Year: 2025-2026
DanceForce Member: Hanaah Bates
Artists: Karen Lugo; Emilio Ochando; Carlota Santana
Audience: 351
Counties: New York; Saratoga

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana presented the 11th annual Flamenco Certamen USA, offering unparalleled support for flamenco dancers at all stages of their careers. Although the Certamen is inherently a competition, its primary goal is to create opportunities for exponential growth and expanded networks of support — combining quality education and performance with community engagement beyond the island of Manhattan. In 2025, we introduced a professional level in response to feedback from previous generations of participants who were seeking continued development even as they embarked on professional careers.

Fifteen flamenco artists from the United States, Mexico, Ecuador, and Taiwan were selected through a competitive application process to participate in a residency intensive and compete across three levels: Estudio (student), Tablao (pre-professional), and Escenario (professional).

From October 12–16, 2025, Estudio and Tablao finalists attended an intensive residency at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where they received classes, mentorship, and coaching from esteemed flamenco mentors Fanny Ara and Rebeca Tomas, and musicians Ricardito Sanchez and Jose Moreno. While developing their competition solos, participants forged meaningful connections with working professionals and fellow finalists. During the residency, mentors and musicians presented a lecture-demonstration for 2nd–5th grade students through SPAC’s Arts Around the World program, followed by a hands-on workshop and Q&A exploring flamenco’s shoes, costumes, music, and cultural influences. Emilio Ochando led an open-level adult masterclass, drawing returning students from the session he led during Flamenco Vivo’s technical residency at SPAC in March 2025. The residency culminated in an open dress rehearsal on October 16th for SPAC community members. Escenario finalists, meanwhile, spent an intensive day at Flamenco Vivo’s Manhattan studios working individually with Guest Artistic Director Karen Lugo, followed by rehearsal with the musicians.

The Flamenco Certamen Finals took place on Saturday, October 18, 2025, at the Leonard Nimoy Theater at Symphony Space in New York City. Finalists were evaluated by a panel of professional artists — La Meira, Liliana Morales, and Susana di Palma — and awarded prizes including opportunities to study and perform in the U.S. and Spain. The performance sold out two weeks in advance, and over 60 people around the world tuned in via livestream.

The Flamenco Certamen USA has grown into an essential professional development program with a global reach, expanding what was previously available to flamenco artists in the Americas and continually broadening the art form across geographic boundaries. As one finalist put it: “The nature of this competition was extremely valuable to my personal growth not only as a dancer, but as a person. I really love that Flamenco Vivo offers this opportunity for American flamenco artists.“