During the blast of the pandemic, Galván has sought to “servir el baile” (serve the dance) by finding other spaces to “seguir bailando” (keep on dancing) until a semblance of normalcy is returned. Maestro de Barra (Master of the Bar) comes from Galván’s attention to the spontaneous music and dance culture associated with cafes and bars worldwide. As theaters were closed, it felt in tune with this moment in time. Known for his ability to transform his body into an instrument and for his hypersensitive ear, with Maestro de Barra Galván proved his ability to ‘hear’ the air of public spaces.

The recited tapas, the chalk writing on the bar, the screams from the kitchen, the conversations, the children running around, the banging on the tables, everything fell into a rhythm. Galván’s body amplifies their internal rhythms and rites, pauses and silences, using them as the score and to point out that everything one can hear, can also be danced to. Sounds can be ordered, accompanied and understood as a rhythmic vibration that can be translated into movement. Israel Galván, with his hyperesthetic ear, is thus classifying bars as schools of flamenco art. In reality, flamenco ‘bailaors’ have learned as much in bars as in dance academies. In Sevilla, his hometown, many bars display a sign that says: “singing is prohibited here,” because it is the bar, itself, it is the bar that sings. The entire bar is made - as if by a miracle - theater, flamenco theater.

In 2021 Maestro de Barra won 2 Bessie Awards:Outstanding Production (Israel Galván) Outstanding Music Composition/Sound Design (Pedro Leon y Manu Prieto)