Flamenco Flamen’ka, a dance show directed by Strictly Come Dancing judge and choreographer Craig Revel Horwood, comes to the Lyric theatre for an eight-week run from 18 September (press night 22 September).
Based on an original story by dancer Karen Ruimy, Flamenco Flamen’ka showcases flamenco, tango and contemporary ballet through a narrative centring on a passionate love triangle which puts blood-ties to the test and ends in tragedy.
Australian dancer-turned-choreographer Revel Horwood has directed musicals and dance shows all over the world. In the West End he has worked on productions of West Side Story, Miss Saigon, Martin Guerre, Hey Mr Producer!, Hard Times The Musical, Calamity Jane, Beautiful And Damned and, last year, the Billy Zane-Claire Bloom two-hander Six Dance Lessons In Six Weeks. His choreography has twice been nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award – in 2000 for Spend, Spend, Spend at the Piccadilly and again in 2003 for My One And Only, also at the Piccadilly.
However, Revel Horwood is now better known for being one of the four judges on BBC celebrity dance competition, Strictly Come Dancing, the sixth series of which begins in the autumn as Flamenco Flamen’ka opens at the Lyric.
Flamenco Flamen’ka features a cast of international flamenco and Latin dancers led by Ruimy, who also narrates. Additional choreography is by Jerome Couchart, Marjorie Ascione and Manuel Gutierrez Cabello, with music by Bruno Ribero.
The Lyric is currently dark after the closure of Cabaret, which occupied the theatre from October 2006 until 21 June this year.
CB