The meteoric career of Manuel Liñán
Manuel Liñán is a dancer from Granada who has developed a great career bringing flamenco to the most intimate vindication, we meet him in a new post of our blog
We review the biography of the dancer and choreographer Manuel Liñán, award-winning, acclaimed and recognised for his ability to combine dance with more profound demands. He was born in Granada in 1980, into a family of artists, his father a bullfighter and several musicians on his mother's side. He began his dance studies with masters such as Manolete and Mario Maya and in 1997 he moved to Madrid, where he furthered his training with Ciro, Merche Esmeralda and Guito, among others.
The career of Manuel Liñán
In 1998 he joined the Carmen Cortés Company with the show "Salomé", in 1999 he was a soloist in the show "Campanas Flamencas" with La Tati, Cristóbal Reyes and Milagros Mengíbar.
In 2000 he was first dancer in the Merche Esmeralda Company; in the same year the flamenco play "La casa de Bernarda Alba" directed by La Tati was premiered in Madrid, in which he worked as assistant director and repetiteur.
In 2002 he joined the Rafaela Carrasco Company with the show "Música en el Cuerpo" and was a soloist in the Festival Los Tarantos Homenaje a Camarón.
In 2003, together with Daniel Doña and Marco Flores, he created the company ESS3 Movimiento, which premiered his first show "Un millón de emociones".
In 2004 he participated in the XIII Certamen de Danza Española y Flamenco de Madrid with the piece "Madame Soledad" with which he won the Solo Choreography Award and the Outstanding Dancer Award. At the Flamenco Biennial in Seville, together with Belén Maya and Rafaela Carrasco, he premiered "Los Caminos de Lorca", a production of the Andalusian Centre of Dance under the guidance of Cristina Hoyos. He also inaugurated the Lorca Prize in New York with the show by Curro Albaicín.
In 2005 he created the show "Cámara Negra" with Olga Pericet. Guest artist at the XIV Certamen de Danza Española y Flamenco de Madrid, he participates with Marco Flores in the VII Festival Flamenco Tío Luis, in the Festival de la Juliana and in the Ciclo del Teatro Pradillo La Otra Mirada del Flamenco with the show en Compañía.
In 2006 he premiered Cámara Negra at the Festival Madrid en Danza and danced the same year at the Festival de Jerez en Compañía, at the Ciclo Flamenco Jovenzero at the Teatro Español in Madrid and at La Otra Mirada del Flamenco at the Teatro Pradillo.
He is invited as a soloist in the Bienal de Sevilla 2006 creating, the following year, together with Olga Pericet and Marco Flores "En Clave", were invited by the New York and London Flamenco Festival, by the Festival de Jerez and by the Festival Días de Flamenco de Tel Aviv. He danced as a soloist at the Nîmes Flamenco Festival and was also a guest artist at the Festival de la Unión in 2007.
With "Cámara Negra" he participates in the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada.
He received the Best New Dancer Award from deflamenco.com.
He is a special collaborator in the new production of Teresa Nieto Cía. de Cabeza. He is also invited by the director of the Spanish National Ballet to give intensive courses in the workshop of the aforementioned Ballet. He toured Hong Kong, China and Australia with the show "Gala Flamenca" premiering at the Opera House Theatre in Sydney.
In 2021 Liñán premieres "¡Viva!", his most transgressive and personal show, a cry for freedom that recalls his own childhood experiences when he dressed in his mother's clothes, wore make-up and danced in secret.
Awards given to Manuel Liñán
Prize awarded by Hugo Boss to new values of Dance 2003.
First Prize for Solo Choreography at the International Spanish Dance and Flamenco Contest of Madrid 2004.
Award to the outstanding dancer in the International Contest of Spanish Dance and Flamenco of Madrid 2004.
Award to the Revelation Dancer granted by Deflamenco.com 2006.
MAX Award of the Spanish Performing Arts for the best choreography for De Cabeza 2009.
Finalist for the MAX Awards 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 for Best Dance Performer.
Revelation Dancer Award at the Jerez Festival 2012.
Finalist at the MAX Awards 2013 as best choreographer with Daniel Doña for Rew.
Max Award 2013 as best male dance performer.
Flamenco Hoy 2013 and 2014 Specialised Critics Award for best dancer.
Granada Joven Award 2014 in the modality of ART awarded by the Andalusian Institute of Granada.
Critics' Prize at the Festival de Jerez 2016 for Reversible.
Max Award 2017 as best male dance performer.
NATIONAL DANCE AWARD 2017
MAX Audience Award 2022 for his own company.
Pozo de plata 2022 Award, given to personalities who collaborate notably in the dissemination of the work and figure of the Granada poet García Lorca.