Manuel Liñán
¡Viva!
A memory: A boy locks the door, puts on his mother’s green skirt, fastens flowers in his hair, applies make-up and dances a fiery flamenco in front of a mirror. Completely unthinkable behavior, so shameful that it holds the boy in its grip for many years. But the feeling cannot be captured. It breaks loose, becoming a seed that grows into a passionate performance – a life-affirming tribute to the elemental force that is the origin of all movement. The dance opens a portal that has been sealed and rips apart the barrier between that which is private and that which is public.
At one moment, flamenco can be introspective, soft, subtle and at the next it can explode into an eruption of powerful feelings. The dance style is characterized by strong, traditional gender roles. Audiences of ¡VIVA! will experience some of Spain’s foremost flamenco dancers. In this case, they are all men dressed in the beautiful, extravagant creations so strongly associated with flamenco. An orgy of intense colors, polka dots, lace and long flounces. When a man dresses in women’s clothes it can paradoxically be a way of exposing one’s naked self, of displaying oneself to the world. But above all it is a way of expressing one of the many possible identities within every human body.
¡VIVA! fractures flamenco’s traditional gender roles – and does so with joy and authenticity. The memory of forbidden moments hidden behind locked doors is an invitation to participate in exalted dances of tears and triumphs. Audiences leave this performance with wet cheeks and fiercely beating hearts. New, unexplored territory can be discovered beyond traditional flamenco. Everything is possible.
Manuel Liñán was born and raised in Spain’s flamenco tradition. He is a multiple prize-winning dancer and choreographer, highly praised for his sharp technique, unmatched precision and soaring energy. Liñán is renowned for his honest love for, and respectful, curious, artistic research in the world of traditional flamenco. He has the proven ability to renew the tradition and make it relevant for new generations. ¡VIVA! is one of his most celebrated productions, a colorful composition in which he appears onstage together with six dancers, musicians and singers.
Direction, choreographic direction and dance: Manuel Liñán
Scene advisor: Alberto Velasco
Dancers and choroegraphers: Manuel Liñán, Manuel Betanzos, Jonatán Miro, Miguel Heredia, Daniel Ramos and Yoel Ferrer
Music: Francisco Vinuesa, Victor Guadiana and Kike Terron
Musical advisors: David Carpio and Antonio Campos
Guitar: Francisco Vinuesa
Vocals: David Carpio and Antonio Campos
Violín: Victor Pitarch Pronk “Guadiana”
Percussion: Kike Terrón
Light design: Alvaro Estrada
Costume design: Yaiza Pinillos
Shoes: Arte Fyl
Sound design: Enrique Cabañas
Stage manager: Octavio Romero
Tour Manager: Ines Garcia
Characterization and hairdressing: Mauro Gastón
Text: Adaptation of “Juego y teoría del duende” by Federico García Lorca
Executive producer, management and distribution: Ana Ca
Presented in collaboration with Flamenco Göteborg
TRY-SOME-FLAMENCO!
Kristallfoajén at 5.30 pm / Stora Teatern
You who have a ticket to VIVA! welcome to a “try-on-flamenco” in the Kristallfoajén at 5.30 pm with Ann Sehlstedt. For both beginners and experienced flamenco dancers. Take the chance to learn some flamenco steps under the guidance of one of Sweden´s most eminent flamenco dancers!