Manuela Carrasco

Manuela Carrasco, the Goddess of the Flamenco Dance Olympus Winner of the National Dance Award for Performance in 2007 and the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts in 2018, Manuela Carrasco is the guardian of the purity of flamenco as defended by Vicente Escudero, and an advocate of dance without any adornments beyond the movement of the feet and hands. Daughter of flamenco dancer José Carrasco “El Sordo” and Cipriana Salazar Heredia, from the Los Camborios family, she trained as a dancer in a self-taught manner. Against her parents’ wishes, who did not want her to endure the sacrifices of the profession, she made her debut at just 10 years old at the tablao El Jaleo in Torremolinos, directed by Mariquilla. She learned by watching Carmen Amaya dance in the film Los Tarantos and later observed the trio Los Bolecos, consisting of Matilde Coral, Rafael el Negro, and Farruco, with whom she shared the stage at the tablao La Cochera in Seville. At the age of 13, she toured Europe with the company of dancer Curro Vélez, later performed at Seville’s Los Gallos tablao, and became the lead dancer at Manolo Carlos’ Los Canasteros tablao in Madrid. At just 18, Juan de Dios Ramírez Heredia christened her the “Goddess of Flamenco” for the majesty she displayed on stage. Since then, she has continued to bring her art to the world, debuting shows like Flamenco Puro and Corazón Flamenco, sharing the stage with Mario Maya, Merche Esmeralda, and Camarón de la Isla, and appearing in Carlos Saura’s film Flamenco, where she performed her famous soleá with José Mercé providing the vocals. In September 2021, she passed the torch to her daughter, Manuela Carrasco Jr., who made her debut in the premiere of Aires de Mujer during the VII Biennial of Flamenco Art in Málaga.