Flamenco India is a dance, theatre and music show directed by Carlos Saura in 2015, premiered at the Calderón Theatre in Valladolid and co-produced by Valladolid City Council and Teamwork Arts (Delhi).
“The show is based on the connections that can be established between Indian music and dance and flamenco. Various experiments have been carried out between flamenco and Indian rhythms and dances, and yet, regardless of the varying degrees of success of these experiments, it should be noted that it is not easy to delve deeply into the musical and rhythmic relationship between these two cultures, and yet there are connections that allow for such an approach. Flamenco, with its oriental influences, especially from the Arab world and also from the gypsies who came from India via Rajasthan across the southern Mediterranean, allows us to move towards a promising future thanks to its diversity and flexibility. India: in its immensity, with different languages and religions, and where musical and dance canons are more strict and ritualised, some artists today are trying to incorporate new rhythms. We are aware of the difficulty involved in the necessary simplification that a theatrical show like this entails, but we have tried to give an overview of these two cultures that are so distant and yet so close. We ask ourselves again: is it possible to find a common link in the music and dance between flamenco and India? In the show we propose, we want to show both the differences, which do exist, and the similarities and possibilities of achieving this rapprochement. It is no coincidence that we begin the show with a “Farruca”, an almost ritualistic flamenco dance of Galician origin, and continue to combine the two cultures, ending with a “Tarara”, an example of this India-Flamenco- Flamenco-India symbiosis. All that remains is for me to thank all the artists for their enthusiasm and dedication, and everyone who has made this show possible”.
Carlos Saura