The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts Presents Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana in FRONTERAS

One of America's premier flamenco dance companies, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana will perform in Smothers Theatre at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 21, 2023, at the Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts.

Tickets, priced starting at $25, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or visiting arts.pepperdine.edu.

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana presents "Fronteras," a new work choreographed by two of flamenco's most exciting artists: José Maldonado and Karen Lugo-with an original score by Jose Luis de la Paz that will be performed live. Hailed by The New York Times as "an uncommonly deft balancing of the individual and the group in flamenco, and solid entertainment to boot," "Fronteras" asks: "What is stronger-what unites us or what separates us?" Despite the barriers we encounter from the moment we enter this world; it is our natural drive to push beyond these obstacles and seek deeper relationships-and like life itself, flamenco does not understand nor accept such boundaries but supersedes them.

Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana has dedicated 40 years of dazzling performances to honoring, invigorating, and expanding the art form. Featuring emerging artists, and accomplished choreographers, the company uplifts flamenco as a living art form and a vital part of Hispanic heritage. Throughout its history, the company has employed emerging dance and music artists and has premiered more than two dozen original works, offering commissions to outstanding US choreographers as well as renowned artists from Spain.

The founder, Carlota Santana, was honored by the King and Government of Spain with La Cruz de la Orden al Mérito Civil for "all the years of passion, excellence, and dedication to the flamenco art." Carlota Santana is an internationally-renowned flamenco and Spanish dance artist and educator. In 1983, she co-founded Flamenco Vivo with Roberto Lorca; following his death from AIDS in 1987, she was determined to continue their work. In the decades since, she has led Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana's growth as one of this country's most successful flamenco companies.

Under Santana's artistic direction, Flamenco Vivo has premiered more than 25 original works, offering commissions to numerous flamenco artists from Spain and the United States. Important creations include Bailes de Ida y Vuelta, depicting flamenco's journey through Latin America, Mano a Mano, a tribute to the bullfighter Manolete, and the contemporary flamenco story-ballet Federico, a celebration of the life of Federico García Lorca. Ms. Santana created the company's innovative arts-in-education program, integrating Spanish dance and culture with academic curricula, and has pioneered bilingual education initiatives targeted to immigrant populations, as well as other programs addressing the special needs of students with disabilities. Beyond the company's ongoing work, she has also been the driving force behind a series of unique special projects, including two flamenco symposia produced in collaboration with Duke University's Dance Department and the "100 Years of Flamenco in New York" exhibit mounted in partnership with The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The first-ever curated museum show on flamenco in the U.S., "100 Years" ran for five months at The Vincent Astor Gallery at Lincoln Center. In his review, New York Times chief dance critic Alastair Macaulay praised the "vitality and pride" of the show. Santana is on the faculty of Duke University and has taught at Long Island and New York Universities.

The company works with Spanish dance and music artists. The dancers include José Maldonado, Karen Lugo, Emilio Ochando, Fanny Ara, Lorena Franco, Adrian Dominguez, Laura Peralta, and Ricardo Moro. Other artists include guitarist José Luis de La Paz and Calvin Hazen, percussionist/singer Francisco Orozco, and singer Francisco Trinidad.

Tickets may be purchased by calling the Center for the Arts Box Office at (310) 506-4522 from noon to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and two hours prior to curtain time. Tickets to all events are also available online at: arts.pepperdine.edu/tickets/

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University provides high-quality activities for over 50,000 people from over 1,000 zip codes annually through performances, rehearsals, museum exhibitions, and master classes. Located on Pepperdine's breathtaking Malibu campus overlooking the Pacific, the center serves as a hub for the arts, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Facilities include the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, the "black box" Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.

The Center for the Arts is located on the Pepperdine University campus at 24255 Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, CA. Parking is available during performances next to Smothers Theatre for a fee and in the Theme Tower lot with shuttle service at no charge. All programs and artists are subject to change.

For more information about this performance and other Center for the Arts performances and exhibitions, visit: arts.pepperdine.edu. For information about current health and safety protocols at the Center for the Arts, visit: arts.pepperdine.edu/visit/

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