Language has these quirks: we read a word backwards and a new reality is revealed, which then becomes inseparable from the first. vanessa aibar He played with his last name, and the word that emerged was RagePerhaps she wondered if she felt something similar, if she had reasons (who doesn't?) to feel it. If she could do something with that anger. The flamenco dancer—and performer, given her dual status as a flamenco and contemporary artist—who won the Max Award with her acclaimed The queen of metal, began to shape a new proposal, which finally premiered this weekend at the Central Theater of Seville.
In that process, Aibar stumbled upon the investigations of Juan Manuel García-Ruiz around crystallography, and specifically on a fascinating topic: the origin of life, embodied in the moment when the inorganic became organic. It may sound somewhat abstruse to the uninitiated, but everything is better understood on the tables. At the Central, Aibar appeared center stage, standing on a small platform surrounded by a silver cyclorama. A striking element adorned her chest: an ice breastplate that slowly melted as she executed the first, mechanical movements, aided by lighting that highlighted her spectacularly athletic physique.
The ice is not only present on Aibar's torso. The woman from Jaén takes thick blocks in her hands and throws them to the ground so they disintegrate into a thousand pieces. Those that remain, she stomps on, or crushes with the heel of her shoe, wielded like a hammer. The initial exercise in restraint, control, and geometric perfection contrasts sharply with the violence of these outbursts. We are accustomed to seeing the stage as a place of creation, not destruction, and at the same time, we are mesmerized by the decomposition of those thick crystals of frozen water. The paralysis will be dispelled; the rage will find its outlet.
"The metamorphosis is complete. The audience is captivated by an unusual display of energy, temperament, and poetic taste. Is it possible that January isn't even over yet and we've already seen one of the productions of the year?"
Some may wonder where does the flamenco in this speechI would venture to say in everything, although it hardly needs emphasizing. jondo It is Aibar's natural language, even though her dance is enriched by other disciplines. More leg-based than arm-based, but well-equipped with rhythm and strength, she is accompanied by a splendid Gem Knight, which shines equally brightly and makes the dancer shine in the polo, as well as in the soleares or the seguiriya.
Special mention should be made of the work of the British Frank MoonAlthough many artists are reluctant to "interfere" in the field of flamenco When musicians outside the genre attempt it, it's undeniable that the results are sometimes astonishing. I'm thinking, for example, of the piano playing of Sylvie Courvoisier en The curve de Israel Galvan, or the one Orlando Bass en After you, madam, Paula Cometre...among many others. In this case, Moon deploys an inexhaustible catalog of sounds, but not only to envelop Aibar's story: the third vertex of the triangle assumes a fundamental role on stage, creating atmospheres and tensions, all cooked up before our eyes, giving full meaning to the notion of live performance.
Along that path, lAibar's rage has been danced (with the inherent risks of a damp floor), submerged and cushioned in the water, cradled in the womb of a glass bathtub, transformed into a legless being, and finally serene through her upright figure, reconciled with herself. Ice, lest we forget, also burns. The metamorphosis is complete, and the audience surrenders to an unusual display of energy, temperament, and poetic sensibility. Is it possible that January isn't even over yet and we've already seen one of the year's most remarkable productions?
Credits
Aibar / Rageby Vanesa Aibar. World premiere
Central Theater of Seville
January 31, 2026
Direction, choreography and dance: Vanesa Aibar
Artistic accompaniment: Guillermo Weickert
Playwriting: David Montero
Musical composition and performance: Frank Moon
Cante: Gema Caballero
