How to stay connected to that which is still with us despite its apparent disappearance? In her debut solo creation, Yinka Esi Graves uncovers the forgotten influence of Black culture in flamenco. Inspired by the 19th century acrobat Olga Brown, also known as Miss La La from a famous painting by Edgar Degas, Graves examines camouflage as a way of being physically present in a hostile environment.

Together on stage with Yinka Esi Graves is the flamenco guitarist Raúl Cantizano, a pioneer of improvisation in this genre; the drummer and poet Remi Graves whose reflections on the themes addressed in the work and their experience playing musical genres other than flamenco have been fundamental in its creation; and the flamenco singer Rosa de Algeciras, who has written lyrics specifically for the work.

“The Disappearing Act”, at the same time a virtuosic dance performance and a concert with live musicians, explores the relationship between flamenco and other forms of bodily expression from the perspective of today’s African diaspora.

Yinka Esi Graves is a British choreographer and flamenco dancer. In her work she explores the links between flamenco and contemporary forms that have their roots in the African diaspora.

She studied at the Amor de Dios dance school in Madrid and later in Seville with artists such as La Lupi, Andrés Marín, Yolanda Heredia and Juana Amaya. As a flamenco dancer, she accompanied well-known artists such as Remedios Amaya and Concha Buika. Graves’ recent work with dance makers and thinkers nora chipaumire and Dr. Ama Wray has further informed her work.

Yinka’s co-creation “Clay” with choreographer Asha Thomas (former Alvin Ailey dancer) marks the beginning of a more investigative and experimental approach to her work. She also draws on her collaboration in productions such as “Los Cuerpos Celestes” and “Origen” by Cia Marco Vargas and Chloé Brûlé. As well as “Mailles” by Dorothée Munyaneza, with whom she has performed at international festivals.

Graves’ first solo work, “The Disappearing Act”, premiered in 2023 at the Flamenco Festival in Nimes (France) and is the culmination of her multidisciplinary exploration of invisibility. As part of the Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla 2022, Yinka presented “The Disappearing Act: On Erasure”, an illustrated lecture based on the theoretical corpus of the stage play.

[Source: tanzimaugust.de]

TFB Nr. 1912