Albuquerque’s flamenco scene is bringing back a show that packed the house nearly two decades ago, with a few new tricks up its sleeve. Yjastros: The American Flamenco Repertory Company is reviving its 2009 production, now billed as “The Spanish Room NOW,” with performances set for this weekend at the National Hispanic Cultural Center.
The National Institute of Flamenco is inviting the public to attend, according to KRQE. Yjastros serves as the institute’s repertory company, and for this run it is combining its next generation of dancers with performers who appeared in the original 2009 staging, per the same report. The production describes itself as an immersive experience in which movement, music, light and scenery work together, with the company saying the effect transforms the stage into what the National Institute of Flamenco calls “a kaleidoscope of ever-changing rooms.”
A Theatrical Update on a Sold-Out Show
Part of what sets this version apart from the original is a theatre director brought in to help reimagine the staging, tasked with transforming the stage into those shifting rooms, KRQE reports. April Goltz, quoted in that same report, described the new version as more theatrical and mysterious than the first run, saying it carries new dimensions and plot lines that weren’t part of the original show.
The 2009 staging drew a full house. A review from that performance at the cultural center’s Disney Journal Auditorium noted it played to a sold-out audience, with the company at that time made up of 15 dancers, six apprentices and five musicians performing under guitarist Chuscales. The evidence available does not establish whether the current staging is identical to that 2009 production.
Where and When to Catch It
This weekend’s Albuquerque performances take place at the Roy E. Disney Center for Performing Arts’ Albuquerque Journal Theatre, according to the National Hispanic Cultural Center event listing. A calendar listing from the venue puts showtimes at 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, with an added 7:30 p.m. performance Saturday, running November 7 and 8.
Tickets range from $29 to $109, with a $2 discount available for seniors, students with ID, and children 10 and younger, per the cultural center’s listing. The listing also flags some mature content in the show, including depictions of alcohol and nicotine product use and a scene with intimate themes. Ticket and schedule information is available through the event website, KRQE notes.
The Company's Roots and Reach
Yjastros is a professional ensemble founded in Albuquerque in 1999 under the artistic direction of Joaquin Encinias, according to the National Institute of Flamenco. The institute also runs a conservatory that teaches students from age three through young adulthood and places teachers in public schools across New Mexico, according to a report from KCBX.
Beyond Albuquerque, “The Spanish Room NOW” is also scheduled to appear in Santa Fe, with a performance listed at the Lensic for December 1. KRQE’s report additionally references planned stops in Taos and Las Cruces, though that detail could not be independently verified beyond the station’s account.
