COMMUNITY LEGACY.

Eva Encinias founded the Institute in 1982 but began her efforts in teaching and performing for the community long before then. A flamenco dancer and teacher, Eva instilled in her family not just the art form, but the importance of using flamenco as a tool to improve oneself and one’s community. Eva carried on the community-focused work of her mother, Clarita García de Aranda, whose dance studio in the neighborhood that was once known as Los Candelarias in Albuquerque’s North Valley, enriched generations. Clarita’s School of Dance provided scholarships to anyone interested, and Clarita’s generosity rippled through generations of her family. Eva herself expanded efforts at impacting more people on a larger scale, spearheading the founding and growth of the National Institute of Flamenco.

For the Institute, community arts engagement is not only an important way to improve the lives of young people and their families, but it is also a legacy to carry on. Marisol Encinias, the Institute’s current Executive Director, has built upon her mother and grandmother’s work to drive initiatives that grow this legacy and transform individuals through flamenco. She leads a team who are committed to increasing accessibility in the arts, creating equitable jobs for teachers, and learning more about best practices for Community Arts Engagement from other communities. For Marisol and her team, the arts and the community are intrinsically linked; each feeds and strengthens the other.