Program: Farruquito

Juan Manuel Fernandez Montoya "Farruquito" 
Karime Amaya (Bailaora)
Pepe de Pura (Cantaor)
Ismael de La Rosa (Cantaor)
Mary Vizarraga (Cantaora)
Manuel Valencia (Guitar)
Jose Fernández (Keyboard) 

Farruquito’s Intimate Farruquito recounts the origins and history of flamenco to show the dance in its purest state. In an intimate atmosphere but at the same time imbued with strength, the program intentionally exalts elements of the dance. A liturgy begins in which the most personal side of Farruquito is revealed. A seguiriya announces the appearance of Farruquito, and then performance moves to the exaltation of traditional and distinguished flamenco styles such as tango, soleá, bulería, and alegrías. Wisdom and strength are displayed in each step, in each silent moment, in each movement full of live music, in each gesture. Farruquito evokes a journey through flamenco full of sensations, of freedom; returning his roots to the stage while contemplating the world from within. 

FARRUQUITO
Farruquito (Juan Manuel Fernández Montoya), heir to the most renowned Gypsy flamenco dynasty, is the “greatest flamenco dancer of this new century” (New York Times). Son of flamenco singer Juan Fernández Flores “El Moreno” and dancer Rosario Montoya Manzano “La Farruca,” the eldest of four brothers (including Juan Antonio Fernández Montoya “El Farru,” Manuel Fernández Montoya “El Carpeta,” and Alegría Fernández Montoya), he was immersed in the purest form of flamenco founded by his grandfather, “El Farruco,” one of the greatest dancers in the history of flamenco. 

Farruquito’s first international stage appearance was at the age of four, on Broadway in New York City, alongside his grandfather in the hit show Flamenco Puro. At the age of 11, he was featured in the film Flamenco, produced by legendary director Carlos Saura, a film that launched Farruquito’s career and positioned him among the most elite flamenco artists of the world. That same year, together with the flamenco legends in his family, he created and choreographed Bodas de Gloria. In 1992 he had the honor of sharing the stage with his grandfather at the inauguration of the Paralympic Games of Barcelona. 

When Farruqito was 15, his grandfather, El Farruco, the then patriarch of the flamenco dynasty, passed, and Farruquito became the heir of the Farruco flamenco lineage. That same year he created his first show, Raíces Flamencas (Flamenco Roots), which not only established his mastery as a dancer but also gave him the opportunity to showcase the traditions of his prodigious flamenco line. Raíces Flamencas debuted at the Royal Festival Hall in London and continued to tour with high acclaim around the world. 

In 2001 he was named “the best artist to have set foot in the Big Apple” (New York Times) after his performance of La Len Varo at the Flamenco Festival in the United States. The following year, Farruquito triumphed in his native city, Seville, with a full season at the Central Theater. After his wildly successful performance at the third season of the Flamenco Festival in the United States, he embarked on a cross-country US tour, where critics hailed not only his talent as a dancer but also his impressive personality as an artist. Farruquito was soon after named one of the World’s 50 Most Beautiful People by People magazine. 

In 2003, the Academy of Music in Spain honored him for his lyrics on Dulce Canela in the María de Niña Pastori album and for his zapateo (shoe tapping) accompaniment on the album Homenaje a Jeros. In the meantime, Farruquito continued to lead his dance academy in Seville, founded on the precepts of the Farruco school. The popularity of his following premiere, Alma Vieja, at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, led to a wildly successful European Tour. 

Due to tragic events in his personal life, Farruquito was absent from the performance stage for a time but returned in the summer of 2008 with his new production Puro, which fans and critics alike praised as Farruquito’s return to his reign. In 2010 he premiered Sonerías at the Bienal de Flamenco of Seville, where his audiences experienced the raw roots of flamenco with a theatrical flair that they had never seen from him. Invited by the prestigious fashion label Louis Vuitton, Farruquito later starred in Mirror of Passion. Farruquito triumphed in the premiere of Baile Flamenco in a sold-out season, with costumes designed by Louis Vuitton and Berluti.  

In 2013, Farruquito created Improvisado, a show returning to his roots and demonstrating what he had learned in his profession: a fusion of singing, guitar, and dance at the highest level with the goal of creating something new every day. In 2015, Farruquito was invited to dance with the Los Angeles Philharmonic in four sold-out gala concerts presenting an adapted version of Amor Brujo, directed by Gustavo Dudamel at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Farruquito returned to the United Stated for a coast-to-coast tour in 2016. As the principal inheritor of the greatest Gypsy flamenco bloodline, Farruquito has made it his life’s mission to share the purest form of flamenco on stages all around the world while further broadening his influence by collaborating with the most prominent film directors, conductors, and artists of our time.