The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2022 - Issue 31

bitenightout back, she ‘fainted’ again, and the others caught her. In one scene, the guitar play- er sat on the bench, and one of the dancers walked toward him slowly with agile move- ments. The pace escalated as she started to tap and toss her dress while the singers accom- panied her and clapped. The other dancers also came out and cheered her on. Anoth- er great moment was the two dancers, one in a purple dress with layered black accents and the other in a white and black dress, battled it out, incorpo- rating ballet moves and the split. In the end, they make up with a hug. After the last dancer performed her solo piece, she went beyond the curtain and was helped into a cream and polka dot dress by the two singers. The others then joined her in the exact dress and danced in se- quence. Some disappeared and returned wearing either a shirt or a bodysuit and continued dancing. Eventually, they were all out of the dress and wore other apparel. One of the dress- es got passed around as if they were determining who should wear it. At the end of the performance, the seven dancers stood in a row and took off their make- up and wigs to reveal they were men (although I’d suspected this at the beginning). The au- dience stood up and applauded them. They disappeared, and the musicians came forward to take a bow. The actors re- turned dressed in maroon satin dressing gowns and took an- other bow. Although I didn't understand Spanish, their performances fascinated and intrigued me. They made me want to dance flamenco. The dancers were Manuel Liñán, Manuel Betanzos, Jonatán Miro, Hugo López, Miguel Heredia, Yoel Vargas, and Daniel Ramos. The sing- ers composed of David Carpio and Antonio Campos, accom- panied by guitarist Francisco Vinuesa, violist Victor Gua- diana and percussionist Kike Terrón. Incidentally, the doc- umentary, Flamenco Queer by Ana González and Frederick Bernas is centred on Manuel Liñan pursuing his love of fla- menco dressed as a woman and his personal story of secrecy, struggle and eventual triumph. www.sadlerswells.com Images courtesy of Gingerbread Agency