Farruquito (Juan Manuel Fernández Montoya), heir to the most renowned Gypsy flamenco dynasty, is the Greatest Flamenco Dancer of this New Century (The New York Times). Son of flamenco singer Juan Fernández Flores “El Moreno” and dancer Rosario Montoya Manzano “La Farruca”, the eldest of 3 siblings Juan Antonio Fernández Montoya “El Farru”, Manuel Fernández Montoya “El Carpeta” and Alegría Fernández Montoya, Farruquito was immersed in the purest form of flamenco founded by his grandfather, “El Farruco”, one of the greatest dancers in the history of flamenco.
His first international stage appearance was at the age of four, on Broadway in New York City alongside his grandfather in the hit show Flamenco Puro. At the age of 11, he was featured in the film Flamenco, produced by the legendary film director, Carlos Saura, that launched Farruquito’s career and positioned him amongst the most elite flamenco artists of the world. That same year, together with the flamenco legends in his family, he created and choreographed Bodas de Gloria. In 1992 he had the honor of sharing the stage with his grandfather, at the inauguration of the Paralympic Games of Barcelona.
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When Farruqito was 15, El Farruco, the then patriarch of the flamenco dynasty passed, and Farruquito became the heir of the Farruco flamenco lineage. That same year he created his first show, Raíces Flamencas (Flamenco Roots) which not only distinguished his mastery as a dancer but also gave him the opportunity to showcase the traditions of his prodigious flamenco line. Raíces Flamencas debuted in the Royal Festival Hall in London and continued to tour with high acclaim around the world.
In 2001 he was named the best artist to have set foot in the Big Apple (The New York Times) after his performance of La Len Varo at the Flamenco Festival in the United States. The following year, Farruquito triumphed in his native city, Seville, with a full season at the Teatro Central. After his wildly successful performance at the third season of the Flamenco Festival in the United States, he embarked on a cross country tour of the US where critics hailed not only his talent as a dancer but also his incredible personality as an artist. Farruquito was soon after voted one of the World’s 50 Most Beautiful People by People magazine.
In 2003, the Academy of Music in Spain honored him for his lyrics on Dulce Canela in the María de Niña Pastori album and for his zapateo accompaniment on the homage album to Jeros. In the meantime, Farruquito continued to lead his dance academy located in Seville, founded on the precepts of the Farruco school. The popularity of his following premiere, Alma Vieja, at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville, lead to a wildly successful European Tour. Due to tragic events in his personal life, Farruquito was absent from the performance stage but returned in summer of 2008 with his new production Puro where fans and critics alike claimed “Farruquito has returned to his reign!” In 2010 he premiered Sonerías at the Bienal de Flamenco of Seville where his audiences experienced the raw roots of Flamenco with a theatrical flair that they had never seen from him. Invited by the prestigious fashion label, Louis Vuitton, Farruquito later starred in Mirror of Passion.
Farruquito triumphed in the premiere of “Baile Flamenco” (El Mundo) after a sold-out season of this show with costumes designed by Louis Vuitton and Berlutti. In 2013, Farruquito created Improvisao, a show returning to his roots and demonstrating what he learned in this profession: a fusion of singing, guitar, and dance at his highest level with the quest of creating something new every day.
In 2015, Farruquito was invited to dance with the LA Phil, in 4 sold-out gala concerts of an adapted version of Amor Brujo directed by Gustavo Dudamel at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. Farruquito returned to the United Stated for a coast-to-coast tour in 2016 and was hailed by the New York Times as the greatest Flamenco Dancer of the Century. As the principal inheritor of the greatest Gypsy flamenco bloodline, Farruquito has made it his life’s mission to share the purest form of flamenco on stages all around the world while further broadening his influence by collaborating with the most paramount film directors, conductors and artists of our time.
