Belén López (Ana Belén López Ruiz, Tarragona, 1986) is one of the most complete and thrilling dancers in contemporary flamenco. Born to a mother from Córdoba and a father from Seville, she began dancing at a very early age, even though her family had no flamenco tradition.
She was a true child prodigy: at the age of five she danced at the opening of the street in Barcelona named after Carmen Amaya, at seven she won the TV talent show “Bravo Bravísimo”, and at nine and eleven she represented Spain at the Inturfest International Tourism Fair in Saint Petersburg. At eleven she began her studies at the Madrid Dance Conservatory, graduating four years later.
Her professional career has taken her to the world’s most demanding stages: she spent four seasons at the Arena di Verona as principal dancer in Franco Zeffirelli’s Carmen, was principal dancer of the Compañía El Camborio and the star performer at the Corral de la Morería in Madrid. In May 2004, aged just 17, she won the “Mario Maya” National Flamenco Award, and in 2016 the Desplante Award at the Festival de Las Minas.
As a creator, she made her debut at the head of her own company in 2005 with Atrapados por el arte, followed by Cuando amanece, A mi manera, Tiempos (with which she opened the flamenco season at Madrid’s Teatro Real in 2022) and her latest work, Latidos, an emotional journey from fear to hope.
As a dancer, she is known for long, unbridled, almost acrobatic zapateados (footwork), with presence, technique and character, and a virtuosity that never lacks warmth, passion and feeling. The Financial Times compared her to Carmen Amaya, describing her dance as distilled to a prodigious, intoxicating and marvellous essence of itself.