During the research for the film Peret, I am Rumba (2018), Paloma Zapata uncovered a striking discovery in the family archives: a photo of Colita with Antoñita La Singla dancing beside Peret on the guitar. Zapata recalls to El Periódico de Catalunya of the Prensa Ibérica group that the image spoke volumes about a young, restless artist. The archives showed little information online beyond a sparse American page, a Wikipedia entry, a handful of photographs, and a few videos with millions of views. The gap became a catalyst for a deeper exploration of Antonia Singla Contreras, a dancer born in Barcelona’s Somorrostro district in 1948. Today, if readers search for her name, they will find significantly more material thanks to Zapata’s film La Singla, which shines a light on an extraordinary figure. The film is shown at numerous festivals and is slated for release on November 10. It presents a compelling document about a dancer who was deaf from childhood, learned rhythm by watching the guitarist’s hands, and whose artistry compelled others to follow her lead through music and movement.
La Singla carried fire in her performances, striking the floor with force to feel the vibrations and shape her distinctive style. Her life tells a story of perseverance rooted in a very poor upbringing and early isolation caused by deafness. Dance became her language with the world, a means of connection when spoken words were not easily possible. The film notes that her mother taught her basic steps by snapping fingers. This art form allowed her to translate sound into movement, giving her a unique and powerful presence on stage.
She breathes fire and dances with light on the stage
Her rhythm dominated the space, a testament to a life spent listening with her body. In the documentary, she is described as falling into an abyss after losing her ability to hear, yet she kept her spirit alive through dance. Notable figures such as Jean Cocteau, Salvador Dalí, Gala, Colita, and Antonio Gades became acquainted with her and admired her craft. Colita captured Antoñita as a teenager, and the friendship between photographer and dancer evolved as she matured. Somorrostro’s own Carmen emerges to carry forward the legacy.
The film presents the project as a historical investigation, since early on there was uncertainty about whether La Singla was alive. Information came through the late Francisco Banegas, who supplied catalogs, press clippings, and records. A German television documentary from 1964 also contributed important material. The narrative hints at the hopeful idea that a doctor once operated to restore her hearing, and suggests that she learned to speak later in life through personal effort.
Through Zapata’s creative approach, a younger actress, Helena Kaittani, portrays an alter ego of the filmmaker. The journey follows the dancer as she navigates a life marked by a father who reappears seeking opportunity. Zapata explains that the film functions as a quest, weaving in fictional elements to deepen the search. Helena’s voiceover mirrors the perspective of a young woman like Antoñita, and the film invites viewers to draw their own conclusions while exploring themes such as dance, the Gypsy community’s struggles, and abuses of power within families. The appearance of Olaf Hudtwacker, a German gallerist, musicologist, and jazz journalist, broadens Antoñita’s musical horizon and inspires a dance show that embraces jazz.
La Singla stands apart from any other story. Zapata notes that another dancer from the same era, Cara Estaca, was also deaf, as was a guitarist from those years. The film also references the deaf dancer Maria Ángeles Narváez, who learned sign-language-based dancing and helps guide the narrator through the opening scenes. This portrayal underscores the resilience and artistry of dancers who navigated hearing loss while shaping cultural movements on the streets and stages of Barcelona.