Can We Please Stop Perpetuating Stereotypes About Flamenco Artists?

Like many dancers, flamenco artists have suffered devastating economic losses during the pandemic. Iconic venues in Spain, such as Casa Patas, have closed their doors permanently and the newly formed labor union, Unión Flamenca, has predicted that 42 percent of artists will permanently leave the profession. As I was trying to digest the grim outlook […]

This Choreographer Directs a Physically Integrated Flamenco Company in Spain

Spain’s José Galán challenges audiences to rethink how they perceive those who are disabled. For the past decade, he has directed Compañía José Galán de Flamenco Inclusivo, a professional company that features artists in wheelchairs, with vision impairment and with Down syndrome alongside dancers without disabilities. Regarded as the foremost expert of flamenco dance for […]

Meet Cristina Aguilera, Spain's Rising Flamenco Star

In just two years, dancer and choreographer Cristina Aguilera has performed her solo works at the two most important flamenco festivals in the world: the Seville Flamenco Biennial and the Jerez Festival. In De Agua, Plata y Tierra in Jerez, Aguilera brought drama and lyricism, but also the raw energy and precision that preserve traditional […]

Meet The First Dancer Ever To Win A Grammy for Dancing

Dancers are usually seen and not heard. So the idea of a dancer winning a Grammy sounds impossible. But that is exactly what happened at the 2020 Grammy Awards when American-born flamenco dancer Nino de los Reyes became the first-ever dancer to win a Grammy. As one of the band members, de los Reyes made […]

This Flamenco Dancer Wants You to Know It *Is* Possible to Balance Performing and Motherhood

Watching Concha Jareño dance is like taking a journey into the ancient and modern legacy of flamenco. Her blend of retro classic technique with contemporary geometric shaping has influenced the form’s aesthetic. She has stewarded the return of brighter variations, re-popularizing dances that seemed to be lost to the history books. Her signature “shape-shifter” skill […]

José Molina, Spanish Dancer, Beloved Teacher, Dies at 81

José Molina, the charismatic Spanish born dancer who achieved enduring success in America, passed away on January 5, 2018, due to complications from lung cancer. Just as Billy Elliot discovered his love of dance on the way to his boxing lesson, José Molina Quijada, born in Madrid on November 19, 1936, was enrolled in a […]