself in the face of individual vulnerability. From this duality, the piece proposes a critical perspective on systems of hierarchy and power, advocating for listening, care, and empathy as fundamental principles of coexistence.
Inspired by flamenco As a space of resistance and collective memory, the proposal vindicates the capacity of the individual gesture to transform the common, and proposes a scenic structure in which performers and musicians share space without hierarchies, configuring a single creative organism in constant relationship.
The fifth residency project within In Progress is I dare you, a creation of Juan Tomás de la Molía and Águeda Saavedra under the direction of Manuel LinanIt proposes a stage where the act of dancing is understood as a gesture of acceptance and openness. The piece explores the encounter between two bodies that negotiate distance, recognition, and mutual transformation, understanding every invitation as a shared risk. Through movement, sound, and silence, the work reveals the invisible architecture of the encounter, making visible the tensions and affinities that arise when one body proposes and another responds.
The sixth residency project is An empire is well worth it., Paula CometreSecond installment of a stage trilogy dedicated to great female figures of the Silver Age who marked the development of Spanish dance and the flamenco contemporary.
The piece takes as a reference to Pastora EmpireRevisiting his legacy from a contemporary perspective to reimagine his influence on the contemporary scene. After After you, MadameFocusing on Antonia Mercé 'La Argentinita', this new chapter continues the exploration of memory, creation and the female presence in the history of dance.
With an eye toward international projection and the promotion of new creative hubs, In Progress continues to demonstrate that flamenco It is an art in constant evolution, capable of transforming and connecting audiences around the world through innovation, risk and cultural diversity.
In previous editions, more than 30 companies have participated, featuring artists such as Olga Pericet, Rocío Márquez & Bronquio, Sergio de Lope, Ana Morales, Alberto Sellés, Alfonso Losa and Patricia Guerrero, Compañía Manuel Liñán, Maui de Utrera, Estévez y Paños, Rosario Toledo, La Moneta, Macarena López, Florencia Oz, Mercedes de Córdoba, Rosario La Tremendita, Lucía la Piñona, Iván Orellana, Julio Ruiz, María Moreno, and others. ♦
