La Emi started studying Flamenco with the María Benítez Institute for Spanish Arts (ISA) when she was four years old, her passion for the art of Flamenco continued to grow and she went on to study intensively in Spain with Gala Vivancos, Carmela Greco, La Popi and many others. Launched in 2014, this dynamic company is comprised of an ensemble of local and international artists, dancers, and musicians. La Emi began her professional career with Heritage Hotels & Resorts in partnership with the National Institute of Flamenco in the summer of 2018 and founded her non-profit EmiArteFlamenco Academy in 2019, where she continues to teach and is the Executive Director.
From Dixon/Embudo, NM, Vicente has devoted his life to the study of Cante Flamenco. In 1999, he toured internationally with José Greco II and mentored by Alfonso Gabarri, “El Veneno”. Griego is a pupil of guitarist (José Valle, Chuscales) and singer, José Fernández. Griego performs with Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company, and EmiArteFlamenco. He is lead singer in the rumba Flamenca band, ReVóZo. Griego is a faculty member in the department of Theatre and Dance at the University of New Mexico.
Fabian Esquipula Sisneros began his formal training through the National Institute of Flamenco in Albuquerque, NM. He danced with Yjastros, the American Flamenco Repertory Company, under the direction of Joaquin Encinias for seven years, which he credits as the seminal learning experience of his Flamenco career. Fabian is a graduate of the University of New Mexico, majoring in English and Flamenco; he now teaches at the Public Academy for Performing Arts, leading the Flamenco dance program and teaching AP English literature. As an active member of the Flamenco community, Fabian performs regularly and serves as a strong advocate for the arts in education.
Daniel Azcarate is one of America’s premier emerging Flamenco singers. He was born in Los Angeles, California. He has worked as a Flamenco singer in Spain, the United States, Canada, and throughout Japan. Azcarate studied Cante in Sevilla at the famed Flamenco school Fundacíon de Cristina Heeren. He has toured with groups such as: Kansas City’s Flamenco Mio, Canada’s Fin de Fiesta, and Japan’s Alma Flamenca. Azcarate recently moved back to the United States and is excited about pursuing his career as a Flamenco singer.
Born in 1998, Eloy began studying Flamenco with the opening of Tierra Adentro de Nuevo México charter school in 2010. Shortly after, he received a scholarship to the National Institute of Flamenco’s Conservatory of Flamenco Arts. Since then, Eloy has dedicated himself to studying Flamenco guitar while pursuing a degree in liberal and interdisciplinary arts at The University of New Mexico. In February of 2023, Eloy was part of the first American Flamenco company to be invited to perform in the prestigious Festival de Jerez, in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. He performs professionally in tablaos and theater productions nationally and throughout New Mexico.
Cienna Chávez is a dancer, artist, and performer at heart. She was born and raised in Albuquerque and started dancing at Tierra Adentro of New Mexico and The National Institute of Flamenco, where she learned Flamenco was her calling. She has been a part of groups such as Niños and Teeños Flamencos and Young Flamenco Philanthropists. In these groups, she performed for the community and raised money for young dancers to study Flamenco. In her years of training, she has learned danza española, escuela bolera, jota, and ballet alongside studying Flamenco. She has worked with dozens of guest artists; the one that influenced her the most was Hugo López due to his ability to dance freely and genderless, aspects she wants to incorporate in her art.
Photo Credit: Joel Wigelsworth
Janira Cordova started dancing at the age of five with Baile Español, a folklorico group in Santa Fe. Soon thereafter, she discovered Flamenco and began studying under María Benítez at the Institute for Spanish Arts. By age 8, Janira joined Flamenco’s Next Generation group, a youth company through the Institute of Spanish Arts. As she continued to perform and cultivate her passion for Flamenco, Janira studied under well-known artists, such as Adela Clara, Juan Siddi, José Junco, Antonio Granjero, Ileana Gómez, and many others. Later, Janira performed and studied under Mina Fajardo and Chuscales in Santa Fe. Janira has taught at EmiArteFlamenco Academy and holds a master’s degree in special education from Arizona State University, and is presently working in Santa Fe with children with autism.
Tessa Torres grew up in a family of musicians and performers who sparked her interests in the arts. At age five, inspired by watching her mother, aunt, and cousins on stage, she began dancing under the direction of her aunt, Sonya Casillas, with the San Antonio, TX Parks and Recreation Department's dance program. There, she joined the city's pre-professional youth troupe, Fandango, where a greater knowledge for learning and performing Flamenco and folklorico was fostered for 7 years. Tessa has since moved to New Mexico, where she's furthered her studies at UNM and the National Institute of Flamenco.
