¡VIVA! Comes to Peacock Theatre in October

Innovative choreographer, director and flamenco dancer, Manuel Liñán will bring his Oliver Award-nominated show ¡VIVA! to Peacock Theatre, Sadler’s Wells Home of Entertainment in the West End, from Thursday 17 – Saturday 19 October.

First shown in London in Sadler’s Wells Theatre for the Flamenco Festival in 2022, the show comes to Peacock Theatre for the first time. The performance showcases a plurality of dances including traditional rhythmic footwork, curving arms and slaps to the thighs such as alegrías, tárantos and bulerías. On stage, there are six bailaores (dancers) who perform an ode to freedom that defies the traditional gender-normative codes of flamenco.

A trailblazing artist, Manuel Liñán created a new space for himself in the flamenco world, challenging the defined roles of male and female forms, working with leading artists such as Olga Pericet, and guest choreographing for the likes of Ballet Nacional de Espana, Rafaela Carrasco and Teresa Nieto. His shows have been seen in London before, most recently in 2023 in a celebratory piece called Gala Flamenca. He comes back to London with his own vibrant, joyful and exuberant show that celebrates expression and the freedom of being oneself.

To create ¡VIVA!, Liñán was inspired by childhood dreams of wearing his female idols’ costumes. His work combines the strongest elements of the flamenco form with his own creative and comedic queer expression. This unique flamenco drag show was nominated for Outstanding Achievement in Dance at the Olivier Awards 2023. Manuel Liñán’s accolades also include the first prize for a solo choreography in the Flamenco and Spanish Dance choreography in Madrid and the Premio Nacional de Danza in 2017.