Grab a friend and join us for our 4th annual flashmob!

We are excited to announce that our annual end of summer flash mob will be part of One World Day this year! Anyone and everyone is welcome to participate - regardless of prior flamenco or dance experience. The song this year is María Toledo’s El Sol, La Sal, y El Son.

Requirements to participate:

Participants will be required to learn the flashmob choreography either online (free - see below) or in-person (at Le Salsa on August 3rd, $20 fee). 

Participants MUST attend the in-person rehearsal on Friday August 23rd at 7pm at Murphy Irish Arts Center. It is expected participants will already know the choreography and we will just rehearse the number and clean small details.

The performance is at 4:30pm Sunday August 25th on the main stage in the Cleveland Cultural Gardens. Participants must arrive no later than 3:45pm at the main stage. 

Participation is free, however, if you'd like to make a donation to help cover studio rental and administrative costs, we are grateful for any amount that helps us share flamenco in NE Ohio. Donations can be made here:

https://www.abrepaso.org/donate

Abrepaso is working on creating a new work inspired by the city of Granada, Spain and the poetry of Federico García Lorca. Alice Blumenfeld is working with the dancers, Marie Carr, Tianyi Guo, and Christina Patterson to create the choreography and composer/musician Jim Carr is creating the new music. We'll be sharing the progress of the work so far and talking about the creation process. The work will be premiered in 2025.

Event will take place in Dance Studio 194. This is on the bottom floor of Guzzetta Hall, across from the elevators.

Seating is bleacher seating and is general admission.

Parking is available in the visitor parking garage on Buchtel Avenue just East of Guzzetta Hall. There is also nearby street parking.

This juerga will feature lots and lots of Sevillanas to celebrate the coming of summer!

You’re also welcome to wear your best traje flamenca - flamenco outfit.

Dance, sing, do palmas (clap to the music), socialize!

A juerga is a flamenco party where we can practice improvising and interacting through this Andalusian art form.

Anyone interested in flamenco is welcome. From complete novices who are just curious what flamenco is, to professionals, it's a space where we can gather to make flamenco happen. 

You can quietly clap along to the music or dance a patada (an improvised flamenco dancce), share a flamenco piece you’ve been practicing, or just cheer on those making the music and dance with an ¡olé!

A juerga depends on the participants - it's about spontaneous inspiration and interaction. 

There will be short lessons given throughout the evening.

Join us in celebrating the hard work of the flamenco dance students at Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center!

Have you been wanting to try flamenco but not quite ready to make a commitment to a full session? Come to our open house and try a free flamenco class!

Get to know instructor and Artistic Director Alice Blumenfeld, enter to win some Abrepaso gear, and get to know the studio space!

Free kids classes at 4:45 and 5:45

Free adult class at 7pm

Join in the fun of our annual flamenco flashmob at Edgewater Beach! It’s easy to learn the choreography in-person or online, and beginners through advanced students are welcome!

Meet at the swings by the Edgewater Beach House (lower Edgewater) at 4:30pm. Shortly thereafter, we’ll break out into the choreography on the cement stage in front of the beach house.

Afterwards, join us for a potluck picnic. Please bring a dish to share!

No need to wear anything special - part of the excitement of the flashmob is seeing regular people suddenly start dancing in-sync!

You don’t have to be a flamenco dancer, or a dancer at all, to join. You can learn the choreography from the videos online or in-person. Here’s the link to all the videos or see below: videos

If you want to learn the choreography in person, our Wednesday sessions at the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center will focus on teaching the choreography. It’s $20 for 6 classes Wednesdays 7:30-8:20pm. For more info and to register: CLICK HERE.

Rain date: August 26th

Celebrate the coming of Spring Spanish-style with dancing, food, fashion, and music. Cleveland’s first Feria de Abril!

Part social event, part performance, part fashion event, and part celebration the feria is a space to gather and enjoy music and dance with the community. It’s a little bit like a salsa social combined with a county fair.

Anyone can join in the fun - no need to know flamenco! We’ll offer a short Sevillanas and rumbas lesson so you’ll have some dance moves to use. Students from ABREPASO flamenco, and Julia de Burgos will be performing, along with special guest guitarist and singer José Moreno and dancing by Alice Blumenfeld.

In Spain, the feria is a week-long celebration where people from all over the region gather in casetas (make-shift living rooms) on the fairgrounds. Food, drink, dancing, music, and an overall jovial atmosphere make it a joyous celebration of friendship, family, and community.

What’s the feria all about? Check out this video:

The Soleá Project is an on-going movement, writing, listening, and visual art project that shares the essence of flamenco’s soleá with participants. From one-off classes to residencies of 4-6 session, participants learn element’s of flamenco, the soleá style, verses in flamenco, and then they are invited to create their own movement phrases and quilt blocks. The quilts become an artifact of the workshops, one which the participants can wrap around themselves to be physically reminded of the embrace and connection built in the workshops.

Let’s show Cleveland that Flamenco is here!

Meet at the Edgewater Pier (lower Edgewater) at 5pm. We’ll go over the choreography once and figure out spacing. Then head towards the beach area to actually do the flashmob. No need to wear anything special - part of the excitement of the flashmob is seeing regular people suddenly start dancing!

You don’t have to be a flamenco dancer, or a dancer at all, to join!

If you want to learn the choreography in person, our Wednesday sessions at the Julia de Burgos Cultural Arts Center will focus on teaching the choreography. It’s $20 for 6 classes Wednesdays 7:30-8:20pm. For more info and to register: CLICK HERE.

Rain date: September 5th

Choreography breakdown:

Where to meet:

Celebrate the coming of Spring Spanish-style with dancing, food, fashion, and music. Cleveland’s first Feria de Abril!

Part social event, part performance, part fashion event, and part celebration the feria is a space to gather and enjoy music and dance with the community. It’s a little bit like a salsa social combined with a county fair.

Anyone can join in the fun - no need to know flamenco! We’ll offer a short Sevillanas and rumbas lesson so you’ll have some dance moves to use. Students from ABREPASO flamenco, and Julia de Burgos will be performing, along with special guest guitarist and singer José Moreno and dancing by Alice Blumenfeld.

In Spain, the feria is a week-long celebration where people from all over the region gather in casetas (make-shift living rooms) on the fairgrounds. Food, drink, dancing, music, and an overall jovial atmosphere make it a joyous celebration of friendship, family, and community.

What’s the feria all about? Check out this video:

Join us at the B-Side Lounge for a flamenco jam. Flamenco professionals, aficionados, and everyone in-between is welcome. You can participate or just watch and enjoy the energy of a flamenco fiesta!

$5 cover

Juergas will happen the second sunday of every month starting at 6pm.

What is a juerga?

It’s a flamenco jam - flamenco in its most traditional format. Check out this example of a juerga below:

Join ABREPASO flamenco, Literary Cleveland, and Julia de Burgos CAC to explore how the lyrics of flamenco are a window not only into flamenco, but also into the human experience. The music and dance of flamenco revolve around the lyrics and can help elucidate flamenco. Participants will also be invited to write their own flamenco verse.

Alice Blumenfeld will lead the workshop. She holds a BA in Comparative Literature from New York University, where she graduated with highest honors. She also holds an MFA in dance from Hollins University. As a choreographer, poetry has often shaped her process of creating new work. In this unique workshop, she shares her expertise in literature and flamenco. Blumenfeld is the founder and artistic director of ABREPASO flamenco. The company’s name means to break open space and their mission is to deepen appreciation for flamenco and create original choreographies, finding new entry points into and new pathways within the art form.

Join us at the B-Side Lounge for a flamenco jam. Flamenco professionals, aficionados, and everyone in-between is welcome. You can participate or just watch and enjoy the energy of a flamenco fiesta!

$5 cover

Juergas will happen the second sunday of every month starting at 6pm.

What is a juerga?

It’s a flamenco jam - flamenco in its most traditional format. Check out this example of a juerga below:

Join us to make your very own Chiclana doll - dressed in a flamenco costume. There will also be paper fans to decorate and flamenco costumes to dress up in and have your photo taken. Alice Blumenfeld will lead students through basic techniques of sewing and gluing to create a beautiful traje flamenca for their dolls. Participants will be able to take their dolls home! Ages 5-13. Parents welcome to decorate as well!

To register, email: Nahomygarcia@juliadeburgos.org

Sponsored in part by Arts Midwest Gig Fund

Join us at the B-Side Lounge for a flamenco jam. Flamenco professionals, aficionados, and everyone in-between is welcome. You can participate or just watch and enjoy the energy of a flamenco fiesta!

$5 cover

Juergas will happen the second Sunday of every month starting at 6pm.

What is a juerga?

It’s a flamenco jam - flamenco in its most traditional format. Check out this example of a juerga below: