Yjastros Takes "Xicano Power" to Spain

Giovanna Hinojosa dances during open rehearsal at UNM on February 14.

Countdown to EspaÑa

In only 11 days, Yjastros will perform their new concert Xicano Power at Festival de Jerez in Spain. This will be historical in that it's the first time a US-based flamenco company has been invited to a Spanish festival.

Yjastros was all power this week in rehearsal for their upcoming concert at Festival de Jerez in Spain on February 28.

Here is a look inside preparation for the concert Xicano Power, featuring choreographies by Israel Galván, Mercedes Amaya "La Winy," Estévez y Paños, Marco Flores, Pedro Córdoba, Nino de los Reyes, and Yjastros Artistic Director Joaquín Encinias.

Yjastros performs choreography from the concert “Xicano Power” during open rehearsal at UNM on February 14.

XICANO POWER

In 2004, just five years after Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company’s inception, Israel Galván choreographed Xicano Power on the company. In titling the work, Galván chose a name representative of the people performing. By doing so, Galván acknowledged the importance of the people doing the art. We have chosen Xicano Power for the title of this performance, focusing again on the interpreters and the power that shapes who they are.

Chicanos are individuals of mixed ancestry, of Spanish European and Indigenous descent living in the southwestern United States, a borderland which includes New Mexico. Chicano identity and culture permeate the land and space that this company comes from. Chicano represents both a group of people and a larger way of life for all those who live in the borderlands. As artists practicing flamenco in a liminal space, the fronteras, Yjastros dwells in a creative idiom that is multifaceted and evolving yet rooted.

Over its 23-year history, Yjastros has grown into a living, breathing archive of flamenco works. The dancers and musicians of Yjastros bring the visions of dozens of luminary artists to life, moving as a collective while expressing as individuals. Yjastros Artistic Director Joaquín Encinias understands the power of a company, a close-knit clan that works together daily to embody the deep and wide creative possibilities of flamenco.

Xicano Power presents a diverse collection of flamenco works that exist within the Yjastros archive. The performance features Galván’s titular work alongside choreographies by Mercedes Amaya “La Winy,” Pedro Córdoba, Nino de los Reyes, Estévez/Paños, Marco Flores, and Encinias himself. The joining of these disparate works allows audiences to experience the unique artistic voice of each choreographer through each individual performer. The choreographies presented in Xicano Power showcase flamenco’s incredible expressive range: explosive, elegant, raw, delightful, complex, beautiful; each piece as unique as its creator. Xicano Power immerses audiences in the energy and artistic truth that this New Mexican company brings to flamenco.