Born into the dance family of José Galván and Eugenia de los Reyes in Seville, Israel Galván underwent classical flamenco training. Since his very first creation ¡Mira! / Los zapatos rojos (1998), which paved the way as a manifesto for a new spirit of flamenco dance, he has gradually transformed into an unclassified dancer and choreographer. Galván recodifies the physical language of flamenco using not only modes of expression genealogically close to it, such as bullfighting, but also applying performative aspects of other rituals of popular culture – from football to activism and cross-dressing. He produces a multiplicity of bodies in a flamenco that is itself going through a process of change. Each of his creations serves as a milestone in his pursuit of a dance that seeks to free itself from certain features inherited from a crystallised form of flamenco. He wants to refocus dance to address the actual act of dancing. Galván has been honoured with prestigious prizes and promoted to the rank of Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France. He’s an associate artist at the Théâtre de la Ville, Paris.