Albuquerque Hosts 100 of the Greatest Flamenco Artists in the World

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - June 8, 2023 - Beginning tomorrow, Festival Flamenco Alburquerque (FFABQ) will amass over 100 of the greatest flamenco artists in the world during a nine-day event the likes of which the United States has never seen.

Returning for the 36th year, June 9-17, FFABQ offers the U.S. a rare opportunity to see multiple performances by celebrated Spanish artists, including:

  • Daniel Doña, winner of the 2019 Max Prize for best male dancer
  • Israel Galván, winner of the National Dance Award, Creation section by the Culture Department of the Spanish Government; the New York Bessie Performance Award for an Outstanding Production; and with the Fine Arts Medal awarded by the Council of Ministers of Spanish Government
  • Marco Flores, winner of the 2020 Max Prize in Dance
  • Olga Pericet, winner of the 2018 Spanish National Dance Prize
  • Andrés Marín, winner of the 2022 Spanish National Dance Prize
  • Patricia Guerrero, winner of the  2021 Spanish Ministry of Culture’s National Dance Award

"Festival Flamenco Alburquerque presents a unique and rare opportunity for visitors and New Mexico residents to experience the work of over 100 of the greatest flamenco artists in the world," says Ungelbah Dávila, National Institute of Flamenco (NIF) Marketing Manager. "These are artists that have earned awards from the Spanish Ministry of Culture, and beyond. It's important to us that this type of opportunity is accessible to our community, and we offer a variety of ticket packages, including a package specifically for New Mexico residents, in addition to box office tickets."

This year, NIF has partnered with the Bernalillo County Film Office and Guild Cinema to produce a mini flamenco film festival. The organization has also added new daily press conferences at Hotel Albuquerque that are open to the press and public. NIF Executive Director and Festival Director Marisol Encinias will discuss the shows that will be performed the following day of the Festival, and she will interview the headliner artists (TBD) from those shows to discuss their artistic concepts and visions. These programs will take place daily at 4 p.m. MT from Thursday, June 8, through Friday, June 16, in the Tablao Flamenco Albuquerque space at Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town. Live streaming and/or recording is welcome and encouraged. 

Visit FFABQ.ORG to explore all of the workshops, performances and youth programming taking place as part of this year’s Festival.

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 flamenco artist. 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 the Festival de Jerez in Spain. 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. 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. In 2010, Encinias founded Tierra Adentro: The New Mexico School of Academics, Art and Artesanía, a public charter school. Through Tierra Adentro, Encinias’ artistic and educational vision impacts students in grades 6-12.

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