NIF NEWS
Talent Talk Tuesday: Patricia Guerrero
“Patricia Guerrero is an artist without limits.”
“Flamenco is a language that feels like my own mother tongue. I want to live dance with all my inner freedom. I just want to keep being me, and never betray who I am.” - Patricia Guerrero
patricia guerrer y Compañía • deliranza
when: June 15, 2023, 8:00 - 9:30 PM
where: National Hispanic Cultural Center
Patricia Guerrero, winner of the 2021 Spanish Ministry of Culture’s National Dance Award, got her first taste of flamenco dancing at home, at the age of three. She was born in Granada, in the Albaycín neighborhood, in 1990. Her flamenco roots run deep and she attended her mother’s academy.
“Flamenco is a language that feels like my own mother tongue. I want to live dance with all my inner freedom. I just want to keep being me, and never betray who I am,” she says.
In 2011 Patricia Guerrero was named prima ballerina of the Andalusian Flamenco Ballet, directed by Rubén Olmo. In November 2017 she performed Don Quixote in the Chillot National Theatre (Paris), alongside Andrés Marín’s company.
Deliranza is an ambitious dance production with an innovative take on flamenco, built on a combination of the classic Spanish art style and a surreal narrative tone.
photos: Claudia Ruiz Caro
8 days
13 companies
114 performers
¿Qué Es Escuela Bolera?
What is Escuela Bolera? A Spanish dance that incorporates elements of flamenco and ballet.
Escuela Bolera originated as a fusion of popular Spanish dances and ballet.
It is performed in zapatillas (soft shoes) and with castanets.
Throughout the years, Escuela Bolera has developed its own specific, unique movement vocabulary.
This type of dance is one of the main Spanish dances and has a very baroque character, full of great technical complexity.
Escuela Bolera has strong influences from classical dance and French and Italian courtly dances of the 17th century, reaching its maximum splendor in the 18th century.
During the 19th century, this type of dance experienced changes when it came into contact with Andalusian dances, such as Flamenco.
The Conservatory of Flamenco Arts is the only place that offers Escuela Bolera in Albuquerque.
CFA's Escuela Bolera classes are multi-generational and taught by Deanna Encinias.
Int./Adv. Class: Tuesday 4-5pm
Beg./Int. Class: Thursday 4-5pm
Our wrap-around Escuela Bolera practice skirts are handmade with love by the National Institute of Flamenco. Tap photo to shop.
Talent Talk Tuesday: Andrés Marín
“Andrés Marín’s personal quest seems to know no limits. ”
"He is one of the most brilliant dancers of our times. An explorer of new forms who reinvents himself each day. His dancing is a cry for freedom of expression in the world of flamenco dance." - Antonio Ortega
Andrés Marín y Compañía • Jardín Impuro
when: June 14, 2023, 8:00 - 9:30 PM
where: Rodey Theatre, UNM
Andrés Marín, winner of the 2022 Spanish National Dance Prize, is an iconoclastic dancer and choreographer who offers us his art as an act of freedom, giving himself fully to the moment. In his performance of Jardín Impuro, or Impure Garden in English, expect to enter a window into his personal universe.
"My impure garden, the garden of Eden as a prize offered by orthodoxy, the garden led to impurity by the attraction of man and his need to see a landscape beyond, daring, adventure, curiosity for the perfect fruit, for the fruit prohibited, be tempted and not abide by the laws,” Marín writes in his show synopsis. “The man with the imperfection of him. Expelled from paradise in a continuous exodus, a metaphorical journey, the exile of flamenco…. it is an area without borders that allows me to move freely through my universe, through my imagination, without any type of ties. It is a dynamic space, always in activity.”
8 days
13 companies
114 performers
Joaquín Encinias Recaps Yjastros' Performance in Jerez
Joaquín Encinias, Yjastros artistic director, talks about the company's performance of "Xicano Power" at the 27th Annual Festival de Jerez , Spain, on February 28, 2023, and what's next for the company.
Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company is the first US-based flamenco company to be invited to perform at a Spanish flamenco festival, and the dance company in residence at the University of New Mexico.
Joaquín Encinias, Yjastros Artistic Director: The evening was called “Xicano Power,” based on the piece by Israel Galván that was in the concert, the third piece of the concert. It went really well. It was well received, I think.
The festival was really gracious with us and gave us a wonderful receptive welcome there. And we felt very welcomed and very honored to be part of that festival.
I think it was an important step for our company, and an important step for me personally, as an artistic director. The performers were incredible. The dancers did incredibly well. And the musicians did incredibly well.
We're looking forward to doing it in our Festival Flamenco Alburquerque in June here in Albuquerque.
Ungelbah Dávila, NIF Marketing Manager: What would you say the biggest win of the week was for you?
JE: It's a challenge to move such a big company, but, nobody was hurt, nobody was sick. So that's a big challenge. And, so I think the biggest win was, first of all, doing our best work without any hiccups.
I mean, I just feel like, so many things could have gone wrong and didn't. And I think that's a lot of luck, but also, it's a lot of hard work, and our company was well prepared. I think that's what I'm most proud of is that I feel we were well prepared, and we were ready.
UD: What was your favorite part of the experience?
JE: I got to see a bunch of shows, but of the performance experience for me personally, it's a surreal moment, you know, being there was surreal. And performing in Spain, as much as I've been to Spain many times before, it's not the same as when you're performing there.
I think one of the my favorite moments was between I was approached by this very elderly woman on the street, who was obviously a Spaniard woman and very short in stature and she just came up to me and two other dancers in the show, and just said that she thought we were incredible, and she couldn't believe what she had just seen. And that was very satisfying, you know. Obviously this woman who's been in the center of flamenco for a long time, and she really loved it.
UD: So what's next for Yjastros?
JE: Now that you're back home, we start the emerging artists project coming up. Dancers in the company do some choreography themselves. I think that it's an incredible thing coming up with our Spain trip. I'm sure a lot of them are ready for it and inspired. So, I'm looking forward to seeing them do that.
My sister and I will be working on our next show, which is going to premiere in November next year. We've been doing a lot of work getting that ball rolling, but we've gotten some good grants to do a project about Mestizo culture through flamenco.
So we're going to be working on that starting here very earnestly, now, and then the company will keep cleaning the “Xicano Power” show and getting it prepared for our June festival. Some very important choreographers will be here who have choreographers in the show, so I want to do the pieces really well for them.
The other thing that is so special about the Albuquerque festival is that those artists are here for 10 days in one place. In the Jerez festival artists come in, they perform and then they leave. Not a lot of people are there for the whole two weeks, or three weeks or four weeks. And at our festival a lot of those artists stay here, and so they're at shows every night. It's an incredibly warm and bonding experience at this festival. So I'm looking forward to doing our show in our festival for some of these artists to see and for the Albuquerque audience to see also.
"A Historical Event..." Article by Estela Zatania in Expo Flamenco
“Yjastros is the result of decades of dedication and hard work, and the authorities of the Festival de Jerez deserve congratulations for having programed this group of 17 dancers and musicians whose travel expenses were covered by a United States grant for the performing arts,” writes flamencologist Estela Zatania in Expo Flamenco just days after Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company performed “Xicano Power” at Festival de Jerez.
Yjastros, which is also the dance company in residence at the University of New Mexico, is the first US-based flamenco company to have ever been invited to a Spanish flamenco festival.
“In an interview with Marisol Encinias (NIF executive director) several years ago, she explained that New Mexico maintains a close relationship with its Spanish roots, while at the same time celebrating its own culture, traditions and native history. She pointed out that ‘the concept of history that incorporates both Spanish and indigenous culture is something that comes naturally in our part of the world. We feel flamenco as our own, not foreign,’” Zatania continued.
Read Estela Zatania’s full article, A cultural round-trip with social allusions at the Festival de Jerez, published March 4, 2023 in Expo Flamenco (www.expoflamenco.com).
Below immerse yourself in Yjastros’ performance at Jerez of the concert “Xicano Power,” which uses a work by Israel Galván as the title of the presentation as well as a choreography in the concert. It also includes choreographies by Mercedes Amaya “La Winy”, Pedro Córdoba, Nino de los Reyes, Estévez & Paños, Marco Flores and Joaquín Encinias, artistic director of Yjastros.
Photos courtesy of Rafael Manjavacas, published in DeFlamenco.com.
See “XICANO POWER” live at FFABQ36.
Tickets On Sale Here.
What the Heck is "Jota"?
From right, Michelle Chustz, Cristina Salazar and Crystal Carbajal, from Tierra Adentro of New Mexico, an Albuquerque charter school, perform “Jota de Murcia,” a dance from Spain, on stage at the Albuquerque Convention Center on Friday. (courtesy of Marla Brose/Albuquerque Journal, 2018)
Jota is a Spanish dance that came to be in the 1700s and is the national folk dance of Aragon, Spain, a landlocked region in northeastern Spain comprising the provinces of Huesca, Zaragoza and Teruel.
The Basque people also claim it as their national dance. Basque Country is an autonomous community in northern Spain with strong cultural traditions, a celebrated cuisine and a distinct language that pre-dates the Romance languages.
It is a quick dance in 3/8 time.
There are different forms in other regions like Valencia, Castile, and Navarra, Spain.
Dancers elevate their legs as if they were doing a fouetté combined with waltz-like movements. In the meantime, they play the castanets with arched elevated arms.
CFA offers open registration for Jota dance class on Wednesdays from 4-5pm for students ages 6-12.
Here is a look at our students performing Jota at the 2021 La Estrella concert.
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.
Get Your Tix to
“Xicano power”
live at FFABQ36
Women's History Month: Celebrating Eva Encinias
March is Women’s History Month and we want to highlight a different woman of NIF each week, beginning with Eva Encinias, who has been the heartbeat of the National Institute of Flamenco for the past 40 years.
Last year, Eva was honored by the National Endowment for the Arts as a National Heritage Fellow. The NEA National Heritage Fellowship is the nation's highest honor in folk and traditional arts.
An archival photo of Eva Encinias dancing.
Eva has devoted her life to flamenco, touching the lives of multiple generations of dancers. In 1973 she established her own dance company, Ritmo Flamenco, which toured regionally in the Southwest for 15 years. By 1976, she was teaching flamenco at the University of New Mexico, spearheading the development of both undergraduate and graduate degrees with concentrations in flamenco, the only accredited dance program in the world to boast such specializations.
Then, in 1982 she founded the National Institute of Flamenco where she continues to teach and inspire students as young as 3 — many who are the grandchildren and great-grandchildren of those she taught in the ‘70s and ’80s.
Eva was born into a family of flamencos here in Albuquerque, NM. Her grandmother, Juanita Lopez, was a resadora, a woman who knew the repertoire of traditional alabados (sacred Spanish-language hymns). Her mother, Clarita García de Aranda, ran a one-room studio in Albuquerque, where she taught dance classes through the 1950s. Eva and her siblings were immersed in the art form from birth, just as her children would be.
Throughout her career, Eva’s work has been recognized with many awards, including an induction into El Orden de Isabel la Católica, an honor bestowed upon her by the King of Spain, Felipe VI.
Talent Talk Tuesday: Olga Pericet
“A mercurial presence, and a fearless experimenter.”
We are 101 days away from show time and excited to begin introducing you to the talented men and women from Spain, Mexico and the US that will be joining us on stage and in the studio for the biggest, boldest, and oldest Flamenco festival outside of Spain — Festival Flamenco Alburquerque 36.
Today, take a moment to immerse yourself in the dynamic, fearless world of Olga Pericet, winner of the 2018 Spanish National Dance Prize.
olga pericet y Compañía • la leona
when: June 13, 2023, 8:00 - 9:30 PM
where: Rodey Theatre, UNM
“ A dancer who becomes a goddess when she gets on the stage.”
Olga Pericet began her career in her hometown of Cordoba, Spain. A graduate of the Conservatorio Profesional Luis del Río, and the Maica Moyano School, she has performed the world over, and joins us this June for Festival Flamenco Alburquerque 36.
On her website she describe herself as one who drinks deep from tradition and throws herself into the unknown, displaying what has never been seen before in shows in which a flamenco of opposites beats: dark and luminous, feminine and masculine, disturbing and beautiful.
In 2018 she was awarded the National Dance Prize in the Interpretation Category for “her ability to bring together the different disciplines of Spanish dance, updating them in an interpretive language with her own stamp” and for “her theatrical versatility and her meaningful capacity for communication”.
Olga creates a dialogue between the animal and the instrument in the symbolism of La Leona, the famous guitar made by Antonio De Torres, considered by many to be the first prototype of the Spanish and flamenco guitar.
La Leona is a gorgeous, free-wheeling interpretation, inspired by a unique instrument and its construction process, singular, full of nuances, mysteries and poetics. Pericet, together with a team of five musicians, puts her bravura to the test, stripping herself physically and spiritually in a unique and intimate experience with the spectators.
“Fierce energy caged within a steely technique.”
Photos: Paco Villalta
8 days
13 companies
114 performers
Our Adventures in Spain, Part 1
After outrageous winds delayed our flight to Madrid, and luggage full of performance costumes got lost in transit for over 24 hours, and having to charter a bus to get to Jerez because all of the trains were booked … Team NIF and Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company are finally on the ground at the 27th Annual Festival de Jerez!
By this time tomorrow, Yjastros will have gone down in history as the first ever US-based flamenco company to perform at a Spanish flamenco festival. But, today is tech day and here’s a look at some of our adventures thus far.
Remember that you can follow along in real time via our Instagram and Facebook stories.
Photo 1 & 2: En route to Jerez!
Photo 3: Joaquín Encinias met up with Iván Vargas outside of Bodegas San Ginés.
Photos 4 & 5: Monday morning press conference at Festival de Jerez where Joaquín Encinias shows Jerez the "most international face of flamenco."
He was joined by Iván Vargas, Juan Andrés Maya, Paula Comitre, Shoji Kojima, and Javier Latorre.
Joaquín Encinias Talks "Xicano Power"
Yjastros rehearsing the “Xicano Power” concert at UNM’s Carlisle Gym on February 15, 2023.
This week Yjastros and NIF staff will be hopping on a plane to Madrid and then boarding a train to Jerez de la Frontera to make history as the first Flamenco dance company from the United States to perform at the prestigious Festival de Jerez, now in its 27th year.
The festival, which runs from February 25 to March 11, will host 44 different performances and over 30 workshops. On February 28, Yjastros will take the stage at Museos de la Atalaya and perform their new concert “Xicano Power.”
We sat down with Yjastros’ Artistic Director Joaquín Encinias to talk more about the significance of this trip and the concert itself.
“My name is Joaquín Encinias, artistic director of Yjastros. The name Xicano Power, is one of the pieces in the show, and was choreographed in 2004 by Israel Galván. I utilized that piece because of its significance, artistically, from Israel. It’s an iconic piece in our repertory.
Secondly, I think it demonstrated what the repertory process was for us early on in our company. I wanted to demonstrate that. Next, I also am a Xicano. I am from New Mexico. So I chose to utilize that piece, Xicano Power, as the name of the show and an iconic representation of who we are as dancers and artists.
“It's not necessarily just a race thing for me, it's a cultural thing. It's identifying with a people group, not necessarily a DNA or race type of thing, and so I think it also does speak about Yjastros, the company, as well.
“You really can't speak about Xicano, the word Xicano and the Xicano Movement and where the word Xicano comes from in that time without speaking about this poem [Yo Soy Joaquín] from this man named Corky Gonzales who wrote this poem in 1967. It really did spark a lot in the Xicano Movement at that time. It's something that if we were going to utilize this name, I felt it was important that we at least do some contextualization of what we're talking about.
“Because we're going to be in Spain and share this project that's here in a hotbed of Xicano culture and New Mexican culture, I thought it would be appropriate to utilize a lot of the imagery, and actually speak a lot of the poetry in the show. But, mainly be inspired by all of the wonderful imagery. It's an incredible piece of work, and you could do five shows based on that poem. So I hope to do it justice.
“It's a huge honor to be presenting in this prestigious [Festival de Jerez]. You know, the significance of having a repertory company here in the United States that is a flamenco-based repertory company, is very unique. I think that's been recognized by many artists and producers around the world, including Spain. I think this is significant in that it's recognizing that long bit of work, about 25 years of work, as far as a company. A repertory format means that we house choreographies of many different choreographers and different artists, and it's a living archive of dance. I'm very proud of that, and I'm proud of this company. I think it's a big honor.” — Joaquín Encinias, February 20, 2023
Here’s a deeper look at the poem “Yo Soy Joaquín” by Rodolfo Corky Gonzales. You can read the poem HERE.
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.
Yjastros to perform at the prestigious Festival de Jerez!
Albuquerque Journal Arts Editor Adrian Gomez and Photographer Chancey Bush created this excellent piece covering Yjastros and their upcoming performance in the 27th Annual Festival de Jerez.
For 40 years, NIF has been devoted to building a home for flamenco in the United States and for introducing the incredible flamenco created in New Mexico to the larger world. We are honored and excited that Yjastros, our professional flamenco company founded in 1999, will perform at one of the most prestigious flamenco festivals in Spain, the Festival de Jerez. The invitation to perform is an honor in and of itself and made yet more special by its rarity.
The Festival de Jerez, now in its 27th year, has presented few non-Spanish flamenco artists, and Yjastros will be the first U.S.-based company to perform in its history and in the history of any festival in Spain!
One of the world's greatest flamenco events, the Festival de Jerez gathers flamenco aficionados from all over the globe for two weeks of total flamenco immersion. The 2023 edition boasts 46 performances, including 14 world premieres, in venues throughout the city, along with workshops and intensive courses from the morning to the evening.
Yjastros will perform their concert Xicano Power February 28 at the Museos de la Atalaya. Learn more here.
National Endowment for the Arts Documentary Film Premiere
Help us celebrate National Institute of Flamenco Founding Director and 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellow Eva Encinias during the premiere of this special documentary film.
The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA), in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts, is pleased to present the film Roots of the American Culture: A Cross-Country Visit with Living Treasures of the Fold and Traditional Arts, premiering on arts.gov/heritage on Thursday, November 17 at 6:00 pm MST.
Hosted by NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD, the film will explore the lives and work of the 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellows, recipients of the nation's highest honor in the folk and traditional arts.
Help us celebrate National Institute of Flamenco Founding Director and 2022 NEA National Heritage Fellow Eva Encinias during the premiere of this special documentary film.
La Estrella: A Flamenco Story of the Kings' Quest Tickets On Sale Now
Witness the famous story of the three kings told through the beautiful art of flamenco!
The National Institute of Flamenco is proud to present the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts Winter production of La Estrella: A Flamenco Story of the Kings' Quest! Tickets are on sale now - visit unmtickets.com or click the button below.
Witness the famous story of the three kings told through the beautiful art of flamenco! La Estrella is a magical holiday production, featuring members of Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company, students of the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts, Tierra Adentro charter school, and guest artists Alicia Morales and Ángel Ruíz that will delight all ages.
Yjastros in Çiertas Danças Featuring Estévez/Paños with Special Guests Alicia Morales & Ángel Ruíz
The National Institute of Flamenco and the National Hispanic Cultural Center present Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company in Çiertas Danças, featuring invited artists Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños, and musical guests, singer Alicia Morales and guitarist Ángel Ruíz.
The National Institute of Flamenco and the National Hispanic Cultural Center present Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company in Çiertas Danças, featuring invited artists Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños, and musical guests, singer Alicia Morales and guitarist Ángel Ruíz.
The concert’s title stems from an original work Estévez and Paños created for Yjastros, and the season features new choreographies and performance by Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños. Çiertas Danças showcases the depth of Artistic Director Joaquín Encinias and Yjastros’ artistic collaboration with creators at the global forefront of the art form and Estévez/Paños' thrilling artistic vision. Guest choreographers and dancers Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños, winners of the Spanish National Dance Prize for choreography, will present their work SILENCIOS. In addition to stunning dance from Yjastros and Estévez/Paños, audiences will delight in new music from Alicia Morales and Ángel Ruíz.
Yjastros is the flamenco company in residence in the University of New Mexico Dance Program
Footage of SILENCIOS courtesy of Estévez/Paños
Music by Jesús Torres
Trailer by Incredible Films
Artist Talk with Estévez/Paños
This event is free and open to the public.
Join us for a special Artist Talk with guest choreographers and dancers Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños on Friday, October 28 at 1 pm in Carlisle Gym! This event is free and open to the public. Carlisle Gym is located on the University of New Mexico Main Campus.
ESTÉVEZ/PAÑOS
In 2001, Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños formed an artistic tandem after discovering that they had much in common regarding artistic concepts and vision of dance. They began an arduous work together that involved research and experimentation, combining tradition and the avant-garde. From the beginning of this artistic and creative journey, they investigate movement, experimenting with contemporary dance forms, Spanish dance and flamenco, and create a language and concept of dance and choreography that is characteristically their own.
Together they have choreographed, directed, and collaborated with artists such as Carlos Saura, Lola Greco, Antonio Canales, Mayte Bajo, Gala Vivancos, Kira Gimeno, María Vivó, Tamara Rojo, José Martínez, Mats Ek, Ana Laguna, Ángel Corella, Nacho Duato, Carmen Linares, Miguel Poveda, Israel Galván, Rocío Molina, El Terremoto, Arcángel, Patricia Guerrero, Daniel Navarro, Rubén Olmo, Olga Pericet, Marco Flores, Manuel Liñán, Amador Rojas, Fuensanta la Moneta, Pastora Galván, Ana Morales, David Coria, Concha Jareño, Alfonso Losa, among others.
In 2019, Estévez and Paños were awarded the Premio Nacional de Danza in the modality of choreographic creation.
The National Institute of Flamenco is proud to welcome these artists back to Albuquerque to work with Yjastros again, and to choreograph and teach as visiting professors in the University of New Mexico Dance Program.
Welcome Back to Albuquerque, Rafael Estévez & Valeriano Paños!
The National Institute of Flamenco welcomes Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños back to Albuquerque! Estévez and Paños are setting new choreography on Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company and working as Visiting Professors in the University of New Mexico Dance Program's Flamenco Concentration.
The National Institute of Flamenco welcomes Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños back to Albuquerque! Estévez and Paños are setting new choreography on Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company and working as Visiting Professors in the University of New Mexico Dance Program's Flamenco Concentration.
We are honored to have Estévez and Paños as invited artists in the fall season of Yjastros, Çiertas Danças, November 11 and 12 at the National Hispanic Cultural Center. Estévez and Paños will present their acclaimed work SILENCIOS. The fall concert season's name comes from an original work the artistic duo created for Yjastros, and will feature guest musicians Alicia Morales and Ángel Ruíz, and thrilling new dance and music.
Don't miss this very special performance, and stay tuned for information about their free-to-the public artist talk on October 28!
Photo of Estévez y Paños by Beatrix Mexi Molnar
This residence is made possible in part with support from SPAIN arts & culture.
Yjastros & Estévez/Paños present Çiertas Danças with Special Guests Alicia Morales and Ángel Ruíz
The National Institute of Flamenco and the National Hispanic Cultural Center present Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company in Çiertas Danças, featuring invited artists Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños, and musical guests, singer Alicia Morales and guitarist Ángel Ruíz.
The National Institute of Flamenco and the National Hispanic Cultural Center present Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company in Çiertas Danças, featuring invited artists Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños, and musical guests, singer Alicia Morales and guitarist Ángel Ruíz.
The concert’s title stems from an original work Estévez and Paños created for Yjastros, and the season features new choreographies and performance by Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños. Çiertas Danças showcases the depth of Artistic Director Joaquín Encinias and Yjastros’ artistic collaboration with creators at the global forefront of the art form and Estévez/Paños' thrilling artistic vision. Guest choreographers and dancers Rafael Estévez and Valeriano Paños, winners of the Spanish National Dance Prize for choreography, will present their work SILENCIOS. In addition to stunning dance from Yjastros and Estévez/Paños, audiences will delight in new music from Alicia Morales and Ángel Ruíz.
Yjastros is the flamenco company in residence in the University of New Mexico Dance Program.
Welcome to Albuquerque, Alicia Morales!
Welcome to Albuquerque, Alicia Morales! Cantaora Alicia Morales will be in residence at the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts, Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque, and El Farol Santa Fe through December 18th.
Welcome to Albuquerque, Alicia Morales! Cantaora Alicia Morales will be in residence at the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts, Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque, and El Farol Santa Fe through December 18th.
Morales will teach cante (singing) at the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts. The National Institute of Flamenco is excited to have this excellent musician in residence to teach, perform, and enrich the community. Register & sign up: https://www.nifnm.org/schedule-and-regsitration
Alicia Morales began her career at a young age under the guidance of great masters such as Antonio Gomez "El Colorao," Luis "El Zambo," Segundo Falcón, and Juan Mesas, who believed in her talent from the beginning. She worked with the poet José Luis Ortiz Nuevo and alongside the master guitarist Miguel Ochando in Morocco.
She participated in an important conference on Enrique Morente, "Talent, Work and Wisdom in the path of a Genius" together with Juan Mesas.
Morales has traveled through countless countries demonstrating her art, singing and sharing flamenco with different cultures and regions such as Russia, Italy, France, Morocco, and in the U.S. She performs at festivals and clubs in Andalucía with master guitarists such as Paco Cortez, Miguel Ochando, and Juan Habichuela Nieto.
She won the Miguel Hernández Prize for her artistic career. Alicia has performed at the Flamenco Festival in the Sadlers-Wells theater in London to great acclaim in the press from all over the \world. She composed music for the shows La Gaviota, Casa de las Muñecas, and Summer and Humo. Her full-length album La Novia de Cristal was released in 2019.