Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras: Vuela

London Flamenco Festival, Sadler’s Wells, London
May 27, 2025

Bigger than ever before, London’s Flamenco Festival is back and got off to a cracking start with the return of Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras in Vuela, which takes the audience through palos (songs) in different ranges, reminding us of roots, the sea and, finally, freedom.

After an overture of sorts, Sara Baras begins seated with zapateado, her super footwork a mere taster for what is to follow, and cantea. The company then perform a rondeña, anchoring its rather freeform rhythm with effective use of canes.

Baras represents the air, performing a tientos (a dance derived from tango) in a doubly full-skirted white dress which she swirls like a 19th-century skirt dancer until it almost takes on a life of its own. She is then joined by the women of the company, each in a light blue bata de cola dress, dancing to Paco de Luçia’s joyful La Barossa. They each take on an embroidered shawl, known as a manton, of heavy white netting, like the nets of fishermen. When the women join forces briefly, Baras flicks her skirt like foam capping the waves as the section ended with another allegrias.

The rondo section representing death, gives seguiríya, a deeply expressive love song; a saeta, traditionally a religious song sung during processions; and, of course soleá. Danced in low light and black costumes, it is the heart of the work. Baras takes on a heavy, large manton, cleverly lit to hint at the colour that was past and to come.

The final section gives the traditional tangos, fandangos and, to finish, bulerias. Again, the use of fans, a traditional prop, is effective and deft. Initially the women wield a fan in each hand. In their second dance, the speed at which they manipulate them is breathtaking, making it seem their wrists are made of rubber. 

Luis F. dos Santos’ costumes are terrific. The use colour, in particular Baras wielding coloured strips of fabric, even when in monochrome, is evocative and dramatic. Solid blocks of colour in the women’s dresses make them seem to leap off the stage without ever suggesting the garish.

This is superbly supported by Oscar Gomez de los Reyes’ lighting. Whether the white bars of light that strafe the stage and that seem to imprison the soloists, or the expressive use of shadow and contrast, it evoked the strong light of Andalucia and complemented the palette of the costumes.

The musicians are fabulous too, even if the team is unusual: May Fernández and Matía López singing and palmas, Keko Baldomero and Andrés Martinez on guitar, Rafael Moreño on cajon, Ivo Cortés on cello and last but by no means least, Alexis Lefevre on violin. Whilst it may offend the purists, Lefevre’s playing was virtuosic and at times, very subtle. Whether pushing the boundaries of his instrument’s range or ‘duetting’ with Baras, he never overstepped the mark.

Zapateado is Baras’ forté and it was certainly to the fore, possibly at the expense of more expressive dance. Nevertheless, Sara Baras and her company, just five years older than the festival itself, have set the bar very high for this 20th anniversary edition. They are going to be a hard act to follow.