Flamenco Festival 2025

Celebrate Spain: The Heartbeat of Flamenco

In partnership with Flamenco Festival and in collaboration with  Sadler’s Wells Theatre, the Acosta Dance Centre is proud to co-host all activities for the Flamenco  Festival 2025!

Join Manuel Liñán, Alberto Selles, Juan Tomás de la Molía, and José Agudo as they honour Spain, the land deeply connected to the soul of flamenco.

Experience an extraordinary journey through the art of flamenco with exclusive workshops led by the most renowned bailaores.

Immerse yourself in the rhythm, passion, and tradition of pure flamenco.

 

SCHEDULE  (Please note the Flamenco Festival schedule is subject to change without notice).

Saturday, May 31, 2025.

11:00- 12:30 pm 
Studio Aud Jebsen: All levels
Master class with José Agudo
Style: Flamenco – Contemporary Flamenco spirit.

Participants will experience the fundamentals of Flamenco dance such as rhythm, and expressive use of the arms and footwork, and then explore how those skills may be brought into contemporary dance. After the warm-up, there will be an opportunity to learn Jose’s repertoire and play with the spontaneous aspects of Flamenco. There will be space to improvise with these rhythmical patterns and techniques. But most importantly, they get into the groove and warmth of the contemporary flamenco spirit.

12:30 pm-1:45 pm Break to eat and socialize.

2:00 pm – 3:30 pm
Studio Aud Jebsen: All levels
Master class with Manuel Liñan
Style: Flamenco – Granada Tangos Style
These tangos are notably influenced by Arab culture, both in their music and in their dance. Distinctive hip and head movements make these tangos a dance with a unique identity closely tied to Granada.

3:30 pm Break

4:00 pm – 5:30 pm 
Studio Aud Jebsen: All levels
Master class with Alberto Selles
Style: Flamenco –

Sunday, 01 June 205

11:00- 12:30 pm
Studio Aud Jebsen: All levels
Master class with José Agudo
Style: Flamenco (Flamenco spirit – same as above cont).

12:30 pm-1:45 pm Break to eat and socialize.

2:00 pm – 3:30. pm
Studio 1: All levels
Master class with Tomás De La Molia
Style: Flamenco—Bulerias—It will consist of a class in which the bailaor will adapt to the needs and preferences of the students, and we will feel free to enjoy the Bulerias. Tomás will sing, and we’ll be able to dance to the ‘cante’.

 

MEET THE ARTIST:

Manuel Liñán (1980)

A flamenco artist deeply rooted in tradition, Manuel Liñán exudes purity both in himself and in the dance he conveys. After years of exploring new trends, this dancer and choreographer has chosen to take flamenco dance to an unprecedented point where brilliance meets simplicity, placing him at the forefront of contemporary flamenco.

Liñán began his career as a creator and choreographer in 2009 and continues to produce new shows today. His works are characterised by an absolute mastery of the stage and a unique ability to create new paradigms, extracting their full potential.

His most celebrated production, VIVA!!, premiered in 2019 and continues to tour internationally. This revolutionary show has transformed the flamenco scene, earning numerous accolades, including his third Max Audience Award and the Critics’ Prize at the Festival de Jerez. The success of VIVA!! has been recognised by major media outlets such as The New York Times, which published an extensive feature on the show. As a result of this recognition, Liñán also recorded a documentary titled Flamenco Querer for The New Yorker, directed by Eyes Film.

In 2013, he received his first Max Award as Best Male Dance Performer.

In 2017, he was honoured with the prestigious National Dance Award, with the jury highlighting his artistic maturity, versatility, and his ability to expand the horizons of flamenco.

 

Alberto Sellés (1991, San Fernando, Cádiz)

Alberto Sellés began learning the fundamentals of flamenco at the Virginia and Verónica Vélez Academy. He later continued his studies in Jerez de la Frontera with Angelita Gómez and Patricia Ibáñez.

In 2010, he presented his show En libertad at the Real Teatro de las Cortes in San Fernando. In April 2012, he won First Prize at the XIII Young Flamenco Performers Competition organised by the Federation of Flamenco Clubs of Seville, and in June of the same year, he won the XXIV National Flamenco Art Competition in Ubrique.

In February 2014, as part of the Festival de Jerez, he premiered the show Las campanas del olvido, for which he was awarded the Festival de Jerez’s Revelation Artist Prize. In September 2016, during the Bienal de Flamenco, he premiered Inmanencia at the Teatro Lope de Vega alongside Javier Barón and Rafael Campallo.

Sellés has been a member of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía under the direction of Rafaela Carrasco and later Rafael Estévez. He also choreographed Romeras for the production Flamenco: Tradición, Vanguardia and the piece Zorongo for Flamencolorquiano, presented at the Generalife Gardens in Granada.

In November 2019, he premiered Once, with a special collaboration from Milagros Menjíbar, as part of the Jueves Flamencos series by Cajasol, receiving high praise from both audiences and critics.

He balances his work with his own company alongside collaborations with Estévez/Paños Cía, Manuel Liñán, and Arcángel.

In 2020, he was awarded First Prize at the 29th Spanish Dance and Flamenco Choreography Competition for Group Choreography.

In 2023, he was nominated for the Max Awards as Best Male Dance Performer.

 

Juan Tomás de la Molía is a 24-year-old flamenco dancer from Trebujena (Cádiz) who began his training at the age of six. He has studied under renowned masters such as José Galván, Javier Barón, El Choro, and Rafael Campallo.

He has been a member of the Ballet Flamenco de Andalucía and has earned prestigious awards, including the National Flamenco Art Competition of Córdoba 2022 and the Revelation Artist Award at the Jerez Festival 2024 for his show Vertebrado, directed by Manuel Liñán.

 

Jose Agudo: Jose started his career in Andalusia where he began performing as a Flamenco dancer. Slowly the world of contemporary dance became more visible as he worked throughout Europe performing with Metros, Charleroi/Danses, Ballet de Marseille, T.R.A.S.H, Shobana Jeyasingh Dance and Akram Khan Company.

As a rehearsal director and assistant choreographer Jose has worked on several creations for Akram Khan Company from 2010 to 2017. Including the Olympics 2012 Opening Ceremony.

In 2010, Jose started to study Kathak under Akram’s guidance. Finding many parallels between this training and his early studies of Flamenco, Jose reconnected with his roots and began to explore traditional forms in a contemporary context. As a result, he created Agudo Dance Company in 2017. Creating Silk Road, which has toured in 6 countries to date, Carmen that tour in UK and France and Hero that it’s touring world wise.

Jose’s independent choreographic commissions include Phoenix Dance Theatre, Norrdans, ZfinMalta National Dance Company, Cape Dance Company, ACE Dance and Music, Rambert School of Ballet and Contemporary Dance, English National Ballet School, BODHI Project SEAD, The Place, London Studio Centre, Area Jeune Ballet, Festival International de Musica y Danza de Granada, Northern School of Contemporary Dance, MAP University of Chichester and collaborations with London Mozart Players and Subrang Arts.

Since 2019 Jose has embarked in a new adventure diving into the world of the musical theatre, publicity and commercial. First as an Associate Choreographer for Cabaret at the Kit Kat club. Then choreographing the flamenco scene and performing as the character of Rico at Strictly Ballroom the musical by Baz Luhrmann in the UK and in Denmark.

Jose choreographed and performed at the Opening Ceremony of the Davis Cup 2019 by Rakuten in Madrid. And he was part of the Madrid Tourism Publicity Campaign during 2024.

His last collaboration during 2024 was as Assistance Director and Movement Director in the immersive physical theatre experience ‘Journey of a Refugee’. Directed by Sue Buckmaster and produce by Theatre Rites and Agudo Dance Company.

Agudo is collaborating with many different institution in the international scene. Specifically, in the area of Indian and flamenco art in a contemporary context.

He is a guest choreographer, teacher and lecturer in many of the leading dance institutions in the world. He is a Yoga Teacher by Yoga Alliances and he hold a Distinction Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Dance by Kent University.

He is listed in the new edition of 50 Contemporary Choreographers, an international publication by Routledge.