Description
Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to dance one of Flamenco's sister styles, Sevillanas! Find a new passion and take on the celebratory dance from Sevilla.
Delivered by Juan Carlos Otero, this masterclass will follow on from the previous ones, and will cover the 3rd variant of sevillanas. It is recommended for those attending to be familiar with the main basic dance, which was covered in session 1.
This whole event is part of the relaunched Flamenco Salon Series, that brings hand picked Flamenco or Flamenco inspired pieces, conversations and installations to an intimate audience keen to appreciate the best of Flamenco in London.
What is Sevillanas?
The sevillana is a dance that originated in Castile, and is characterised by vibrant dress and passionate movement. It was originally a courting dance, but has now evolved into a dance that is performed by those of all ages. The dance can be very sensual when danced as a duet, although the dancers rarely touch each other. Originating from Old Spanish courting practices, a pair would not touch until the final moments of the dance when the man embraces the woman, putting his arm around her waist to passionately finish the dance.
The sevillana is not flamenco, although now it is performed by flamenco artists who give it that special flamenco touch. Today, the sevillana is danced at any form of get-together, whether it is the feria, a wedding, or at a family party, where everyone present will join in. The sevillanas can be broken down into sections, performed to a set of carefully worked out steps of which there are at least nine different steps in each section and four sections in the overall dance.
About Carlos:
Carlos is a London-born, multi-disciplinary artist and producer known for fusing flamenco with contemporary art forms across dance, theatre, performance, visual design, video, music, and sound. He holds a BA (Hons) in Fine Art (1994), specialising in performance art, but has built his professional career primarily in flamenco dance.
His practice explores themes of dual nationality and cultural identity, blending Spanish folk traditions with contemporary art. A specialist in tablao—improvised flamenco where musicians follow the dancer—Carlos is known for his dynamic improvisational skills and has collaborated widely across folk, Latin, jazz, pop, classical, and theatre.
Since 2004, he has also worked in contemporary dance, notably as a semi-finalist with LamatDance for The Place Prize (2006). From 2008, he trained and worked with the Royal Opera House’s Creative Partnerships scheme, sparking a passion for arts education and cross-curricular learning.
In 2013, he began creating experimental theatre, supported by Arts Council England. His Don Quijote adaptation was featured in the British Council’s Edinburgh Showcase and Tempo Festival in Rio. His recent works—Republica and Deconstructing Carmen—blend flamenco, autobiography, punk, and politics.
Carlos continues to teach and perform flamenco while developing original theatre and cabaret.
Our on-site Latin tapas bar, La Bodega, will be open after the workshops, serving Spanish and South American drinks and homemade tapas - please email us to reserve a table to eat.
Our Flamenco masterclasses are ticketless events - we have a guestlist! We do not send physical or digital tickets for these events, so once you have booked you will receive a payment confirmation only. Once you arrive for the event, please approach the bar to let us know of your arrival.
Please note :
Once you have registered, we are unable to offer refunds for non-participation or non-attendance, for any reason. However, we require 6 confirmed registrations to launch each masterclass. Therefore, if we do not reach this minimum number shortly before the scheduled start date, the class will either be postponed (by up to two weeks), or will be cancelled (with a full refund offered). If another masterclass is running at the same level but a different time, this will be offered to you.
