Manuel Liñán
Who is Manuel Liñán?
Manuel Arroyo Liñán was born on May 8, 1980, in Granada. A payo bailaor, he cut his teeth from a young age at Andalusian festivals such as Espárrago Rock, Sierra Nevada and the Expo 92 in Seville, and in flamenco peñas and tablaos such as Los Tarantos and the Peña La Platería, before moving to Madrid at the age of seventeen.
Career
In 1997 he shared the bill with La Chunga at the Café de Chinitas in Madrid, and the following year he took part in “Salomé”, a production by Carmen Cortés at the Teatro Apolo, performed alongside Adrián Galia at the Festival de Mont de Marsan, and was a finalist at the Bienal de Sevilla with “Gitanos del Sacromonte”. Between 1999 and 2000 he danced in the shows “Campanas Flamencas” and “Maya” by Juan Andrés Maya, and made his debut as principal dancer with Merche Esmeralda’s company at the Gran Teatro de Córdoba, where he also taught classes at her school.
In 2001 he worked as a guest artist and choreographer with Paco Romero, and between 2002 and 2003 he took part in “Troya” by Rafael Amargo and “A cinco” by Rafaela Carrasco, as well as co-founding the ESS3 company together with Daniel Doña and Marco Flores. In 2004 he won choreography and performance prizes at the XIII Certamen de Coreografía de Danza Española y Flamenco at the Teatro Albéniz, and in 2005 he again collaborated with Rafaela Carrasco on “Una mirada del flamenco”.
Recognitions
His major breakthrough came in 2009 with the Premio Max for best choreography for “De cabeza”, shared with Teresa Nieto, Olga Pericet, Jesús Caramés, Daniel Doña and Vanessa Medina. The following year he was nominated as best male dance performer for “En sus 13”.
Style
He has performed in London, Belgium, Germany, Paris, New York, Florida, Morocco, Israel, Tunisia, Japan and the Netherlands, as well as at leading Madrid tablaos such as Las Carboneras and Casa Patas, with a style that blends flamenco with elements of contemporary dance.