Flamenco Workshop with Yinka Esi GravesSaturday September 19, 2020
1:30pm BST A flamenco class that goes straight to the heart and rhythm of the form. Enjoy a unique experience which will give you valuable understanding of how flamenco works. Through a simple choreography you will learn its fundamental concepts and aesthetics. Suitable for all ages and no previous experience is necessary. Register Here Yinka is a British flamenco dance artist whose work increasingly explores the links between flamenco and diasporic forms of expression. A journey that has taken her from ballet as a young girl and afro-cuban dancing to studying Flamenco in Spain for over 10 years in the world renowned school Amor de Dios in Madrid and later Seville. Yinka’s maestros include La Lupi, Manuel Reyes and Juana Amaya amongst others. Yinka also has a first-class degree in Art History (Sussex-2005). Having performed extensively in both the UK and Spain Yinka co-founded contemporary Flamenco company dotdotdot dance in 2014. Most notably the company presented Yinka’s work I come to my body as a question, a reimagined Guajira with spoken word artist Toni Stuart, in SAMPLED 2017 at Sadler's Wells and The Lowry, following their Wild Card at the Lilian Baylis.
In 2015 Yinka began a collaborative creation with former principal Alvin Ailey dancer Asha Thomas: 'CLAY'. This work has participated in various European festivals including Dance Umbrella’s ‘Out of the System’ in 2017 (UK). Yinka was also featured in Miguel Angel Rosales’ documentary film: 'Gurumbé: Canciones de tu Memoria Negra' (2016) the first Spanish film to highlight the influence its African population had on Spanish culture, particularly Flamenco. Yinka has subsequently performed alongside the film on its tours to the US, Africa, Latin America and Europe. Yinka is currently touring Spain in Chloé Brulé and Marco Vargas’ production 'Cuerpos Celestes'. Later in 2020 she will be collaborating with Dorothée Munyaneza on her latest work 'Mailles'. Graves is also developing her first solo work 'The Disappearing Act'. (2021) |