Empiric dance

During this training, Juan Carlos Lérida shares his resources, his composition and research tools on movement with an expressive and rhythmic approach.

His Flamenco empirico method , invites participants to explore the different axes that make up what he calls “the flamenco body.” He proposes a method based on a triangle composed of pulse, pause, and accent, thus generating a rhythmic body sustained by bodily states, spatial dynamics, and specific musical cycles. His approach to the body is based on a methodology that uses experimentation as a means of learning and discovery. In a game with space and porosity with sound, participants can rethink and mobilize dynamics that transcend aesthetics and formal expectations.

*Note: It is recommended to wear sports shoes, but flamenco shoes are not allowed.

Biography

Juan Carlos Lérida

Dancer, choreographer, pedagogue, dance researcher, and artistic curator.

Holder of an advanced degree in Choreography and Performance, and recipient of the Extraordinary Award in 2007 from the Institut del Teatre (Barcelona)

Juan Carlos Lérida presents himself as a practitioner of “flamenco empirico”. A professional who has long navigated between disciplines in a way that feels like a natural synergy to many. Bringing together diverse artists on the same stage and delving into research around flamenco, the body, and improvisation are the foundation and hallmarks that have shaped his most significant works, such as: El arte de la guerra (2007); El aprendizaje (2012); the trilogy on The Bodies of Flamenco: Al Toque (2011), Al Cante (2014), and Al Baile (2016); and La liturgia de las horas (2021).

The research Lérida continues to develop in the field of empirical flamenco dissemination—through his creative work and workshops—situates him somewhere between pedagogy and artistic curation. He operates within that subtle space where the usual labels of performance begin to blur.

His collaborations with Calixto Bieito and Joaquín Cortés, his direction and choreography for Olga Pericet and Marco Flores, and his ability to bring together artists as diverse as María Muñoz (Mal Pelo), Candela Peña, Belén Maya, La Chana, Rocío Molina, Niño de Elche, and Sol Picó—in a series he conceived for Mercat de les Flors starting in 2009—position him as a creator in the fullest sense.

Lérida dedicates his time to stage direction and choreography, without ever abandoning his pedagogical and research work at various centers in Europe and the United States. Since 2017, he has coordinated the flamenco research laboratory at the Institut del Teatre. He has also curated the Flamenco Empirico cycle at Mercat de les Flors (2009-2015), the Flamenco Tanzhaus NRW Festival, Dusseldorf (2020-2023), and the “Postablao” improvisation meetings 2019-present.

Lérida has recently published the book "El método flamenco empírico" ("The Empirical Flamenco Method"), in which he outlines new methodologies for creation and pedagogy within the field of flamenco dance.