Flamenco Festival

Mar 2 – 11, 2018

New York City Cetner

New York City Center presents Flamenco Festival

Ballet Nacional de España, March 2 – 4

Compañía Eva Yerbabuena, Mar 9 & 10

Ballet Flamenco Jesús Carmona, Mar 11 only!

Mar 9: Exploring Stillness studio event with Jesús Carmona,

NYCB principal dancer Joaquin De Luz, and dancer/actor David Neumann

January 30, 2018/New York, NY—Spain’s finest dancers and musicians return to New York City Center for a

celebration of flamenco that is stirringly authentic while challenging the conventions of the form. The 2018

Flamenco Festival line-up includes performances by Ballet Nacional de España, Compañía Eva Yerbabuena, and

Ballet Flamenco Jesús Carmona.

Ballet Nacional de España returns (March 2 – 4) for the first time in nearly 20 years with a new work, Suite Sevilla,

choreographed by Director Antonio Najarro. While the company has evolved to integrate bold trends in music and

dance into its repertory, they continue to preserve traditional styles including Escuela Bolera, flamenco, and stylized

Spanish dance, all of which are showcased in this evening-length piece. Rafael Riqueni’s score, performed by live

singers and guitarists, combines with the Ballet’s impressive ensemble to evoke a primal longing for the traditions of

southern Spain.

During the second week of the festival, flamenco superstar Eva Yerbabuena makes a welcome return (Mar 9 & 10)

accompanied by five dancers and the ensemble of musicians that comprise Compañía Eva Yerbabuena. “A visionary,

magisterial dancer, whose effects go far beyond technique” (The Guardian, UK), Yerbabuena presents her new

show,

Carne y Hueso (Flesh and Bone), a striking tour-de-force performance, as a prologue to the 20th anniversary of her

company. For Ímpetus (“bursting with energy”) (Mar 11), the Barcelona-born Jesús Carmona, a former dancer with

Ballet Nacional de España, draws on the zapateado (percussive footwork) of traditional flamenco to create a work

about the boundless energy that drives artists to realize their dreams. Performed by the eleven dancers, musicians, 

and singers of Ballet Flamenco Jesús Carmona, Ímpetus is set to the music of Spain’s most beloved composers—

Albéniz, Riqueni, and Escudero. An excerpt from this evening-length work was presented by Carmona as part of the

2015 Fall for Dance Festival.

Studio event and pre-show talk and dance lessons

In addition to his performance on the mainstage, Jesús Carmona will join NYCB principal dancer Joaquin De Luz and

dancer/actor David Neumann in a unique five-day artistic residency at City Center (Mar 4 – 9) which examines

stillness as a choreographic concept and expressive force in dance. This cross-disciplinary investigation culminates in

a performance and conversation with the artists, Exploring Stillness, on Friday, March 9 at 6pm in City Center’s

Studio 5 (130 W 56th St). Pre-show dance lessons, free for same-day ticket holders, will be held in the Grand Tier

Lobby prior to select performances (Fri, Mar 9 at 7pm; Sat, Mar 10 at 7pm; and Sun Mar 11 at 6pm). Open to all

levels of experience, flamenco lessons will be led by Xianix Barrera, City Center teaching artist and flamenco

performer. A pre-show talk with Ballet Nacional de España Director Antonio Najarro, free for same-day ticket

holders, will be held in the Shuman Lounge on Saturday, March 3 at 6:30pm.

Flamenco Festival in schools

On Monday, March 12, 2,000 students from 24 schools across New York City will attend a special matinee

performance featuring Ballet Flamenco Jesús Carmona. This performance is part of City Center’s in-school workshop

program where City Center teaching artists lead students in two flamenco workshops on the foundations of the art

form. Participating teachers receive a study guide and attend a professional development session at City Center

where they participate in a master class and explore techniques and artistic tools to utilize in their classrooms.

Following the matinee performance, students choreograph their own work to share with their peers inspired by

what they have learned.

The March 12 matinee performance is not open to the general public. Educators interested in more information on

City Center’s in-school workshops can visit NYCityCenter.org/Education/Schools/.

Tickets for Flamenco Festival start at $35 ($15 for Exploring Stillness) and can be purchased online at

NYCityCenter.org, by calling 212.581.1212, or in person at the City Center Box Office. New York City Center is located

at 131 W 55th St between Sixth and Seventh avenues. For information on other flamenco events around the City

visit FlamencoFestival.org. 

Flamenco Festival

Mar 2 – 11, 2018

Tickets start at $35

Ballet Nacional de España

Director Antonio Najarro

Suite Sevilla (NY Premiere)

Mar 2 – 4, Fri & Sat at 8pm, Sun at 7pm

Compañía Eva Yerbabuena

Carne y Hueso

Mar 9 & 10, Fri & Sat at 8pm

Ballet Flamenco Jesús Carmona

Ímpetus (NY Premiere)

Mar 11, Sun at 7pm

Studio event:

Exploring Stillness

A conversation and performance with Jesús Carmona, Joaquin De Luz, and David Neumann

Fri, Mar 9 at 6pm

Studio 5 (130 W 56th St)

Tickets: $15

Pre-show talk with Ballet Nacional de España Director Antonio Najarro

Free for same-day tickets holders

Sat, Mar 3 at 6:30pm

Pre-show dance lessons

Free for same-day ticket holders

Fri, Mar 9 at 7pm

Sat, Mar 10 at 7pm

Sun Mar 11 at 6pm

Leadership Support for Dance at New York City Center is provided by the Howard Gilman Foundation and The

Harkness Foundation for Dance.

NEW YORK CITY CENTER has played a defining role in the cultural life of the City since 1943 when it was founded by

Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia with the civic mission to make the best in the performing arts accessible to all. Today, the

distinctive neo-Moorish theater welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors to experience internationally acclaimed

artists. For 25 years, the Tony-honored Encores! series has given new life to the American musical theater canon,

complimented by the Encores! Off-Center series, which features seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the

lens of today’s innovative artists. Dance continues to be an integral part of the theater’s mission through programs 

like the annual Fall for Dance Festival, which exposes a new audience to an international array of artists by offering

highly subsidized tickets. City Center is also the home to a roster of renowned national and international companies

including Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (City Center’s Principal Dance Company) and Manhattan Theatre Club.

Through its education and community programs, City Center brings the performing arts to over 9,000 New York City

students each year and activates all areas of the building with talks, master classes, art exhibitions, and intimate

performances that provide audiences an up-close look at the work of the great theater and dance artists of our time.