Yinka Esi Graves

Yinka Esi Graves is a British choreographer and flamenco dancer. In her work she explores the links between flamenco and contemporary forms that have their roots in the African diaspora. 

She studied at the Amor de Dios dance school in Madrid and later in Seville with artists such as La Lupi, Andrés Marín, Yolanda Heredia and Juana Amaya. As a flamenco dancer, she accompanied well-known artists such as Remedios Amaya and Concha Buika. Graves' recent work with dance makers and thinkers nora chipaumire and Dr. Ama Wray has further informed her work. 

Yinka's co-creation “Clay” with choreographer Asha Thomas (former Alvin Ailey dancer) marks the beginning of a more investigative and experimental approach to her work. She also draws on her collaboration in productions such as “Los Cuerpos Celestes” and “Origen” by Cia Marco Vargas and Chloé Brûlé. As well as “Mailles” by Dorothée Munyaneza, with whom she has performed at international festivals. 

Graves' first solo work, “The Disappearing Act”, premiered in 2023 at the Flamenco Festival in Nimes (France) and is the culmination of her multidisciplinary exploration of invisibility. As part of the Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla 2022, Yinka presented “The Disappearing Act: On Erasure”, an illustrated lecture based on the theoretical corpus of the stage play. 

Image: Adam Newby