Afro-cuban flamenco fusion

Yjastros, derived from the word for “stepchild,” is anything but flamenco’s red-headed stepchild.

Artistic Director Joaquin Encinias said the spring concert “Chispa,” translated to “Spark,” is an electrical fuse between music and movement.

“It’s all coming together to create this really cool energy,” said Encinias, the son of UNM faculty member Eva Encinias-Sandoval, the founder of the National Institute of Flamenco.

With music from artists like Camilo Quiñones and Chuscales, “Chispa” promises traditional flamenco infused with Afro-Cuban and hip-hop influences.

Quiñones, a world-renowned percussionist and Albuquerque native, comes from a line of accomplished musicians. He worked with musicians Tito Puente, the Allman Brothers and Santana. Chuscales, in his own right, is an international flamenco star guitarist.

Marion Febres, one of the show’s primary flamenco guitarists, said this music fusion is challenging to perform.

“It’s lots of nontraditional music and ideas,” he said “The musicians really have to come together and make it work.”

Encinias, steeped in the rich history of flamenco his entire life, said he doesn’t want to be categorized as just a flamenco artist.

“There are so many things that make me who I am as an artist, and that isn’t just flamenco,” he said. “The more true to yourself (you are), the more authentic it is, and the more it relates to the audience.”

With pieces like “Azul Marino,” Encinias and his company manage to use distinct lighting and staging to show the strife that occurs in romantic relationships.

“It’s the unique and beautiful relationship between a man and a woman,” he said. “And the ups-and-downs and backs-and-forths associated with it.”
Encinias said UNM students have the opportunity to see riveting dance.
“We always give the audience something to look forward to — always,” he said.