LOLA: A Flamenco Love Story is an electrifying fusion of contemporary flamenco, Latin pop, and jazz that tells a powerful story of resilience, love, and hope. Based on the personal experiences of dancer and director María Garcia, this moving dance musical follows Lola, a migrant from 1960s Spain, as she navigates life in London after the death of her husband. Pleasance at EICC (Lennox Theatre) from 30th July – 24th August at 19:30.
Thank you for chatting with A Young(ish) Perspective! Introduce us to who you are and what you’re doing at the Edinburgh Fringe this year.
My name is María García. I was born in Málaga, Spain, and raised in Germany, where I founded Lola Flamenco Productions in 2018. Since then, we have produced a variety of innovative flamenco shows. I’m the writer and director of Lola, Vivaldi Flamenco, and FlamencoFlamenco?!, among others—and I also perform as one of the lead dancers in these productions.
Our objective is to present our Flamenco Dance Musical Lola to gain international exposure and build the right connections for the future of the show.
A Youngish Perspective platforms accessible arts and champions the huge scope of different perspectives – can you tell us about the show you’re taking to Edinburgh Festival Fringe as if you’re flyering to both a young first-time-Fringe goer and a festival veteran returning every year?
Experience captivating flamenco like you’ve never experienced before: an irresistible mixture of flamenco, jazz, beat pop and rumba makes LOLA a one-of-a-kind-experience! LOLA is a Flamenco Dance Musical!
Saxophone and piano meet Spanish guitar and southern rhythms. Passion-filled flamenco choreography is accentuated with free-flowing jazz-dance sequences.
The story tells the uplifting story of Lola, a courageous woman, who flees Spain’s poverty of the 1960’s, to find work abroad and support the family she leaves behind. LOLA takes you on a captivating and emotional journey, about overcoming obstacles and fear, to find hope and love!
It’s Passionate. Powerful and Heartfelt.
Lola uses dance to convey emotions such as loss and grief, how does traditional Flamenco dancing elevate this expression?
Flamenco is an art form that expresses deep and intense emotions – not only joy, but also sadness and despair. The singing and music that accompany the dance convey these feelings through their intensity and expressiveness – even if, for example, one does not
understand what the singer is singing. And so, the dance itself becomes very intense, because flamenco always directly appeals to the emotions.
Flamenco always takes the shortest path to your heart.
What can Fringe audiences hope to learn and gain from seeing Lola?
Lola’s story touches the hearts of the audience. It invites us to delve into both the past and present of migration—offering a different perspective on the experience—while also unfolding as a hopeful and redemptive love story on many levels.
It’s a tale of migration that shows it can end in reconciliation, and a deeply personal journey in which Lola ultimately finds the strength to open herself once again to life and to love.
We all face obstacles and difficulties in life from time to time. LOLA encourages you to face the challenge and not give up. In the end, you will be rewarded. Sometimes, the key to happiness is to see things from a different perspective, to open up, and to approach people. This is how LOLA manages to open herself up again to life and love.
It also offers audiences the chance to experience the gripping emotional power of Flamenco—in a unique and unexpected way: as a dance musical!
Who would your surprise dream audience member be?
Anyone who will leave our performance uplifted and inspired, with a smile on their face.