Hamlet, the dance of the melancholic De Jesús Herrera

Company name: Jesús Herrera Flamenco Ballet

Company country: Spain

Director: Jesús Herrera

Distribution:

Jesús Herrera – principal dancer, "Hamlet"

Lola Jaramillo - "Hamlet's Mother" dancer

Hugo Sánchez – dancer, "Death"

Begoña Arce – dancer, "Ofelia"

José Enrique de la Vega – piano

Liam Howarth – guitar

Marian Fernández – vocalist

Bernardo Parrilla – flute and saxophone

Darío Vallecillo – drums

The creative team:

Jesús Herrera: Artistic Director, Choreographer

José Enrique de la Vega: Music director

Álvaro López: Lighting technician

Luis Alberto Naranjo: Sound technician

Jaime Trancoso, Ph.D. Flamenco Agency: Distribution and coordination

Show synopsis:

For the first time in history, one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies is becoming a Flamenco production. Hamlet is a story about family, revenge, power and crime – and these are the aspects that, with their intensity and passion, make it a perfect story for Flamenco. Here, not only the flamenco dance gives charm to the story, but also the collaboration with the local choir.

Hamlet, by way of the well-known narrative thread, was written by the English playwright William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601; the detailed characterizations present in the text still appeal to audiences today. In other words, its themes and story are timeless – and flamenco naturally incorporates all of this. The tragedy takes place in Denmark and tells the story of the young Prince Hamlet who decides to take revenge on Claudius for the death of his father. The story offers numerous points of intensity that are creatively transposed through dance.

Company description:

Jesús Herrera's Flamenco Ballet is composed of a selection of artists from Seville; the company's first show was launched on November 28-29, 2019 at Teatro Victoria Eugenia in collaboration with Orfeón Donostiarra. It also had great public and critical success at the Gdańsk Shakespeare Festival in 2023.

The premiere of this show led to the expansion of the career of the choreographer and dancer Jesús Herrera, who returned to his hometown of San Sebastián to present the ambitious project Hamlet, the dance of the melancholic. After the first autobiographical projects, Dantzari and Dantzari/Bailaor, the artist Donostiarra made a huge leap with this new performance based on Shakespeare's play, accompanied by Orfeón Donostiarra.

Premiering at the Teatro Victoria Eugenia de San Sebastián, Hamlet, the Dance of the Melancholy features a more mature, focused Herrera, ready to heighten the audience's experience and enjoyment.

Director biography:

Jesús Herrera is an artistic director, choreographer and flamenco dancer. Juan Vergillos described him as follows: "Jesús Herrera is a dancer with a strange figure. Both the face and body expression have that something unique and recognizable of the modern male flamenco dancer. His dance is expressive, bold and powerful, supported by an inner current. For him, the technique is just a pretext to reveal the man underneath. It's something shown because it exists, out of conviction and because it knows that the steps are just an excuse to be on the board. The culmination of any dancer, any performer, is to demonstrate the futility of choreography."

Director nominations and/or awards:

Finalist of the "Cante de las Minas" competition in 2006 and 2007 

Winner of the National Dance competition for Alegrias from Perla de Cadiz in 2005.

Winner of the "Tu gran dia" contest on Spanish Television in 1999.

Show duration: 1h 30 minutes (without break)