Torremolinos marks International Dance Day with tribute to inspirational flamenco performer

Tony Bryant

Torremolinos

Monday, 1 May 2023, 15:30

Torremolinos marked International Dance Day (29 April) with a tribute to the dancer Tona Radely, one of flamenco’s most inspirational performers who died in 2021.

The event took place in the Pablo Ruiz Picasso Cultural Centre on Saturday and was attended by the mayor, Margarita del Cid, and members of her council, along with relatives, friends and colleagues of the dancer.

The tribute presented a video with testimonies of people who had known and worked with Tona, who, after retiring from professional dancing, spent her time teaching dance in Torremolinos. The event also included a performance of some of her former students, along with an exhibition of memorabilia, photographs, dresses and personal items: this collection will remain on show until Saturday 13 May.

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Tona Radley, who was born in Madrid in 1927, went on to work all over the world with numerous celebrated figures from within the world of flamenco, including Antonio Molina and Marife de Triana, among others.

The dancer, who has a street named after her in the El Pinillo district of the town, died on 29 April 2021, which, as some suggested, was fitting because it is the day the dance is celebrated all around the world.