La Singla

When Antonia Singla graced the stage, she did so without hearing the music. Born deaf to a Romani family in the suburbs of Barcelona, La Singla—as she would affectionately come to be called—rose to international acclaim by the age of 17. Quite literally moving to the beat of her own drum, La Singla's pistol-like percussions were nothing short of revolutionary, gripping the world of flamenco with a dynamism never before experienced. But at the height of her fame, La Singla disappeared from the dance stage, leaving a scattered archival legacy of the world's best bailaora behind. Paloma Zapata's hybrid film stunningly weaves the past and present together, expertly layering archival footage with passionate music and sound. One question drives her forward—to find La Singla herself and finally hear, in the dancer's own words, the heartbreaking story of her life.