Passion, anguish and enthrallment, are three sentiments that should reverberate from any flamenco performance and thankfully Eva Yerbabuena’s ¡Ay! ticks many of these boxes. Forming part of Sadler’s Wells Flamenco Festival (now in its tenth year), ¡Ay! is a collection of seven solos, choreographed and performed by Yerbabuena herself, ranging from more experimental fusions interwoven with more traditional flamenco, complete with castanets and rhythmically intricate footwork. Cultural gravitas is provided by three vocalists who embody the tortured spirit of cante jondo superbly, and are accompanied by the melodic sounds of a guitarist, a violinist and a percussionist. ¡Ay!  is an intense and varied depiction of the passion and stomp-filled world of flamenco.

The evening began with a work called Whisper; as Yerbabuena’s hands quivered violently mirroring the violin’s fast-paced vibrato, this coupled with melodramatic mime meant that Whisper could easily be mistaken for a Martha Graham piece. With only the briefest glimmers of movement that was identifiable as flamenco, the piece felt stylistically misguided and seemed like a misleading way to open a self-professed flamenco show. The second solo  that was entitled From Sideways also veered towards the realm of contemporary dance. Yerbabuena, although a strong performer, was dwarfed by the wide expanse of a bare black stage. Fortunately, when Yerbabuena donned her shawl and other traditional accoutrements the audience’s enjoyment level increased as the calibre of the evening soared.

The standout numbers of the programme were Neither You Nor Without You and Black Wings. The first encompassed lightning-speed fancy footwork and ferocious body percussion delivered with coquettish flair that could be likened to a proud peacock parading their illustrious and vibrant tail of feathers as she struts across the space. The finale of ¡Ay! saw Yerbabuena return to stage in a bata de cola (a dress with a long and rather impressive ruffled tail) poised in one of the most extreme backbends I have ever seen. Black Wings was spellbindingly captivating from start to finish. Her performance was indebted to the emotionally explosive prowess of vocalists Enrique El Extremeño, José Valencia and Juan Jose Amador.

Although ¡Ay! took a little while to find its choreographic stride, once it did, it was a real joy to watch. For me, ¡Ay!  lacked the emotionally tangible intensity that one would find in an tableau de flamenco or flamenco bar in southern Spain, an art form that felt swamped by such a large performance space. It may not have been as intimate an experience as I would have liked, but Yerbabuena still knows how to put on a memorable show. Sadler’s Wells Flamenco Festival helps to bring the esteemed flamenco genre into the mainstream spotlight so that it can be enjoyed and revelled in by a wider audience, and that is an ethos that I for one can certainly support.

Eva Yerbabuena – ¡Ay! was performed as part of the Flamenco Festival at Sadler’s Wells. For more information, see the Sadler’s Wells website.