Flamenco Fiesta 2025: MARIPOSA DEL AIRE Set For Next Month

Santa Fe's acclaimed flamenco ensemble, Compañía Chuscales & Mina Fajardo, will present Mariposa del Aire – Butterfly in the Air, a poetic and urgent flamenco production inspired by Federico García Lorca's children's poem and today's crisis of disappearing butterflies. The work premieres November 7–9, 2025, at Teatro Paraguas, Santa Fe's bilingual multicultural theater.

In Lorca's Mariposa del Aire, the butterfly is a symbol of joy, fragility, and fleeting beauty. Today, its meaning deepens as scientists warn of the alarming decline of butterfly populations worldwide due to climate change, habitat loss, and the use of pesticides.

During the performance, sisters Jazmine and Alexis Padilla will recite Lorca's poem in Spanish and English, creating a bridge between cultures and generations. Artistic Director Mina Fajardo describes this piece as her dream project: “Through flamenco, I want to help save the butterflies of the world and remind us that beauty must be protected.”

Mina Fajardo is a choreographer, dancer, singer, percussionist, and teacher, as well as an award-winning photographer known for her luminous portraits of Morning Glory flowers. Her artistic mission unites flamenco with nature, honoring the natural world while preserving the Spanish tradition.

Her past works include Return to the River, Return to Lorca (2025),  Four Seasons (2023), Lemon & Orange (2021), and Tree of Life (2020). With Mariposa del Aire, she continues weaving ecology, poetry, and dance into a call for awareness and celebration of life.

Chuscales is an award-winning guitarist & composer, recipient of the New Mexico Music Hall of Fame and the Isadora Duncan Dance Award. A master of flamenco guitar, he has toured internationally, including for the Prince and Princess of Spain.
Guillermo González is a guest singer from Sevilla, Spain, and brings the soul of cante jondo to Santa Fe.