Israel Galván - El Dorado

The dancer visits the Sala Verde at Teatros del Canal on 13 October to present his new show as part of the new edition of the Suma Flamenca festival. In El Dorado, Israel Galván represents his gypsy heritage, that of Israel de Los Reyes, embarking on an artistic search in the roots of his mother.

The title of the show, El Dorado, does not refer to the legend or the disasters related to the City of Gold. It refers to a venue in Barcelona, specifically the Sociedad Flamenca El Dorado, where Israel Galván was invited to present a project.

To accompany him in this project, Israel Galván brings together Los Mellis de Huelva: Antonio and Manuel Montes Saavedra, known for their virtuosity as palmeros (hand-clappers). “In this piece I give great importance to pure rhythm; it is a carnal piece because we are not going to use percussion instruments, only hands,” explains the artist. Only the four hands of Los Mellis de Huelva and the body of Israel Galván will produce sound, as if they were machines. The objective is to create a symphonic flamenco piece of handclaps, bringing to the foreground the palmeros, who are generally in the background in flamenco groups.

Born in Seville in 1973, Israel Galván is a dancer and choreographer who has stood out for his complicated dance steps accompanied by his impressive foot movements. In his trophy cabinet he treasures the Vicente Escudero Prize at the National Flamenco Art Competition of Córdoba 1995, the El Desplante Prize of the International Cante de las Minas Festival of La Unión 1996 and the Prize of the 1st Young Performers Competition at the 9th Seville Flamenco Biennial 1996.

Furthermore, Israel Galván was awarded the National Dance Prize in the creation category in 2005 and in 2014 he obtained three Max Awards (Best choreography, Best performance and Best show) for his work Lo real.

Artistic credits:

Venue: Teatros del Canal - Sala Verde

Conception, choreography and dance: Israel Galván

Handclaps: Lo