El Guito

Eduardo Serrano Iglesias, known as El Güito, was born in Madrid in 1942 in the El Rastro neighborhood and became a central figure of late-twentieth-century Madrid flamenco. He trained under La Quica and Antonio Marín, later assisting Marín in his work. At fourteen, Güito made his professional debut with Pilar López's company at the Palace Theatre in London, performing alongside Antonio Gades, Mario Maya, Curro Vélez and Alberto Portillo—a placement that gave him both rigorous training and an international stage at the start of his career.

In 1959, he received the Sarah Bernhardt prize at the Théâtre des Nations in Paris, recognition that marked his early prominence. During the 1960s, his performance language evolved beyond his initial training. In 1971, he formed Trío Madrid with Mario Maya and Carmen Mora, a collaboration that lasted into the middle of the decade and brought together three distinctive stage personalities. He subsequently appeared with the companies of Manuela Vargas and Juanito Valderrama, worked as a guest with the Ballet Nacional de España and Ballet Español de Madrid, and toured internationally in productions including a homage to Carmen Amaya, *Raíces Gitanas* and *Flamenco Puro*, which brought major flamenco artists to United States audiences in the late 1980s.

Alongside performance and choreography, Güito taught for many years at Madrid's Amor de Dios studios, where he transmitted a practice grounded in placement, rhythmic clarity and restraint. His poised, economical soleá became a benchmark for classical male flamenco performance. Spain awarded him the Gold Medal of Merit in the Fine Arts for 2014, formally presented in 2015. Teatro Real dedicated its 2022–23 Flamenco Real season to him. El Güito died on 8 January 2025 in Collado Villalba, Madrid, after a career spanning roughly seven decades.