Our Partnership with the University of New Mexico
The partnership between the University of New Mexico Department of Theater and Dance and the National Institute of Flamenco has existed for decades. This valuable partnership developed around the presentation of Festival Flamenco Alburquerque.
Eva Encinias, now Professor Emerita, was on the faculty of the Department of Theatre and Dance where she was developing a concentration in Flamenco for the dance degree program. In 1987, Eva presented the first edition of Festival Flamenco Internacional de Alburquerque, as it was called at the time. The festival began as a project of The University of New Mexico and its College of Fine Arts, but as the Festival grew, it needed to be driven by an outside organization.
In 1992, The Festival began to be produced by the National Institute of Flamenco, a 501c3 nonprofit arts organization founded by Eva in 1982. The University continued to be a presenting partner of the project, with each organization contributing resources to make the festival one of the most renowned flamenco events in the world.
Over the years, the University and the Institute have continued to partner on several programs. Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company, the professional collective of artists supported by the National Institute of Flamenco, is the flamenco dance company in residence in at the Department of Theatre and Dance. Yjastros rehearses in the Dance building and collaborates with UNM students in various aspects of creative practice.
In 2012, the Department of Theatre and Dance established a Visiting Professor Line in Flamenco. The visiting line brings the most current and established Flamenco artists and scholars to teach classes and engage in deep work with students and professional artists. The vibrancy and vitality of this artist residency in Flamenco is unique in the world. The guest line provides a springboard for visiting artists and scholars to engage in the global dialogue surrounding Flamenco history, performance, and creative process. The National Institute of Flamenco provides logistical and administrative support for the artists who come to participate in the program.
This partnership has been fostered over the years by Eva Encinias, who was Professor of Dance at UNM and the Executive Director of the Institute. Marisol Encinias followed in her mother Eva’s footsteps, now Assistant Professor of Dance and head of the Flamenco concentration, she now serves as the Executive director of the Institute. Both women have been driven by their desire to ensure that UNM and the Albuquerque community have the very best flamenco arts experiences possible.
In January of 2022, Marco Flores, an artist who has been featured in Festival Flamenco Alburquerque several times, came to stage a choreography, “Las Horas Contadas,” on the students of the Flamenco Performance Ensemble in the Department of Theatre and Dance: Dominique Adessa, Chloe Mendoza, Isabella Alderete, Isabella Nuanez, Jesalyn McCollum, and Madison Olguin. These students performed the work at the American College Dance Association regional conference in Texas, then were selected to perform the work at the ACDA National Conference in California in May, and from there were further selected to perform this beautiful work at Jacob’s Pillow on August 17, 2023.
The UNM Dance Program is one of just five schools performing at Jacob’s Pillow. Such recognition speaks to the dancers’ and the program’s quality and accomplishment. The Flamenco programs at UNM and the Institute are at the level they are today because of the incredible partnership that began decades ago, and the continued leadership, vision, and dedication from both organizations who commit to this continued sharing.
