flamenco
New York, New York
Photo courtesy of the artist
Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández have been called “the golden couple” of flamenco. Partners in life as well as on stage, they refer to themselves as “los ricos,” a term of endearment between them that celebrates the wealth and treasure they have found in flamenco and in each other. Noted for the depths of their rapport, the pair perfectly transmits the intimacy, grace, power, and emotional intensity of flamenco, with Olla’s precise, lightning-fast steps and the deft swirls of her gorgeous, long-trained bata de cola dress responding to every nuance of Fernández’s evocative voice.
Flamenco emerged in southern Spain around the turn of the 20th century, born of the rich cultural interaction between the region’s Andalusian folk culture, which drew heavily from both Islamic and Jewish traditions, and the musical traditions of the gitano (the Spanish name for the people and culture elsewhere known as gypsy or Roma). Central to the power of flamenco is the concept of duende, a moment of such profound emotional expression that time, and the barrier between audience and performers, disappears. Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández create this powerful atmosphere whether in a traditional tablao café or on the world’s grandest stages.
Bailaora (dancer) and choreographer Sonia Olla grew up in Barcelona, listening to recordings of old-time flamenco with her father. When she found a flamenco school in her neighborhood, she says, “From that moment, I knew I wanted to dance and told my mother. Since then, I haven’t taken off the shoes.” Like many of today’s best flamenco musicians and dancers, Olla completed her studies at conservatory, in her case at the famous Instituto de Teatro y Danza in Barcelona. She has danced around the world as a featured artist with some of flamenco’s greatest stars.
Cantaor Ismael Fernández is a singer of uncommon talent, carrying on the skills and repertoire passed down through generations of his family. With gitano roots on both his maternal and paternal sides, he grew up performing flamenco as a member of the legendary La Familia Fernández. He still performs at international flamenco festivals with this acclaimed family ensemble. Ismael Fernández won the prestigious National Contest of Córdoba in 2004 and, like Olla, he has performed worldwide with a who’s who of flamenco artists.
Sonia and Ismael each toured as featured performers with the company of Maria Pagés, where they met and fell in love. Together they have built a life that, like their flamenco performances, is a unique and brilliant improvisation constructed out of the traditional forms, or palos, they have spent their lives perfecting. Their collaboration has brought surprises, like the opportunity to choreograph and perform in Madonna’s 2015 Rebel Heart tour, and teaching opportunities like their 2020 residency at the Berklee School of Music. Residents of New York City for the past decade, they continue to continue to perform to rapturous audiences worldwide, while also building a celebrated flamenco school in Manhattan where, as Sonia says, “our purpose is to give everything that we have to fans of flamenco.”