Jairo Barrull

JAIRO BARRULL FERNÁNDEZ, a Gypsy dancer better known worldwide in the flamenco dance art with his artistic name JAIRO BARRULL, was born in Seville in 1983, in the neighborhood of La Macarena. He is the son of the legendary dancer Ramón Barrull, cousin of Juana Amaya, and great-great-nephew of the well-known guitarist Diego del Gastor. Jairo started dancing under his father’s direction at the age of 7. “My father took me to the tablao ‘Los Gallos’ when he performed and brought me on stage to dance.” “My greatest source of inspiration came from my father; my only teacher.” At just 8 years old, he performed publicly for the first time in ‘El Gazpacho Andaluz de Morón de la Frontera.’ He began his professional career as a dancer at the age of 13, alongside Concha Vargas and Curro Fernández, dancing as a soloist in the best theaters in southern Germany.

In 1997, at the age of 14, Jairo participated in the tribute to the ‘Cristo de los Gitanos’ at the congress palace in Seville with artists such as El Chocolate, Aurora Vargas, Manuel Soto Sordera, Pansequito, and José de la Tomasa. Later that year, he toured Finland, Norway, and Sweden as the protagonist in the show ‘Flamenco Joven.’ That spring, he performed with Concha Vargas, Antonio El Pipa, and Juana Amaya in the Giralda Cathedral of Seville and the ‘Paúl VI Auditorium’ at the Vatican, Rome, in front of Pope John Paul II for the beatification of Ceferino Jiménez Maya ‘El Pele.’ In 1998, at the age of 15, he danced at one of the most prestigious tablaos in Seville, ‘Los Gallos,’ for 4 years, where he began to develop his career as a professional dancer. Jairo returned to Germany in late April, where he performed in Bremen alongside Juana Amaya and Arcángel.

A year later, he performed as a solo artist at the Vredenburg Theater in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in the show ‘Una Noche de Flamenco Puro’ alongside Angelita Vargas, El Chocolate, Niño de Pura, and Boquerón during a month-long tour of the Netherlands. That same year, he toured Tokyo, Japan, as a soloist organized by Iberia de Teruo Kabaya, with Rosario Toledo and Enrique ‘El Extremeño.’ He danced at the Flamenco Festival in Mont de Marsan, France, and also toured Sweden for the second time, performing ‘Gypsy Kids’ in various theaters, including ‘La Casa de Danza’ in Stockholm. Later that year, he participated as one of the main dancers in ‘Abolengo’: a Sara Erde production that premiered on Broadway, New York. Jairo’s tour with Abolengo in New York resulted in his appearance in ‘Around Flamenco,’ a documentary filmed in New York and Tokyo, directed by Paco Millán and produced by Canal Sur Televisión.

In 2001, he embarked on an extensive tour of the United States performing ‘Al Andalus’ in Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, Las Vegas, Washington, Atlanta, and Baltimore with artists such as Farruquito, Torombo, and José Maya, among others. During 2000 and 2001, ‘Al Andalus’ performed the same show in various theaters in Argentina, including the Avenida Theater. The great success of Al-Andalus resulted in another production, ‘Incognito,’ by juggler Francis Brunn in Frankfurt, Germany, where Jairo danced as one of the main dancers alongside Farruquito, Farruco, and Torombo. ‘Incognito’ premiered in many theaters in Frankfurt, including the Frankfurt Opera House.

In 2001, he performed for a month-long tour with Manolo Soler, Juana Amaya, and his father Ramón Barrull in theaters across Andalusia. That fall, he returned to Sweden, where he danced alongside Gerardo Núñez, and later that same year, he performed alongside his father, Ramón Barrull, and Juana Amaya in the show ‘La Hora de Morón,’ as part of the programming for the ‘I Feria Mundial del Flamenco.’ He participated in Rafael Amargo’s show ‘Tablao,’ which premiered in Barcelona, accompanied by Sevillian dancers Farruco, Torombo, and Rafael Amargo. In 2002, Jairo and his father Ramón Barrull collaborated as guest artists in Juana Amaya’s show ‘Alma Gitana’ at El Monte, Seville, with Manolo Soler. That summer, he worked with Juana Amaya’s company at the Flamenco Festival of the New World in Irvine, California. The following year, Jairo participated in the show ‘Magia de Maestros,’ premiering at the Berlin Philharmonic with artists such as Juana Amaya, Gerardo Núñez, Carmen Cortes, and Rafael de Carmen.

In 2004, Jairo danced in the cycle ‘El Flamenco que viene’ alongside his uncle Diego de Morón at ‘El Teatro Alameda’ in Seville. Later that same year, Antonio Andrade’s company invited Jairo to dance in their show ‘Noches de Amor’ at the XIII Flamenco Biennial of Seville. In July, he danced in the programming of the biennial ‘Más Jóvenes, más flamenco’ and toured Tokyo, Japan, organized by Iberia. The following year, Jairo created his own show in El Monte, Seville, ‘A mi padre Ramón Barrull,’ which received high praise from the Spanish press. During the same year, he danced at the Flamenco Festival in Mont de Marsan, France. He also performed alongside Carmen Ledesma throughout Andalusia in the ‘Circuito Andaluz De Flamenco.’

In 2006, Juana Amaya’s company invited Jairo to perform at the Flamenco Festival of the New World in California, USA. He participated in ‘La Sinfonía Flamenca’ with the Juan Carmona Group at the Auditorium of the ‘La Orquesta Nacional de Lyón.’ Since the beginning of 2007, Jairo’s talent has greatly increased the demand for his art at the Tablao Cordobés in Barcelona, where he performed as a featured artist in February and March. Jairo participated in the Flamenco Festival of Mont de Marsan, France, in the show ‘Moroneando,’ and later that year at the Flamenco Festival in Berlin with Tomas de Perrate. More recently, in January 2009, he premiered his new show ‘Herencia’ at the Teatro Oriente in Morón de la Frontera with guest artist Juan Del Gastor.

Jairo has undertaken artistic tours in New York, Japan, Amsterdam, Iceland, Istanbul, and Tunisia, participating in festivals such as the Potaje Gitano de Utrera, the Mistela Flamenco Festival, the International Flamenco Festival of Dusseldorf, the Flamenco Festival of Toulouse,

the Flamenco Cante Festival of Moguer, the Musiques Du Monde Festival, the Mediterranean Guitar Festival, and Le Festival Aix-en-Musique. Jairo has taught flamenco dance as a master for levels from beginners to advanced in countries around the world, including the United States, Scandinavia, Japan, France, and Spain.