Albuquerque, NM, May 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Presented by the National Institute of Flamenco, the University of New Mexico, PNC Bank and the National Hispanic Cultural Center, Festival Flamenco Albuquerque—the oldest and largest flamenco festival outside of Spain—will take place from June 21-29. The Festival will include 20 performances, over 60 free and paid workshops, 13 internationally based performance companies, one New Mexican company, two world premiere shows and over 90 performers.

Now in its 37th year, Festival Flamenco Alburquerque (FFABQ) is regarded as one of the most prestigious festivals of its kind, having hosted many of the world's most prominent flamenco artists. Ticket packages and workshops are available at www.ffabq.org.

Expect unforgettable performances from an incredible range of artists, including traditional interpreters: dancer Karime Amaya, grandniece of the legendary Carmen Amaya, with her world premiere Contrapunto; internationally renowned dancer Farruquito, with the U.S. premiere of Concierto Flamenco; singer “El Pele,” one of flamenco’s greatest living singers, who opened for David Bowie’s 1990 concerts in Barcelona and Madrid; the brilliantly talented Campallo family, with dancer Adela Campallo’s world premiere Fui Piedra and brothers dancer Rafael Campallo and guitarist Juan Campallo.

The Festival presents diverse interpretations of flamenco, including groundbreaking avant-garde and upcoming artists. Thrilling new performances from visionary artists such as Manuel Liñán, winner of the 2017 Spanish National Dance Prize, Estévez y Paños, winners of the 2019 Spanish National Dance Prize for Creation, Mercedes de Córdoba, and María Moreno push the boundaries of the art form. Rising stars such as Águeda Saavedra, winner of the 2022 Festival de Jerez Revelation Prize for best new artist, and Eduardo Guerrero, winner of the 2022 Lorca Prize for Best Male Dancer, bring visceral, evocative energy to the stage. Yinka Esi Graves performs in her critically acclaimed first solo work, The Disappearing Act.

All of the scheduled concerts will make their United States premiere during FFABQ37. Festival venues include the Journal Theatre at the National Hispanic Cultural Center, and UNM's Rodey and Experimental Theatres, as well as late-night tablaos at Tablao FlamencoAlbuquerque located inside of Hotel Albuquerque.

Children and youth can join us during the 25th Annual Flamenco Kids Camp and the 5th Annual Festival Juvenil. Flamenco Kids Camp is a fun, immersive day camp introducing children ages 6-12 to the full range of flamenco arts and culture. Festival Juvenil is the youth component of Festival Flamenco Alburquerque and the premier national flamenco camp for experienced young flamenco dancers ages 10-15. Students take exclusive Festival Juvenil classes together as part of a cohort taught by Festival Flamenco Alburquerque guest artists.

Festival Flamenco Alburquerque truly has something for everyone, including the Flamenco in Your Neighborhood Series, featuring free classes and outdoor concerts produced in partnership with Bernalillo County, the City of Albuquerque, the Village of Los Lunas Parks and Recreation, and the Wildflower Playhouse (Taos). The Exposición Flamenca Juvenil features a family-freindly Saturday morning of free performances by Flamenco Kids Campers, Festival Juvenil dancers, and local and national student performance groups at Albuquerque’s Old Town Gazebo.

About the National Institute of Flamenco
The National Institute of Flamenco (NIF) is a 501c3 non-profit that has developed into an internationally significant arts organization, unparalleled in its breadth and depth of programming.

NIF was established in 1982 by Eva Encinias, a 2022 National Endowment for the Arts National Heritage Fellow and lifelong flamencoartist. NIF is home to the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts, where flamenco study begins as early as age 3, and Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company, the first US-based company to be invited to perform in a Spanish flamenco festival. In 1999, Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company, which is the current dance company in residence at the University of New Mexico's Department of Theatre and Dance, set forth on an artistic journey that would become North America’s most distinctive flamenco project.

This revolutionary performance entity combined the mosaic quality of the American repertory company with the authentic idiom of flamenco, creating a living archive of choreographic masterworks. Yjastros is under the artistic direction of Joaquín Encinias, who in 1999 opened the Conservatory of Flamenco Arts with his mother Eva and sister, Marisol. Marisol Encinias is currently the Executive Director of NIF and works alongside her mother, Founding Director Eva Encinias, and brother Joaquín to ensure the artistic relevancy, cultural excellence, and educational quality that keeps NIF on the forefront of both arts education and the dissemination of flamenco.

About The University of New Mexico
The Institute proudly partners with the University of New Mexico (UNM), whose Department of Theatre and Dance is home to the only accredited dance program in the United States in which flamenco is a concentration (BA, BAIA, MA, MFA). The first edition of Festival Flamenco Alburquerque celebrated the 50th Anniversary of UNM College of Fine Arts, and the University has been a presenting partner ever since. The Institute’s professional flamenco dance and music company, Yjastros, is the flamenco dance company in residence in the University of New Mexico’s Department of Theatre and Dance.

About the National Hispanic Cultural Center
The National Hispanic Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, promotion and advancement of Hispanic culture, arts and humanities. The Center presents exhibitions, lectures, book readings, performing arts and educational programming that are meaningful to the local community. It offers the Hispanic, Chicano and Latinx artist a place to present their work and bring it to the national stage. The NHCC is committed to making a cultural home for the diverse identities that shape the community.

About PNC Bank
PNC Bank, National Association, is a member of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE: PNC). PNC is one of the largest diversified financial services institutions in the United States, organized around its customers and communities for strong relationships and local delivery of retail and business banking including a full range of lending products; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management and asset management. For information about PNC, visit www.pnc.com.

Thaïs Ferrandis Coy
National Institute of Flamenco
(505) 242-7600
thais@nifnm.org

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