The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County (@arshtcenter) presents the 15th Flamenco Festival Miami from March 1-14, 2024. Ballet Nacional de España headlines with three performances (March 1-3) in the Ziff Ballet Opera House and the Stars of Flamenco close out the festival, the largest of its kind in the Southern United States, on March 14 in the Knight Concert Hall. The 2024 festival will also include four intimate performances in the Carnival Studio Theater celebrating the music of flamenco. Each evening will feature a guitar virtuoso and a guest dancer, including a cameo by 2023’s standout, Malaga-born, Miami-based dancer Irene Lozano.
TICKETS
Tickets range from $25 – $135 and may be purchased at the Adrienne Arsht Center box office by calling (305) 949-6722, or online at arshtcenter.org.
BALLET NACIONAL DE ESPAÑA
March 1-2, 2024 at 8 p.m.; March 3, 2024 at 3 p.m.
Ziff Ballet Opera House
Tickets: $45, $65, $79, $100, $135*
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Spain’s premier flamenco dance company returns to Miami in 2024. Founded in 1978 and directed by Rubén Olmo since 2019, Ballet Nacional de España aims to preserve Spain’s rich choreographic heritage, which includes academic, stylized, folklore, bolera and flamenco dance forms.
HISTORIAS DE UN FLAMENCO
Antonio Rey and guest dancer Irene Lozano “La Chiqui”
March 1, 2024 7:30 p.m.
Carnival Studio Theater
Tickets: $55*
Photo link here
Latin Grammy winner Antonio Rey is one of the top flamenco guitarists of his generation, dazzling audiences around the world with his soulful and powerful performances and compositions. Born in Madrid into a family of artists, Rey has received prestigious awards such as the Premio Nacional de Guitarra. Since beginning his musical career at the age of 10, he has worked with renowned artists such as dancers Antonio Canales, Joaquín Cortés and Farruquito; guitarists Paco de Lucia and Vicente Amigo; and singers Miguel Poveda, Diego el Cigala and Estrella Morente. A noted flamenco composer, Rey has written commissions such as Gallo de Pelea for the New Spanish Ballet.
This program features his own compositions and selections from his acclaimed 2020 Latin Grammy-winning Flamenco Sin Fronteras [Flamenco Without Borders], as well as new works.
For his Miami presentation, Rey features Miami-based dancer Irene Lozano, one of the greatest talents in the new generation of flamenco dance. Lozano weaves traditional elements of flamenco, modern dance and ballet in a sophisticated way.
MIRADAS
Alejandro Hurtado and guest dancer Inmaculada Salomón
March 2, 2024 at 2 p.m.
Carnival Studio Theater
Tickets; $55*
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Alejandro Hurtado’s exceptional technique, clean execution and expressive power allow him to convey the most intense sensations when he is onstage. Hurtado is one of the most outstanding flamenco guitarists of our time. He aims to connect with the tradition of past guitarists such as Montoya, Niño Ricardo and Sabicas, advocating for the role of the concert guitar as a solo instrument.
For his Miami debut, Hurtado will be accompanied by Inmaculada Salomón, currently first dancer of Ballet Nacional de España.
MI ESENCIA
Rycardo Moreno and guest dancer José Maya
March 2, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.
Carnival Studio Theater
Tickets; $55*
Photo link here
Rycardo Moreno is a noted flamenco and jazz guitarist, outstanding producer, arranger and composer. Moreno was born in Lebrija, Spain into a gypsy family and started playing music at 11 years old. His career has included collaborations with Dorantes, Esperanza Fernandez, Buika and El Lebrijano. His two first albums, Varekai (2015) and Agaleano (2017), a tribute to Uruguayan writer Eduardo Galeano, placed him at the forefront of the flamenco guitar scene. His music represents his gypsy heritage of Lebrija and the Cuban heritage of his great-grandmother.
Moreno will be joined by electrifying dancer José Maya, who has collaborated with renowned flamenco artists such as Farruquito, El Güito, Manolete, Estrella Morente, Gerardo Núñez and Diego El Cigala and has opened for pop stars Marc Anthony, Beyoncé and Björk.
PLAZA VIEJA
José del Tomate and guest dancer Karime Amaya
March 3, 2024 at 7 p.m.
Carnival Studio Theater
Tickets: $55*
Photo and video link here
Guitarist José Fernández, aka “José del Tomate,” was born in Almería, Spain into a family of artists, His father, “Tomatito,” one of the most prolific and legendary flamenco guitarists of all time, and his great-grandfather, Miguel Fernández Cortés “El Tomate,” have been an artistic inspiration for him. Fernández also recognizes guitarists Sabicas and Paco de Lucía as influences, but counts his uncle “El Niño Miguel” as his most significant influence. Fernández released his debut solo album, Plaza Vieja (Universal Music), in 2018, which serves as the foundation for his Arsht Center performance.
For his Miami debut, Fernández will be accompanied by Karime Amaya, great-niece of the legendary Carmen Amaya and inheritor of her wild and soul-stirring dancing. Amaya returns to Miami following a stunning performance as part of the Stars of Flamenco show at Flamenco Festival 2014.
STARS OF FLAMENCO
Director Manuel Liñán
March 14, 2024 at 8 p.m.
Knight Concert Hall
Tickets: $25, $50, $75, $100, $135*
Photo and video link here
Stars of Flamenco will feature some of Spain’s greatest dancers – Manuel Liñán, Alfonso de Losa, El Yiyo and Paula Comitre – with Sandra Carrasco as guest vocalist. Known as mavericks of the flamenco world, Liñan (who most recently presented ¡VIVA! at the Arsht to critical acclaim in 2022) and Llosa, winner of the prestigious Festival de Jerez Critic’s Choice Award, join forces to embody flamenco’s history through dance. They are joined by 27-year-old talent, Miguel Fernández Ribas, a rising star in flamenco known as El Yiyo, and Paula Comitre, one of the most celebrated talents of the contemporary flamenco world. Sandra Carrasco is one of the most versatile singers of her generation and an artist who has expanded flamenco’s global influence through her collaboration with artists such as Anoushka Shankar and Richard Bona.
About Flamenco Festival
Flamenco Festival, was founded in 2001 in New York City, and it is now the largest platform for flamenco on the international cultural scene. Founded by Miguel Marín, the festival has reached an audience of more than 1.6 million people and has presented more than 140 companies in 1,250 performances. It has showcased the leading names of today, from world-renowned artists and icons of traditional flamenco to the most innovative, emerging young stars of dance and music in this genre, such as Sara Baras, María Pagés, Carmen Linares, Eva Yerbabuena, Estrella Morente, Vicente Amigo, Miguel Poveda, Manuela Carrasco, Israel Galván, Rocío Molina, Manuel Liñán, Olga Pericet, Rocío Márquez, María Terremoto and Rosalía, as well as geniuses who have passed, such as the great masters Paco de Lucía or Enrique Morente.
Flamenco Festival brought some of the finest flamenco creations to theaters in 112 cities around the globe, making flamenco an essential ingredient in the seasons of the most prestigious theaters of the world, such as Carnegie Hall and City Center in New York, the Arsht Center in Miami, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Boston Opera House, Sadler´s Wells in London, the Sydney Opera House, National Performing Arts Center in Beijing, Stanislavski Theater in Moscow, Bunkamura in Tokyo, and Esplanade in Singapore, among many others.
In 2012, Flamenco Festival created the residency program, titled “In Progress,”’ presenting 19 projects in New York, Miami and London. It is now expanding to other cities in Spain with the pioneer ‘glo-cal’ creative labs hosted in 2022 in Torrox (Malaga). This program has the purpose of expanding the creative horizons of flamenco through experimentation and self-enquiry, understanding the arts as a tool for individual and social transformation.
Flamenco Festival is presented with the support of INAEM, Spain’s Minister of Culture and Fundacion SGAE.
Content Courtesy of The Adrienne Arsht Center
