Israel Galván facts for kids

Israel Galván

Israel Galván Reyes (born in Seville in 1973) is a Spanish flamenco dancer (called a bailaor) and choreographer. He grew up learning and dancing with his parents, José Galván and Eugenia Reyes, who were also dancers.

Israel Galván became famous in flamenco because of his amazing and fast footwork. He often combines quick steps with moments of stillness and quiet. His dancing is a very new and modern style of flamenco. He has won many important dance awards.

His Dance Career

• In 1994, Israel joined the Compañia Andaluza de Danza. This was a dance company led by Mario Maya. Over the next ten years, he won almost every major flamenco award.
• These awards included the Giradillo prize at Seville's flamenco Biennal. He also won the Flamenco Hoy critics’ award for best dancer in 2001 and 2005.
• In 2005, he also won Spain's national dance prize. This was for bringing new ideas to flamenco. In 2008, he received the Premio Ciutat de Barcelona.
• After starting his own dance company in 1998, he created his first show, Mira Los Zapatos Rojos. He became known for taking risks with each new show.
• Some of his famous works include:
  • Metamorphosis: A flamenco show based on Kafka's story.
  • Arena: A powerful and surprising show about bullfighting.
  • La Edad de Oro: Where he explored traditional flamenco ideas.
  • Tabula Rasa: Where he showed a very artistic and different view of flamenco.
  • Solo: A very experimental show where silence was as important as music.
  • El Final de este estado de cosas redux: A show about the end of things, first performed in Seville in 2008.
• In his shows, Israel Galván has worked with both classic flamenco artists and modern flamenco innovators. Some of these include Enrique Morente, Gerardo Núñez, and Miguel Poveda.
• His 2013 show, Lo Real/ Le Réel/ The Real, caused a lot of discussion. In Amsterdam, the audience loved it and gave him a standing ovation. But in Madrid, some people reacted with less enthusiasm.
• This show was about a very sensitive topic: the Nazi Holocaust against the Romani (gypsy) people. Galván's performance was very intense. He used his body to express the role, showing strong emotions and even pain. He changed his body for this show, continuing a process he started with La metamorfosis. He showed a victim who fights, rebels, feels proud, expresses grief, and seeks revenge, but ultimately faces death.
• In 2014, Israel Galván performed in "Torobaka" in Madrid. This show mixed different styles. He performed with Akram Khan, a dancer and choreographer from England. The music for "Torobaka" combined different styles. It included Gregorian chants, Hindu songs, and flamenco sounds.
• Also in 2014, Israel Galván created "FLA.CO.MEN". He described it as a concert. In this piece, Galván takes flamenco apart and puts it back together in a funny way. The music is sometimes like free jazz or experimental, but also traditional.
• The Premios Max are Spain's most important theater awards. In 2014, Israel Galván won three awards for his work Lo Real. These were for Choreography, Performance, and Show. In 2015, he won the award for Lead Dancer for "FLA.CO.MEN".
• On May 6, 2017, Israel Galván premiered "La Fiesta" in Austria. In this show, nine dancers and singers come together. They share their energy through high notes and movement.
• In 2021, Israel Galván talked about always wanting to be a dancer. He remembered the "smell of the night" from the first flamenco show he saw as a child.

Awards

• 2023: Critics' Circle National Dance Award: Outstanding Male Modern Performance
• 2016: Critics' Circle National Dance Award: Special award for exceptional artistry
• 2015: Medalla de Andalucía
• 2015: National Dance Awards (UK)
• 2015: Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (France)
• 2015: Premios Max
• 2015: UNESCO designation for the Official Manifesto of International Dance Day (April 29)
• 2015: Premio de la Crítica
• 2015: Clavel de la Prensa
• 2014: Premis de la Crítica
• 2014: Premios Max
• 2014: Premio Flamenco Hoy
• 2012: Medalla de oro de las Bellas Artes
• 2012: Bessie Award (USA)
• 2012: Premios Max
• 2011: Premio Max de las artes escénicas
• 2009: Gran Prix de la Danse
• 2009: Madroño Flamenco
• 2008: Giraldillo
• 2007: Premio Ciutat de Barcelona Dansa
• 2006: Premio Flamenco Hoy
• 2006: Giraldillo
• 2005: Premio Nacional de Danza
• 2005: Premio Flamenco Hoy
• 2004: Premio Flamenco Hoy
• 2004: Giraldillo
• 2001: Premio Flamenco
• 1996: Premio Desplante
• 1996: Premio del II Concurso de Jóvenes Intérpretes
• 1995: Premio Vicente Escudero

See also

In Spanish: Israel Galván para niños