By the late 1700s, flamenco music and dance had taken Europe by storm. On March 15 and 16 at Albuquerque's National Hispanic Cultural Center, the question of how this unique art form developed will be taken up by a team of collaborators: from Spain, the innovative dancers and choreographers, Daniel Doña and Cristian Martín; from Texas, the period-instrument Orchestra of New Spain, specializing in music of the Spanish Baroque; and from New Mexico, Yjastros, UNM's dance company in residence.
"Daniel Doña has choreographed for The Rise of Flamenco five original works -- to a folia, a zarabanda, a canaria and a fandango," says dancer Marisol Encinias, Associate Director of Yjastros and UNM faculty member. "These are all Spanish classical pieces of music that are considered pre-flamenco. I think the saying goes, In order to understand where you're going, you have to understand where you're coming from."
"It's the only program like this in the world." In this longer version of the interview, Marisol elaborates on the UNM Dance Department's concentration in flamenco, and explains how the students train alongside Yjastros. "It's an incredible opportunity for the University students to be able to work in a more professional environment -- how it would be to dance in a repertory company."
