Barcelona Flamenco Ballet Brings LUXURIA to Glendale's Alex Theatre

Suspense, intrigue, sex, scandal, love. The Alex Theatre presents Luxurîa ("Lust"), the latest flamenco dance-theater sensation from Spain's internationally renowned Barcelona Flamenco Ballet. One performance only is set for Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m.

Award-winning Barcelona Flamenco Ballet artistic directors, choreographers and ballarines principals (principal dancers) David Gutiérrez and Paula Reyes will be accompanied on the Alex Stage by cantaor (singer) Joel de Pepa and guitarrista (guitarist) Jordi Centeno. Percussionista (percussionist) Gerardo Morales, a Los Angeles native and local flamenco circuit favorite, joins the ensemble for the L.A. segment of the company's eight-state U.S. tour.

Showcasing the company's unique, pioneering style that combines traditional flamenco dance and music with elements of ballet, classical and jazz, Luxurîa spins an intensely passionate tale about a charismatic artist (Gutiérrez) who encounters the greatest love of his life (Reyes). The audience becomes privy to the performers' most intimate emotions when "Lust" intervenes. Barcelona Flamenco Ballet's innovative form of flamenco conveys the intensity, the passion and the tragedy as our hero is plagued by self-doubt, pride, despair and, ultimately, loneliness.

One of the most skilled and talented flamenco artists in Spain, BFB founder Gutiérrez is an internationally recognized leader of modern flamenco. A child prodigy, he trained in Andalusia with some of the best maestros before going on to perform as a soloist and winning "Best Flamenco Solo Dancer" at the Gibraltar Stage Dance Festival. In 2018, he was recognized by all 200 member countries of the United Nations with admission to the International Dance Council. Since then, he has led BCB to international prominence, performing at prestigious venues and festivals around the world including Beijing's Center of Performing Arts and the Shanghai International Dance Center in China; the Varna Summer International Festival and VIA Fest in Bulgaria; the Al Bustan International Festival of Music and the Performing Arts in Lebanon; and the Cēsis Vidzeme Concert Hall in Latvia. Gutiérrez received Max Award nominations for "Best Male Performer" and "Best Choreographer" for the company's previous production, Flamenco Reborn, and was awarded the Performing Arts Prize by the Andalusian Federation of Communities in Catalonia. He was named "Honorary Artist" of China's Foshan Grand Theatre, and he was awarded the Crown Prize by the government of Catalonia.

Luxurîa premiered last August at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania, one of the most important performing arts festivals in the world. In addition to the current U.S. tour, Luxurîa will return to Romania before traveling to Italy and South Korea.

Luxurîa is sponsored by the Departament de Cultura de Catalunya (Catalonia Department of Culture) and Ajuntament de Barcelona (Barcelona City Hall).

One performance of Barcelona Flamenco Ballet's Luxurîa takes place at the Alex Theatre on Saturday, April 16 at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $100. The Alex Theatre is located at 216 North Brand Blvd. in Glendale, CA 91203.

To purchase tickets and for more information, including up-to-date Covid-19 safety protocols on the day of the performance, call (818) 254-8456 or go to alextheatre.org

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