El Junco y Caracolillo de Cádiz

El Junco

Juan José Jaén Arroyo, El Junco (Cádiz, 1975), is a leading dancer from Cádiz, recognised for his elegance, rhythm and expressive strength. He began in El Nazareno club and in Vicente Marrero’s Soleá group and trained at the Enrique El Mellizo club, where he consolidated his style rooted in the Cádiz tradition. Between 1996 and 2005 he was soloist and assistant choreographer in Cristina Hoyos’ company, taking part in productions such as Caminos andaluces, Yerma and Tierra adentro. Since 2007 he has been developing a solo career with shows like Junquerías, Por un sueño and Mirando al pasado, presented on stages and at festivals all over the world. He has won awards from flamenco clubs in Huelva and Cádiz and been nominated for the Max Awards. His cool, rhythmic dancing, full of character, is an authentic representation of the Cádiz school.

Caracolillo de Cádiz

Esteban Guerrero, Caracolillo de Cádiz (Cádiz, 1977), is a singer with deep roots in the city, the heir to a flamenco lineage which he honours with authenticity and charisma. Grandson of the famous Francisco, Caracol de Cádiz, he made his debut at the age of just ten, accompanied by Niño de los Rizos. Since then he has performed in clubs and tablaos and at festivals, featuring at events like the Flamenco Thursdays in Cádiz, the Flamenco Fridays in Jerez and the Camarón de la Isla Memorial event, where he won an award in 2007. He has won first prize in the National Alegrías Competition in Cádiz, the Tientos y Soleá competition at Alcalá de Guadaíra, the Golden Chair in Leganés (2016) and the Antonio Mairena National Award. His powerful, sincere singing, full of the flavour of Cádiz, covers styles like the seguiriya, the bulería, the alegría, the tango and the fandango with skill and rhythm.

La Perla de Cádiz flamenco club, founded in 1979 in tribute to the great Cádiz singer Antonia Gilabert Vargas, is a leading institution in the city. Chaired by Paco Real, it maintains intense activity promoting and preserving traditional flamenco, especially Cádiz styles such as alegrías, tangos, bulerías, soleares and saetas. It organises cycles like Flamenco Fridays, iconic competitions like the International Alegría Dancing Event and the Cádiz Tanguillos Competition, as well as educational programmes, conferences, exhibitions and congresses, in cooperation with the city council and the Professorial Chair in Flamenco.