Between reality and the imaginary, self and other, Tomas presents a sequence of evocative descriptions that draws upon Flamenco’s matriarchal depth, displaced between new forms of perspective.

The work explores the qualities and values of the Flamenco dancing form as a ‘body’ that epitomizes the spirit but is also often exaggerated in performance; the presumption of an exotic female presence and the gender markings of Flamenco that are simultaneously seen but not seen, defined through and exclusively about a specific culture.

Taken timelessly to question how tradition can appropriate otherness, Tomas continues to address the tension between his own position, coming to and within Flamenco, probing into mid life anxieties concerned with relevance, sustainability, queerness and his artistic search for meaning.

The work is testament to the difficulty he finds to abandon Flamenco’s appropriated image completely and the struggle to create a space for authority in the narratives that contain or constrain performance.

Debut performance at The Flying Nun, Darlinghurst Sydney for Salón Flamenco – a collaborative showcase of 4 experimental, contemporary-flamenco solo works in a studio performative environment. Curated and produced by Annalouise Paul Dance Theatre.

Photography by Binu except ‘blissful’ by Maree Laffan