< Return

Yinka Esi Graves

Yinka Esi Graves is a British creator and dancer based in Spain. Her work explores the connections between flamenco and other contemporary forms from a perspective rooted in the Afro-diaspora, where the body becomes a discursive space. Her practice ranges from stage works to live composition pieces, both as a solo artist and as a collaborator. Graves’ first solo work, The Disappearing Act, premiered at the Festival Flamenco de Nîmes (2023) and has been presented at international festivals such as El Grec, Tanz im August, and the Festival d’Avignon, among others. In early 2026, A Place to Dance, a collaboration with Poliana Lima, will premiere. That same year, Graves begins developing her next stage project, mas.

www.yinkaesigraves.com
@yinkaesigraves

Latest project in residence

Mas (2026) is the name given to Carnival bands that parade and perform in Afro-Caribbean carnivals. From the streets, the collective body calls for the subversion of roles and enables an opening toward abundance and joy. This is the framework of Yinka Esi Graves’ upcoming stage work: mas. Carnival is provocative both politically and physically. This project is a personal challenge for Yinka, who enters this powerful space and, from there, asks how such collective potency can be reached from a single body. The creation will explore the cathartic possibilities of flamenco together with the activating potential of Afro-Caribbean carnival rhythms throughout history.

Photo ©Miguel Angel Rosales

Graner Residency Archive

  • 2026 · Open call · mas
  • 2025 · With Mercat de les Flors · A PLACE TO DANCE (with Poliana Lima)
  • 2024 · Open call · A PLACE TO DANCE (with Poliana Lima)
  • 2021 · Collaboration with Africa Moment

Other Graner contexts

Open studio by Poliana Lima with Yinka Esi Graves

“A place to dance: un taller” workshop with Poliana Lima and Yinka Esi Graves