NATIONAL INSTITUTE
OF FLAMENCO 214 Gold Street SW
Albuquerque, NM 87102
P:(505) 242-7600
F:(505) 277-1865
Face of Flamenco!
During our Membership Campaign period, please enjoy learning about some of the patrons, families, students and supporters that comprise our thriving community here at the National Institute ofFlamenco. Look for our weekly updates of "The FaceofFlamenco!"
Melissa and Thomas Puckett Melissa and Thomas Puckett found flamenco through quite a journey! Enjoy their story below!
We spent some time in Spain a few years ago. We had all of the traditional plans on our itinerary; Prado, Gaudi, Alhambra, bullfight, flamenco. We knew that every experience would touch our soul but never knew how deep. It was the evening of flamenco, occurring in the middle of our excursion, that ignited our experience before, and affected everything we experienced after. We left the cabaret that night feeling stirred, impassioned, aroused. Our senses were heightened. We were alive.
It just so happened that circumstances in our lives took us to Albuquerque when we returned. New Spain it is called, and it wasn't until we returned that we understood what that meant.
Being charged by flamenco, we sought out anything and everything flamenco we could find. One day we came across a book called The Flamenco Academy by Sarah Bird. The book was the answer to our new obsession. While reading we found that flamenco, which awakened a part of us that was deeply asleep, is here in the town that we live. There is a dedicated repertory and an international festival that features the world's best flamenco artists. Yjastros lived on the stage and in intimate settings. There is a place for young children and grown adults to learn the art. There is an amazing family, steeped in its tradition, keeping flamenco alive and expanding the art form. And it's here, in Albuquerque.
Flamenco has changed our lives and the National Institute of Flamenco is the promise that flamenco will live on.
Melissa and Thomas Puckett Thank you to Melissa and Thomas for being a part of our community at the National Institute ofFlamenco, and for allowing us to share their story!
The Alderete Family Isabella Alderete, pictured in orange during the 2007 Winter Recital, is a student at the National Conservatory ofFlamenco Arts, and a member of Ninos Flamencos. Her mother, Kenia, took some time to share with us what flamenco has meant to their family!
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"Flamenco has enriched our family by allowing us to learn about, and become a part of a history of dance here in New Mexico. We have discovered the benefits of a discipline that our daughter has grown to love. The Institute has given Isabella a chance to learn that hard work does indeed have a reward. The community always is interested in our daughter's development as a dancer. The Encinias Family and all other individuals at the Institute make us feel that our daughter is top priority in their program. I see that treatment with all other dancers equally. The Institutes genuinely cares about the success of their students."Kenia & Juan Alderete & Family Thank you to the Alderete Family for being a part of our community at the National Institute ofFlamenco, and for allowing us to share their story!
Peter Sanchez and the Atrisco Heritage Foundation Peter Sanchez, the Executive Director of the Atrisco Heritage Foundation, has been a partner with the National Institute ofFlamenco for several years. Peter's dedication to preserving New Mexican heritage and culture is evident in his leadership of the Atrisco Heritage Foundation, and their commitment to flamenco.
"Our family has been to several flamenco performances in the past few years and in each event we have come away amazed at the intensity and passion that has been apart of each performance. Flamenco is a very emotional art form. It is evident in the performers but it also transcends to the audience. Flamenco helps connect young people to the heritage and traditions of our Latin culture. I would describe NIF very simply…Passionate. And it is their passion that is contagious, hence our involvement," Peter Sanchez, Executive Director, Atrisco Heritage Foundation Thank you to Peter Sanchez and the Atrisco Heritage Foundation for being a part of our community at the National Institute ofFlamenco, and for allowing us to share their story!
