Paco Peña

IMN representation: North America

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As guitarist, composer, dramatist, producer and artistic mentor, Paco Peña embodies both the authenticity and innovation in flamenco and has transformed perceptions of this archetypal Spanish art form. The soul of flamenco lies in the authentic expression of emotions through music and dance.

Since 1970 Paco Peña has performed regularly with his own hand-picked company of dancers, guitarists and singers in a succession of groundbreaking shows. The Paco Peña Flamenco Dance Company has taken flamenco into the realm of music-theatre with regular seasons in London (Royal Festival Hall, Sadler’s Wells Theatre and Barbican) and festival appearances in Edinburgh, Adelaide, Amsterdam, Athens, Israel, Istanbul, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Born in the Andalucian city of Córdoba, Paco Peña began learning guitar from his brother at the age of six and made his first professional appearance at the age of 12. In the late 1960s he left Spain for London, where his recitals of flamenco music captured the public imagination.

From the early days in which Paco Peña decided to launch his now world famous company, he set out to bring onto the stage a true rendition of what the art of flamenco represents: a spontaneous collaboration between artists of different disciplines, i.e. musicians, dancers and singers who inspire one-another to reach as far as possible into their artistic endeavors to create a unique and unrepeatable experience every time; a performance that is new and surprising to themselves as much as it is to any audience present.

His newest presentation, A Compás ! transmits to the audience the compelling nature of a range of flamenco rhythms, from the almost “tribal”, trance-inducing quality of the “alboreá’” to the razor – sharp complexity of the “bulería”. Each artist is isolated at one point in the show and is thrown onto the naked reality of a given rhythmic structure (or compás). By fusing the performers’ individual interpretations of each rhythm, the ensemble creates an experience that not only intimate, but equally inviting and communal.

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La Guitarra Solista 6:15 Paco Peña
Alboreá 9:42 Paco Peña
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A Compas
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REVIEWS

If you only see flamenco once in your life, make it this!
The Independent

Mr Peña is a virtuoso, capable of dazzling an audience beyond the frets of mortal man. He combines rapid-fire flourishes with a colorist’s sense of shading; this listener cannot recall hearing any guitarist with a more assured mastery of his instrument.
The New York Times

A Compás which was earning standing ovations at London’s Peacock Theatre last week, is one of the best: serious but seriously entertaining.
London Telegraph

Peña and his troupe of singers, dancers, and musicians exude a powerful magnetism that gleams with vitality and…underlines the utterly contemporary nature of this archetypal Spanish art form.
The Age

It was a complete flamenco concert, where the three aspects of the tradition – singing, dancing, and music – were brought together in perfect synchronicity, a symbiosis of call and response, between dancer and guitarist, singer and dancer, and singer and guitarist.
Music 7 (Kuala Lumpur)