Israel Galván

Seises

Directed, choreographed and performed by

Israel Galván

Visual space

Carlos Marquerie

Costumes

Micol Notarianni

Harpsichord and piano

Daria van den Bercken | Gerard Bouwhuis

with

Helena Astolfi, Ramón Martinez

and

a children's choir

Sound

Pedro León / Félix Vázquez

Lights Supervision

Benito Jiménez / Valentin Donaire

Technical Direction

Pedro León

Stage Manager

Balbi Parra

Management

Rosario Gallardo


Producion

IGalván Company

Co-producion

Grec Festival de Barcelona, Théâtre de la Ville Paris, Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla, Teatro della Pergola - Fondazione Teatro della Toscana, Centro de Cultura Contemporánea Conde Duque, MA scène nationale Pays de Montbéliard, Fira Mediterrània de Manresa, Théâtre de Nîmes, Scène Conventionnée d’intérêt national – art et création - Danse Contemporaine, Flamenco Biënnale Nederland

in collaboration with

INAEM

The visual and acoustic landscape of Seville becomes movement in a dance solo, that alludes to childlike innocence based on what is known as the 'Baile de los Seises' and the unbroken voices of a children choir.


Seville cathedral is not only the largest Gothic cathedral in the world and one of the most important buildings in the Andalusian capital, it is also the setting for a tradition known as the "Baile de los Seises” [Dance of the Six], a dance originally performed by six children (there are now ten) dressed in traditional 16th-century clothing. They only perform three times a year: for the Immaculate Conception Festival, during Carnival and at Corpus Christi. Israel Galván was born in Seville and is the son of Seville bailaores José Galván and Eugenia de Los Reyes. The Seises are an integral part of the childhood memories of this transgressive bailaor, who has made flamenco avant-garde and is now using this Andalusian tradition with religious roots to create a choreographic solo in two parts.

The first part recreates the visual and acoustic landscapes of Seville, based on Alessandro and Domenico Scarlatti's sonatas for harpsichord and piano, the Fandango of Padre Antonio Soler, the imagery of hyper-realistic bodies by the Seville painter Diego Velázquez and the childlike innocence inherent in the "Baile de los Seises". The second part of the choreography celebrates the beauty and glorification of the body, based on its martyrdom and consumption, in a contradiction that features a reading of love poetry in the background. The show ends with the voices and silences of a children's choir. The children perform themes that intertwine and engage with the dancing of Israel Galván.

tour dates

Spain Valencia Festival 10 Sentidos – 6 May 2023

Austria Festspielhaus Bregenz – 18 March 2023

Spain Festival de Jerez Teatro Villamarta – 8 March 2023

Spain Madrid Conde Duque – 19-22 October 2022

Spain Fira Mediterrània de Manresa – 7 October 2022

Spain Sevilla Bienal de Flamenco – 17 September 2022

Spain GREC Festival de Barcelona – 2-3 July 2022 (world opening) 

©Natalia Benosilio

Born in Sevilla, Spain, into the dancing family of José Galván and Eugenia de los Reyes, Israel Galván underwent classical flamenco training but since his first creation ¡Mira! / Los zapatos rojos (1998), that paves the way for a manifesto for a new spirit of flamenco dance, he has gradually transformed into un unclassified dancer and choreographer. Galván recodifies the physical language of flamenco, using not only modes of expression genealogically close to it, such as bullfighting, but also performative aspects of other rituals of popular culture, from football to activism and cross-dressing. He produces a multiplicity of bodies for a flamenco that is itself going through a process of change. Each of his creations is to be a milestone in his pursuit of a dance that seeks to free itself from certain features inherited from a crystallized flamenco. He wants to refocus dance on the actual act of dancing. Israel Galván was honoured with the most prestigious prizes such as the Premio Nacional de Danza (Spain), the New York Bessie Performance Award, the National Dance Award for Exceptional Artistry (UK). In 2016, he was promoted to the rank of Officier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France..