Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana Announces 35th Anniversary Season

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana announces a full slate of events and performances to mark its 35th anniversary, including the fourth edition of Flamenco Certamen USA; "Flamenco in the Boros," a series of free performances in neighborhoods across the city; a national tour; and the company's New York season at BAM Fisher featuring a world premiere by internationally renowned choreographer Belén Maya.

Founded in 1983 by Carlota Santana and the late Roberto Lorca, Flamenco Vivo has emerged as one of flamenco's leading interpreters and ambassadors in the United States. Today, after 35 years and more than two dozen premieres, Flamenco Vivo continues to promote flamenco as a living, evolving art form that transcends borders-through continually commissioning and performing new works and through its innovative education programs. In recognition of Carlota Santana's commitment to upholding the classical traditions of the art form while also pushing its boundaries,Dance Magazine has hailed her as "The Keeper of Flamenco."

Flamenco Vivo's 2017-18 season kicks off with Flamenco Certamen USA on October 20. The only competition of its kind in the United States, the Certamen provides a showcase for emerging talent in a format that recalls the regional flamenco competitions that take place throughout Spain. Part of Flamenco Vivo's ongoing partnership with Madrid's prestigious El Certamen de Coreografía de Danza Española y Flamenco, this year's Certamen will feature artists from around the U.S. and Canada. The final show and judging will take place on October 20 at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.

On November 13 the Society of Illustrators will play host to the company's Annual Benefit,featuring tapas, live music, and performances by the company. Guest artist Emilio Ochando, making his New York début, will perform with the company.

From December 3-9, the season continues with the return of the company's annual "Flamenco in the Boros" tour, a series of free community performances throughout New York City. Navidad Flamenca draws inspiration from the rich holiday customs of the Spanish-speaking world, from Argentina and Mexico, to Colombia, Cuba, and Puerto Rico. Through music, carols, and dance,Navidad Flamenca highlights holiday traditions and reflects the influences of Hispanic culture throughout the Americas.

February and March bring the Voces del Sur National Tour. This season's tour program gives a glimpse into the mysterious land of Andalucía, the Southern Spanish region known as "the cradle of flamenco." Flamenco Vivo's dancers and musicians create a tapestry of the unique and diverse culture of Andalucía as well as the greater Hispanic/Latino people. The company will appear in more than a dozen venues in eight states including, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Maryland, New Jersey, and Tennessee.

The 35th anniversary season culminates in Flamenco Vivo's New York Season at BAM FisherMay 15-20, featuring the world premiere of Mujeres Valientes by flamenco legend Belén Maya. Created especially for the Company, the work explores the fundamental power and courage of individual Latin American women who, over the centuries, have challenged authorities and fought against ignorance, inequality, and injustice. The work will include an original score by Gaspar Rodriguez. The season will also feature new solo works by José Maldonado and Guadalupe Torres, all accompanied by live music. Complete program details will be available in January 2018.

In keeping with Carlota Santana's mission of cultivating a home for flamenco in the United States and fostering a new generation of Hispanic artists and audiences, the Company maintains a robust arts education program serving over 12,500 students annually in NYC public schools. Known collectively as Project Olé, these programs offer students opportunities to forge a personal, hands-on relationship to Hispanic culture and unlock their own creative expression, with special initiatives for immigrant populations, dual language learners, and disabled youth.

For a full schedule of events and performances as well as venue information, please visit the company's website at www.flamenco-vivo.org.

About Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana is one of America's premier Spanish dance companies, dedicated to the belief that the universal spirit of flamenco, a multicultural art form, has the power to build bridges between cultures. Founded in 1983, the company tours extensively across the country (appearing at some 74 venues in 25 states over the past five seasons), and serves New York audiences with an annual season, supplemented by intensive arts education programs that take the company's teaching artists into dozens of New York City public schools each year (63 different schools in the past three years alone), and an annual "Flamenco in the Boros" tour that brings free flamenco performances to new audiences around the city. Flamenco Vivo also operates the Center for Flamenco Arts, one of only two New York City dance studios dedicated to the specific requirements of flamenco, and produces the Flamenco Certamen USA, a competition for pre-professional dance artists, with an annual final performance staged at Lincoln Center. Flamenco Vivo also maintains a second base of operations in Durham, North Carolina, from which it provides extensive education and community engagement programs that have taken the company into more than half of that state's 100 counties.

Carlota Santana (Artistic Director) is an internationally renowned Spanish dance artist and educator, and founder of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. In 2013, the Spanish government awarded Santana with La Cruz de la Orden al Mérito Civil medal for "all the years of passion, excellence, and dedication to the Flamenco art." Santana has produced many performance programs, presented nationally and internationally, toured extensively, developed and implemented Flamenco Vivo's curriculum-based arts education programs and created numerous community partnerships and residency programs. She has served on numerous dance panels, including the Dance Panel for the New York State Council on the Arts and for the National Endowment for the Arts. Santana is on the faculty of Duke University and has also taught at Long Island University and New York University.

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