Miguel Marín Reflects on Flamenco Festival London’s 20th

As the opening night of Flamenco Festival London’s 20th anniversary approaches, the air in London’s dance theatres is thick with expectation. What began in 2001 as a focused, passionate event for Spanish dance aficionados has grown into one of Europe’s defining cultural festivals, drawing more than 1.6 million spectators across 112 cities worldwide. This year’s festival, running from 27 May to 8 June, is its most expansive yet, with 25 performances by 17 companies spanning venues from the main stage at Sadler’s Wells to the Jazz Café and the Acosta Dance Centre.

But for festival director Miguel Marín, the significance of the 20th anniversary goes deeper than numbers. “Reaching the 20th edition of Flamenco Festival London is profoundly meaningful,” he says. “It’s a moment to reflect on our journey from a modest beginning to becoming a significant platform for flamenco in Europe.” As he surveys the packed schedule — ranging from icons like Sara Baras and Farruquito to fearless new voices like Queralt Lahoz — Marín is quietly insistent that flamenco is “a living art form that thrives on both tradition and innovation.”

Roots and Resonance: Flamenco’s Many Faces

The festival opens with a headline tribute to a titan of the art. Sara Baras, described by Marín as “the queen of flamenco,” brings her new work Vuela to Sadler’s Wells for its UK premiere. The piece honours Paco de Lucía, the virtuoso guitarist whose legacy continues to shape flamenco’s global reach. Baras, together with 12 dancers and musicians, leads audiences through 15 choreographic pieces in four acts: Wood, Sea, Death, and Fly.

“Reaching the 20th edition of Flamenco Festival London is profoundly meaningful,” he says. “It’s a moment to reflect on our journey from a modest beginning to becoming a significant platform for flamenco in Europe.”

“Sara’s footwork is electrifying,” Marín remarks. “She has an ability to command the stage and to make the history and feeling of flamenco present for everyone watching.” For Marín, opening the festival with Baras’s Vuela “sets a tone of reverence and celebration for flamenco’s legacy. It reminds us that what we are doing is not just preserving, but constantly reimagining the tradition.”

Yet the programme is far from nostalgic. Closing the festival at Sadler’s Wells East is the UK premiere of Retablo experimental sobre el baile flamenco by Estévez/Paños y Compañía. Where Baras is traditional, Estévez and Paños are radical. “This piece is a vibrant tribute to flamenco’s ever-evolving art,” Marín says. “It celebrates the union of tradition and the avant-garde, the interplay of song and dance, body and soul, past and present.”

A Festival of Many Stages

The sheer geographic and stylistic spread of the festival is striking. Alongside Sadler’s Wells, performances will animate the Lillian Baylis Studio, King’s Place, and, for the first time, Sadler’s Wells East in Stratford. The festival also extends into the city’s club scene at the Jazz Café and opens the doors of the Acosta Dance Centre for workshops and masterclasses.

For Marín, these choices are not just about logistics. “Venues like Sadler’s Wells East allow us to present flamenco in new contexts,” he explains. “At the Jazz Café, we can explore how flamenco interacts with other genres. These spaces help us reach different audiences and showcase the art’s versatility.”

Championing Innovation: In Progress Residencies

If flamenco’s roots are ever-present, its future is cultivated in the festival’s In Progress residency programme. Since its launch in New York in 2012 and its expansion to London, the residency has been a laboratory for new work and new voices. “The residencies allow artists time, space, and support to experiment without the pressure of immediate performance,” Marín says. “Some of the most daring and personal projects we’ve ever shown began as residencies.”

One of this year’s mainstage productions, Manuel Liñán’s Muerta de Amor, exemplifies that arc. “It started as a residency at Sadler’s Wells just two years ago and now returns as a fully realised work,” Marín says, noting that Liñán is “one of the artists who embodies flamenco’s future.”

Legacy, Community, and the Role of Place

Flamenco Festival London is shaped by place, community, and cultural exchange. The festival’s glo-cal creative labs in Málaga offer artists residencies that blend local tradition with international perspectives. Marín explains, “Flamenco is about more than performance. It’s a catalyst for creativity, dialogue, and even social transformation.”

For Marín, these choices are not just about logistics. “Venues like Sadler’s Wells East allow us to present flamenco in new contexts,” he explains. “At the Jazz Café, we can explore how flamenco interacts with other genres. These spaces help us reach different audiences and showcase the art’s versatility.”

Community is also front and centre in concerts such as Rosario La Tremendita’s Matancera, which reimagines traditional Spanish rituals through the lens of contemporary flamenco. And with international stars like Argentina, La Plazuela, and Las Migas sharing the bill, the festival draws on flamenco’s borderless reach — from the fandangos of Huelva to the jazz-inflected clubs of London.

Looking Forward: The Next Twenty Years

Asked what he hopes the festival will have accomplished in another two decades, Marín is reflective but optimistic. “I want Flamenco Festival London to remain a beacon — a place where tradition is honoured but new voices are always heard. Our goal is to make flamenco accessible to ever broader audiences and to inspire artists everywhere.”

He continues, “If in 20 years’ time we have helped to tell more stories, nurture more artists, and connect more people through flamenco, then we will have succeeded.”

Epilogue: A Living Tradition

For all its history, Flamenco Festival London is not a museum. This anniversary edition is a celebration of change, continuity, and the thrilling unpredictability of art made in the present tense. With its bold programming, city-wide reach, and commitment to creative risk, the festival invites Londoners — and visitors from around the world — to witness flamenco as it has always been: a dialogue between memory and invention, between community and individuality, between body, voice, and soul.

Or as Miguel Marín puts it, looking ahead with characteristic passion: “Flamenco will always be alive. It will always surprise us.”