Long Live! Asian premiere: When a group of men put on long dresses and jump up Flamenco
What would be the scene when a group of men wear bright long tailed dance dresses, with flamboyant flowers on their heads and long tassels, and dance flamenco?
From September 14th to 15th, Flamenco's "Long live!" was performed at the Shanghai International Dance Center. Men need to break free from masculinity, women need to break free from passion and charm. For 250 years, Flamenco has been dancing like this, but "Long Live!" has subverted the audience's imagination of Flamenco. Many people compare it to Matthew Burn's male version of Swan Lake.
When a man wears a woman's long skirt and dances
This is the first time that the Spanish dance troupe Manuel Linan has visited China to perform, and it is also the first Asian performance of this work. As soon as the ticket was issued, it attracted audiences from all over the country, even flamenco enthusiasts from Japan and South Korea couldn't resist and came to watch the show by flying. An audience member said, "This is a performance that has been sold 'explosive' globally, with all the members being top dancers. What exactly is a pure 'Spanish girl' and what kind of free and vigorous vitality is? Just take a look and you'll know."
A Song of Life
Manuel Linan, the director of "Long Live!", is a popular star dancer, choreographer, and director in Spain today. He has won the Spanish National Dance Award and this year was nominated for the Oliver Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance for his performance in "Long Live!". Linan was born in Granada, Spain. At the age of 5, he began studying flamenco and studied under industry leaders such as Manolette and Mario Maya. In 2013, he was awarded the highest award in Spanish Flamenco performing arts, the Best Male Dancer, and was selected as the "Best Dancer" by the Flamenco art critics. With a love for Flamenco, he broke through tradition with a male class performance of "Long Live!".
Each dancer has different personalities and expressions
"When I first started learning flamenco, I always heard a saying: 'Men must dance like men and have masculinity.' In fact, I was curious about the way female dancers dance, but the teacher never gave me this choice. 'As Linan and his dancers dressed in long skirts and jumped into female steps, he demonstrated this new possibility of dance with a revolutionary attitude, as well as his diverse and inclusive creative attitude and life experience.".
Long live
In 2010, Spanish flamenco dance was included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. It is a dance with generosity, fanaticism, boldness, and unconstrained spirit as its core. Since the 1980s, the new flamenco has replaced the traditional flamenco, without pleated skirts, shawls, and hair accessories, as well as traditional music and music. Linan went the other way, returning to tradition in "Long Live!". Dancers curled up their dark hair, dressed in elaborate costumes, and their dark hair curled up, showcasing the beauty of traditional flamenco.
Long live
Flamenco's dance steps are full of passion, and this type of dance requires considerable strength. Female dancers are also full of pride and a strong sense of power when performing. It is precisely this that distinguishes flamenco dance from other dance genres. Therefore, when men wear women's clothing and perform flamenco works in cross dressing, they present a different strength and passion.
Play the Spanish guitar
"Long Live!" is considered Linan's "pinnacle work". Since its premiere in Madrid in 2019, it has been invited to perform in multiple performances worldwide, with few votes available. According to Roger Salas, a critic for the Spanish newspaper, this is "the best performance of Flamenco and Spanish dance".
The live band and singers are also very outstanding
"My dancers and I are telling our stories through dance. Each dancer has different personalities and ways of expressing themselves. They break free from constraints and dance freely," said Linan. Whether in a suit or a long dress, Linan presents his true self. In the final act of the performance, Linan and the dancers took off their costumes and makeup on stage, presenting their true selves to the audience.
