Flamenco elite come together for series of shows in Malaga

Malaga is gearing up for five spectacular flamenco shows featuring some of the genre's top names, along with up-and-coming artists, which will be held at the Cervantes Theatre between Monday 18 and Sunday 24 April.

Under the banner of 'Flamenco lo serás tú' (Flamenco you will be), the week of recitals has been organised with the collaboration of the La Caixa Foundation.

The cycle, the title of which is a phrase associated with world renowned flamenco guitarist Sabicas, will focus on the three artistic expressions of flamenco – voice, dance and guitar – and will offer a wide representation of the styles of this oft-misunderstood art, from the basic 'palos secos' (the oldest known forms) to the lively bulerias and fiesta styles most often, although not exclusively, associated with the Gypsy flamencos.

The recitals will take the audience through the different eras of this art, recognised as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2010, from the singers of the deep song; through the café cantante (the first flamenco tablaos) period that took place between the late 19th and early 20th centuries; to the art's second golden age of the late 50s until the 1980s, when the old school singers made a reappearance after almost being pushed into oblivion by the opera flamenco movement. The shows will also offer an insight into how flamenco has progressed over the years.

Today's performers strive to find new directions for the music and many fuse the genre with other world music such as jazz, blues, pop and rock, while the dance has followed a similar pattern.

The cycle will open with Estepona dancer Rafael Ramírez (Monday 18), a young dancer who recently triumphed at the prestigious Festival del Cante de la Minas, and who will showcase his latest show Entorno.

Tomatito, the celebrated guitarist from Almeria who took over as the accompanist of Camarón de la Isla after Paco de Lucía departure in the early 80s, will perform with his sextet on Tuesday 19 April. Tomatito participated on Camarón's bench mark album, La Leyenda del Tiempo - a recording dubbed the Sgt Pepper of flamenco - and has since progressed into one of the most inspirational guitarists of his era.

The Barcelona dancer Jesús Carmona, an award-winning dancer who performed with the National Ballet of Spain, will present his show, The Game, on Wednesday 20 April. He will be joined by local guitarist Juan Requena, and José Valencia, a singer from Seville whose family are considered one of the mightiest clans in the history of the art.

The Bay of Cadiz will be represented on Saturday 23 April, when the young singer Antonio Reyes, who descends from the lineage of another huge flamenco dynasty, will offer a recital with his long-time guitarist Dani de Morón.

The cycle will close on Sunday 24 April with a show named Opera Flamenco performed by the Gypsy singer, Israel Fernández, and guitarist Diego del Morao.

This show focuses on the period, which was reviled by many died-in-the-wool aficionados, where large flamenco troupes performed 'copla aflamencada' (flamenco fused with copla) in the bullrings and theatres between the 1920s and 50s.

Tickets for the shows, which cost between 10 and 36 euros, are available from the box office, or www.teatrocervantes.com