El Yiyo y Cynthia Cano

El Yiyo, dancing

Miguel Fernández Rivas, ‘El Yiyo’, (Badalona, 1996) is a major new talent in the world of contemporary flamenco dance. Born into a Romani family originating from Jaén with no artistic background, he was discovered at the age of seven at a family celebration by a bailaor, who encouraged him to train professionally. That same year, he made his debut in Taiwan with Flamenco puro, performing to an audience of over 1,500 people. This marked the beginning of a career that has seen him perform across Europe, the Americas and Asia. His powerfully authentic dance style combines the wild force of his footwork with an elegance and duende deeply rooted in the purest Romani tradition. He has shared the bill with Estrella Morente, Miguel Poveda, Farruquito, Eva Yerbabuena and Joaquín Cortés, and has crossed over into pop by appearing in the music videos for Pa que brille by C. Tangana and Mala Suerte by Lola Índigo.

Cynthia Cano, dancing

Cynthia Cano (Murcia, 1993) is a bailaora and journalist, recognised for her artistic personality, expressive force and ability to blend tradition with modernity. At just the age of eight, she won the national Veo Veo competition, launching a career that has seen her represent both Murcia and Spain on stages across Europe, the Americas and Africa. She graduated with Honours from the Murcia Professional Conservatory of Dance, and went on to serve as principle dancer with the Lo Ferro flamenco ballet company, for which she is currently its co-director. Throughout her career she has worked with masters such as El Güito, Javier Latorre and Joaquín Grilo, and since 2022, she has been part of Carlos Rodríguez’s company. As a choreographer, she has developed her own productions, such as Illo en mi colmao, De Alfa a Omega, Bailaora de postín and Locas mujeres.

Peña Flamenca de Jaén

Founded in the late 1970s, the Peña Flamenca de Jaén is one of the most important cultural institutions in the world of Andalusian flamenco. Founded upon the enthusiasm of aficionados and scholars alike, the organisation has made a name for itself through its work in promoting the arts, as well as its contribution to study and research on flamenco. The organisation has worked to safeguard and promote Jaén’s rich heritage, particularly the cantes mineros of Linares and the local tradition of cantaores, guitarists and aficionados. Its magazine, Candil, has been published since 1978 and is regarded as a leading flamenco publication due to the quality of its studies, articles and research work. Thanks to its sustained cultural activities, the peña has established itself as a vital space for the preservation, study and future projection of the art of flamenco.