Bay Area Flamenco

About

Representing the area's vibrant Flamenco community, Bay Area Flamenco is a grassroots arts organization dedicated to fostering the flamenco arts, creating and presenting quality flamenco to audiences throughout Northern California. Founded in 2004 by Artistic Director Nina Menéndez, the BAFP has produced numerous flamenco performances, providing a forum for the rich pool of outstanding local flamenco artists and facilitating numerous cultural exchange opportunities and workshops with world-class visiting artists from Spain.

The Bay Area Flamenco Festival is recognized as one of the most vibrant flamenco festivals in the United States, featuring authentic, world-renowned flamenco talent from Spain. Founded in 2005, the Festival has grown into a popular and vital annual Bay Area cultural event drawing over 3000 world music and dance enthusiasts.

“In recent years, the San Francisco Bay Area has become a major U.S. conduit for Spain’s greatest flamenco artists. […] There’s really a vibrant scene here and Nina Menéndez has become a major force [as] the producer of the Bay Area Flamenco Festival.”  -NPR The California Report

The Bay Area Flamenco Festival, now in its 8th year, has presented some of the most important figures in the history of flamenco as well as a many of the younger generation. Highlights include the Farruco Family, Son de la Frontera, Manuela Carrasco, Diego del Morao, Manuel Agujetas, Angelita Vargas and Pepe Torres. 

Highlights of other productions have been revered Gypsy singer, Ines Bacan; icon of Gypsy flamenco dance, Concha Vargas; guitarist David Serva; Jairo Barrull, Juan del Gastor and Luis Peña, and the legendary Miguel Funi with Antonio Moya.

Bay Area Flamenco has also hosted a dynamic and highly successful flamenco series at Berkeley's La Peña Cultural Center as well as several dance workshops taught by world-class visiting artists from Spain including Manuela Carrasco, Concha Vargas, La Faraona, Farruca and El Farru of the Farruco Family, Angelita Vargas, Pepe Torres, Juan del Gastor, Miguel Funi, Juan Amaya and others. 

Other past events include Lakshmi “La Chimi” with Kina Méndez & José Galvez from Jerez de la Frontera, the acclaimed dancers La Tania with Juanaire and Carola Zertuche; Gypsy guitar legend Chuscales; Roberto Zamora y su Arte Flamenco; Ben Wood’s cutting-edge flamenco rock band Flametal with dancers Fanny Ara and Melissa Cruz; Gypsy singer Antonio de Jerez from el Barrio de La Plazuela; Cristo Cortes and Los Gitanos de Marseilles; Zambomba, a Flamenco Holiday celebration in the tradition of the Andalusian Gypsies, featuring Angelita Agujetas; and Mari Pena with Antonio Moya.

http://www.bayareaflamencofestival.org