On Wednesday, April 15, the door of Teatro Cervantes I was seething with impatience to see the new work of the flamenco dancer from Malaga. Rocío MolinaThere we were, his loyal supporters, people from the world of visual arts, flamencoof all kinds, her teacher The Lupi with his inseparable Curro de María. And we all filled to capacity a theater that had been closed for weeks. no tickets.
To our surprise, we found Rocío Molina already on stage, as if it had nothing to do with her, doing mobility and stretching exercises, with Sola de The Greeks In the background, you could feel the spark of anticipation that something new and exciting was about to happen.
Once we were seated, Rocío picked up a wired microphone that transported us back to those 80s shows, and she began her warm-up, talking nonstop in a kind of monologue where she laid herself bare, explaining the process, confessing her fears, and sharing anecdotes. Showing the inner workings of an artist is already a risky and courageous idea, but having her narrate it to us is a true gift.
From the first time this critic attended a Molina performance, back in 2005, one element stood out powerfully above all else: this dancer's overwhelming mastery of her body. This mastery is the result of rigorous training, but above all, it is a mental mastery, where fatigue doesn't exist, where pain is meant to be overcome, faced head-on, and endured, where every muscle must do exactly what the mind dictates. This, which Rocío has been training since she was seven years old, is taken to its highest expression in Heatingwith determination and discipline, with personality and power.
"Rocío Molina has a gift. Whatever she does, she's even more talented." flamencoWhether more dance-like, more improvised, or more rehearsed, all his movements exude elegance and fluidity; he never comes across as crude or rough: even if he wants to be at some point to provoke, that natural grace prevails.
But in addition to that mental control over her body, Rocío Molina has a gift. Whatever she does, she becomes even more... flamencoWhether more dance-like, more improvised, or more rehearsed, all his movements exude elegance and fluidity; he never comes across as crude or rough, even if he tries to be so at times to provoke a reaction. grace Naturalness prevails. Her arm movements are exquisite, her hands move with delightful grace, her legs are infallible, and her posture is perfect and in keeping with the feeling she wants to express, because expressiveness and interpretive ability are other qualities she possesses. With her face and body, she conveys sensations: passion, weariness, pleasure, anger, exhaustion.
The music is sparse and perfectly chosen, because the protagonist here is that never-ending warm-up process. She will never stop starting again and again. It's her declaration of intent. She doesn't want the party to ever end, because she's terrified of the day she can't or won't start again.
The Oruco He acts as her coach, encouraging her and pushing her to the limit in that warm-up, reminding her of what her teachers, like The Lupi —whom she mentions at various points in the show—, they told her in each lesson. The set design, understated, features a light box, which is both a mirror and the space where the four singers meet, Ana Polanco, Anna Salazar, Maria of Tango y Gara Hernandezwho have some flashes of brilliance that they take full advantage of. They thrill us with their piercing voices in cantiñas, fandangos, bulerías, sevillanas, and rumbas, in fragments, even parodying the guitar playing and with the memory of Camarón very present.
Just as she had begun, warming up as we entered, when we sensed the show was over, she resumed her footwork, continuing and continuing, focused, like an endless loop that would never end. We all gave her a standing ovation, aware that we had witnessed something unique, and we resisted leaving her on stage while the staff busily directed us to the exit.
It sounds Nobody loves you anymore, The GreeksRocío, we love you, don't take too long to come back.
Technical sheet
Heating, by Rocio Molina
Cycle Flamenco you will be it
Cervantes Theatre, Malaga
April 15th 2026
Dance, choreography and direction: Rocío Molina
Female singers: Ana Polanco, Ana Salazar, María del Tango, Gara Hernández,
Compass: José Manuel Ramos “Oruco”
Capacity: Full
