• Sadler’s Wells’ Peacock Theatre, London, 5 – 23 May 2015
• Company: Nuevo Ballet Español
• Choreographer: Rojas and Rodríguez
• Running time: approx 90 minutes (no interval)
• Website: Sadler’s Wells’ site

Spanish choreographers Rojas and Rodríguez of the dance company, Nuevo Ballet Español, bring Spanish award-winning show Titanium to London for the first time. The show is essentially a fusion of traditional flamenco music and flamenco dance styles with break dance and hip-hop. A four-piece live band belts out amazing tune-after-tune, along with a flamenco soloist with the most amazing voice who brings further life to the show.

A video back-drop and clever lighting enhance the performances of the dancers; limited use of props is also welcomed, including dancers at the start attached to long elastic bands that stretch right across the stage as they move and at one point flamenco tap done by one the dancers on sheet metal.

The idea behind the show is that both styles have their roots in the streets, and Flamenco shows that it’s now still a force as it ever was, and the contrast of breakdance actually highlighted the beauty in flamenco.

There have been a great many shows in the last few years fusing dance styles, many of which have been shown at Sadler’s Wells. In the past fusions of break dance with ballet and salsa, and various other forms have shown to work very well. So my thoughts before coming were, would tonight’s fusion of styles prove to be a hit with the audience and could it be pulled off? The answer was obvious since Titanium was one of those few performances that were rightly rewarded by a standing ovation at the end throughout the theatre. The dance-loving audience on the opening night at Sadler’s Wells’ Peacock Theatre were mesmerised by intricacies of flamenco, along with the phenomenal athleticism of break dance. Some of the best wind-mills I’ve seen pulled off were performed on the stage tonight. An absolute delight.