Close-up: Sara Baras

Born to be a flamenco superstar, she stomps back into Britain this week

Countless little girls dream of becoming a dancer and spend hours practising a showgirl smile. The young Sara Baras was different. She had no doubt where her feet would take her, and the look she needed to cultivate was a frown. She started formal flamenco classes at her mother Concha's dance academy in Cadiz. "But flamenco was all around, so in reality I'd been learning from the minute I was born."

By the age of 20 Baras was dancing with a company set up to showcase local talent, and the following year's Seville Expo brought wider exposure. From then on things happened fast, with national prizes, appearances on TV, modelling jobs (she was a Triumph bra-girl) and spots in feature films. She was an obvious choice for Mike Figgis's Flamenco Women (1997) but then filmed Mission Impossible II with Tom Cruise. Yet there was never any danger of Baras being deflected from the root seriousness of her work. Ten years ago she set up Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras to perform shows conceived, directed and choreographed by Sara Baras. She even designs the lighting and the frocks.

Sabores (Flavours) made flamenco box-office history when it ran for five months in Madrid and now it's back for a second stint at London's Sadler's Wells. A homage to Baras's mother, it takes a tour of flamenco's palos, or styles, including the masculine farruca – a rarity for a woman to perform.

Isn't it hard, though, having to summon duende, the mysterious soul-force of flamenco, night after night? "Before a show, yes," she says. "And then the curtain goes up, and something – who knows what – comes over me."

'Sabores' is at Sadler's Wells until 12 July, 0844 412 4300, www.sadlerswells.com