The stage machinery lifted the curtain and the image of a row of flamencoThe words of those who lay down the blame provoked the first euphoric applause. Centre-back It only filled half the seats, but the audience knew what they were doing. The lineup was impressive. The singers facing forward and the dancers with their backs turned, gradually revealing their true expressions through the tight, rhythmic tonás. jondos of The Little Breast, which sparked the drawings of The Piñona, or the rocking lamb in the Triana wine cellar where she strolled Ismael de la Rosa embracing the contained subtlety of slowed-down gestures Rafael CampalloWhen he also threw the bolts of the dawn of the new day remembering Mairena, broke the racial and spontaneous dance of Pepe Torres placeholder imageTo conclude the set, the velvety bronze wails of Manuel de la Nina evoking Uncle Mollina's orchard that stirred the flamenco-infused traditions of Seville Adela Campallo.
These were the credentials to whet the appetite. From then on, a show shone, divided into individual scenes of the dancers and cantiñas with bursts of froth, in which the singers proved their worth on their own. All of this was perfectly woven together with transitions to black, duets in which the dancers passed the torch, and linked in a continuous elegance so that the stage flow was clean, enjoyable, coherent, and dynamic, conceived by the magnificent direction and production of this work, crafted by Hugo Perez.
The guitars of Joselito Pérez y Jesus Rodriguez They rounded out the quality and warmth of the performance. Full of sensitivity and rhythm, they offered the ideal support so that the four aces could abandon themselves to dancing with the canteJesús's strumming responses were tremendous, and the power he drew from the bass strings was powerful. Joselito's rhythmic cuts were delightful, playing with the bass strings and the silences. Both preluded or interwove the opening passages with compositions and falsetas of captivating musicality. And just as the dancers gave themselves over to the canteThey played the guitars, sharing their hearts among the prodigious voices of the cast and the bodies that painted their ways of feeling the embrace of the deep voices that seeped into their entrails.
Adela's petite body melted away in the zenithal light, surrendering to the ritual of romance. The painting of cante She masterfully performed a string of them, traversing the corners of Puerto de la Cruz with its corridos, the airs of Jerez, and those of Mairena. And Adela had a gesture for each of the melismas and springs of the laments that swept her away, leading her to a trance. Shoulders, hips, arms, torso, hair, heels, gaze, and dress were moved by the singers' breath at their whim, measuring the timing and transforming herself in the ceremony of the arrival of the divine incorporeality that possessed her and revealed her to us in a state of grace, caressing her surname as she passed the torch to Rafael Campallo, leaving the stage with gallantry and without fanfare. She was superb, complete, reaffirming her place as the flamenco dancer of Seville.
"And Torres arrived, a dancer of dancers, to put the final lock on the quartet." Flamenco From the tip of his heel to his hat, which gives you a jolt when he grabs his jacket. (...) He leaves your flesh trembling and your throat dry from cheering him on. He punished the wooden beams of the Central with his rhythmic footwork, brimming with style and gusto.
Rafael tentatively burst into memory in the cante from the plaintive voice of GasparA justified tribute that began with El Pechuguita skillfully and flamenco-infusedly swaying the steps, leaving the spotlight to the rest of the group, who followed suit. But this lasted only a few verses before the playful banter of the tangos arrived, where Campallo proves himself an undisputed master. No one can overshadow him. Overflowing with virile sensuality, he exploded with age in the Triana style, flirting with his handkerchief, cleaning his shoes, or passing it over his crotch, while his hip-swiveling exposed the youthful reggaeton trash in favor of the spicy salsa of the artful dance that should place him higher than he is. Because Rafael Campallo is a top-tier flamenco dancer. And he demonstrated this by captivating the audience with his overwhelming personality.
La Piñona creaked with solemnity in the taranto with tangos, casting images born from the spontaneity of a fresh and current dance, but jondoShe was the only one who poured her vision across the entire stage, expanding the horizons with her majestic arms, sometimes forming straight lines, sometimes molding the curves of her flamenco femininity, offering poses that weren't impossible, but new to a complete understanding, poses they enter without permission because they possess all the ingredients to touch the very core of the heart. Lucía's dance captivates you irrevocably. It is flamencoNaive and sensual, profoundly eclectic. But she knows where she is and what suits each stage. She combines the technique of her feet with a body and face that transform on the wooden platforms into a kind of deity manipulated by the capricious designs of the legacy of the entire history of dance. Which is not to say that each of these interventions was somewhat studied and pre-arranged.
I have my doubts about Pepe Torres, but that came later. Now the singers and guitarists remained on stage, shedding their capes to give it their all. pellizcoand honeyed caresses, sharing the cantiñas, romeras, mirabrás and alegrías of Cádiz that they finished with the refrain that popularized ArgentinaThe voiceover of Manuela CarrascoThe Goddess was a plea for dance flamenco root.
And then Torres, the dancer of dancers, arrived to put the final lock on the quartet. Flamenco From the tip of his heel to his hat, the way he grabs his jacket sends a jolt through you, the way he reveals his shoulder unleashes a torrent of cheers, and the way he shuffles his feet, culminating in a daring flourish that brings a dizzying footwork to the final flourish, leaves your body trembling and your throat dry from cheering him on. He performs on his own. Not even the singers could stop him. A stroll through soleá, stopping the clocks of the world, taming the space and the gazes of the audience, absorbed by such artistry. He punished the wooden floorboards of the Central with his footwork, overflowing with power and depth. He brought each of the singers out to recite the lyrics to his face, to find inspiration in close quarters, exploding in the frenzy of the duende's arrival. Pepe Torres created it. You can see it on video below.
At the end of the party, the entire cast came out, beginning the first set of fandangos por soleá with that of Porrinas from El Pechuguita, the one from Aznalcollar from Ishmael and the one from Maria La Sabina by Manuel de la Nina, then three more and then came the bulería, with the women in red, a memorable paso de dos by Rafael and Pepe and the final circle danced by the cantes of Paco Valdepeñas filtered through El Pechuguita's signature. The curtain fell with everyone dancing to the canteThe cloak was raised again and the ovation from the few fans present grew loud and well-deserved in a spectacle to be remembered fondly by those who appreciate art and its call to the soul.
Credits
Dancing to cante
Andalusia Cycle Flamenco
Central Theatre, Seville
May 23th 2026
Dance: Lucía La Piñona, Adela Campallo, Rafael Campallo and Pepe Torres
CanteJosé El Pechuguita, Ismael de la Rosa and Manuel de la Nina
Guitar: Jesús Rodríguez and Joselito Pérez
Production and direction: Hugo Pérez
