Our Adventures in Spain, Part 2
It was a whirlwind of excitement this February 28 as our beloved brothers and sisters of Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company made history at Museos de la Atalaya in the Spanish province of Cádiz during the 27th Annual Festival de Jerez.
Jerez, Spain is 8 hours ahead of us here in Albuquerque, so Wednesday we awoke to a flood of photos and videos of “Xicano Power”, the concert that Yjastros debuted to Spain as the first ever US-based flamenco company to ever be invited to a Spanish flamenco festival.
It goes without saying that Albuquerque ripples with pride, from the mayors office to the farms along the Rio Grande, as this powerful art form has been an integral part of our cultural identity as Xicanos and Nuevo Mexicanos for generations.
Joaquín Encinias, Yjastros Artistic Director, talks to us about the significance and inspiration of “Xicano Power”.
We are blessed to have a truly special group of supporters who joined us in Jerez, including members of our Board of Directors and flamenco family from all over the world.
Thank you board member José Viramontes, NIF Operations Director Annie D’Orazio and the many others who captured these beautiful memories so we could not only preserve them, but share them with the globe!
Lastly, but most importantly, we thank the Festival de Jerez team, the technicians and staff at the Museos de Atalaya, and all of the Yjastros and National Institute of Flamenco family and supporters who came to Jerez from Burque, Santa Fe, Tucson, Laredo, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Brussels, Madrid, and many other locales, and to all those who helped us get to Jerez.
Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company is the dance company in residence at the University of New Mexico's Department of Theatre and Dance.
Yjastros takes a bow after performing “Xicano Power” at Festival de Jerez.
