In 1984, the dancer and choreographer Brigitta Luisa Merki founded the dance company Flamencos en route in Baden/AG. As artistic director, the then master student was able to win over her long-time teacher and mentor, Susana (1916-2010) from Bern, and the pianist and composer Antonio Robledo (1922-2014).
Brigitta Luisa Merki took over as artistic director in 1991. With the dance company Flamencos en route, she established a unique phenomenon in the Swiss dance scene. As an international ensemble, the company brings together dancers, musicians, writers and visual artists. Their productions are total works of art that do not fit into any pigeonhole.
As the spiritus rector of a highly professional artistic enterprise, Brigitta Luisa Merki approaches the art of Spanish dance from ever new perspectives. She has found the key to this in dialog - dialog understood as the convergence and confrontation of different forms of artistic expression. The company represents a unique continuity in European dance creation in the development of its own dance language based on Spanish dance. Thanks to its independence and the high artistic standards of its creations, it has made a name for itself on international stages, uninfluenced by the fast-moving zeitgeist.
The name Flamencos en route says it all: setting off, never to arrive. This basic approach of the ensemble also points to a lively, open future. To date, over 50 stage productions have been created and performed at international tours, dance and music festivals.
Susana became legendary as a dancer in the duo "Susana y José", as a choreographer and teacher at the National Ballet School and National Ballet of Toronto, Mudra School Béjart, Brussels Ballet Opera House, Zurich and through summer courses worldwide. Her pedagogical work was shown in an impressive documentary film "Flamenco at 5:15" and honored with an Oscar in 1984.
Antonio Robledo is unique as a composer with his concert and ballet compositions. For over 40 years he devoted himself to Iberian music, especially flamenco. Robledo's fascination with Spanish rhythms and musical forms make him one of the rare composers who created modern, independent music while remaining true to its origins. The focus of his [...]
She began her dance and choreographic career as the founder of her dance company Flamencos en route together with the legendary Spanish dancer and choreographer Susana and the composer Antonio Robledo. Brigitta Luisa Merki founded the dance company "Flamencos en route" in 1984, directed over 50 productions and brought Spanish dance into dialog with other art forms. From 1991 she took over [...]