Manuela Carrasco, Antonio Canales and Israel Galván star in the lineup of the festival, which is to be held June 9th to 17th in New Mexico (the United States)

Flamenco-world.com, May 2006

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The Alburquerque Flamenco Festival, the oldest-established flamenco festival in the United States, is celebrating its anniversary. The National Institute of Flamenco has now been organizing this encounter with the jondo in the U.S. city of Alburquerque (New Mexico) for twenty years. This special edition, which is to be held June 9th to 17th at the University of New Mexico’s Rodey Theater, will have star performances by Antonio Canales, Manuela Carrasco, Israel Galván and Rafael Campallo. The festival also includes the fifth edition of the National Flamenco Contest, as well as a full program of baile, guitar and percussion workshops.

Antonio Canales (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

The twentieth edition of the Alburquerque Flamenco Festival kicks off on June 9th at the University of New Mexico’s Rodey Theater with a show by U.S. company Yjastros, with Chuscales, José Fernández and Alfonso el Veneno as stars. Directed by Joaquín Encinias, the company performs the choreographic repertoire of Juana Amaya, Alejandro Granados, Israel Galván and La Tati, among other artists. The program continues with Antonio Canales on Saturday, June 10th, accompanied by Mexican bailaora Karime Amaya, guitarists Paco and Miguel Iglesias and cantaor Juan José Amador, among other artists.

The lineup of performances takes a breather on June 11th and 12th in order to host the two phases of the National Flamenco Contest, in which a jury consisting of international flamenco figures will award prizes to bailaores, guitarists and cantaores.

	Manuela Carrasco and Rafael de Carmen on 'Un sorbito de lo sublime' (Photo: Daniel Muñoz)

Live flamenco will once again take up Rodey Theater on the night of Tuesday, June 13th with ‘Campallerías’, a show starring young Sevillian bailaores Rafael Campallo and Adela Campallo. They’ll have Juan José Amador, José Valencia, José Campallo and Mariano Campallo on cante, toque and compás. Temperament turned flamenco dancing lands in Alburquerque on June 14th with veteran Manuela Carrasco. In the show ‘Un sorbito de lo sublime’, recently presented at Festival de Jerez 2006, the artist is backed by her flamenco company, made up by artists such as Joaquín Amador, Rafael de Carmen, El Torombo, Pedro Sierra, Miguel Iglesias, El Extremeño, José Valencia, Antonio Zúñiga, La Tobala, Samara Amador and José Carrasco.

The balance between the most orthodox tradition and the most experimental avant-garde is brought by Sevillian bailaor Israel Galván, who on June 15th offers his show ‘La edad de oro’, a three-way conversation with cantaor Fernando Terremoto and guitarist Alfredo Lagos.

The festival culminates with two party nights on June 16th and 17th at the National Hispanic Cultural Center’s Albuquerque Journal Theater. The main artists gathering at the festival, among them its two main stars: Manuela Carrasco and Antonio Canales, will appear at this stage to show flamenco art’s most outgoing facet.

Nor does the veteran festival forget its teaching side. It offers a full agenda of some thirty courses focusing on subjects such as baile, cante, toque, compás, theory and even castanets. Names standing out in the faculty of instructors include Antonio Canales, Rafael de Carmen, Pastora Galván and Pedro Sierra, among others.

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