Forging Ahead: A New Era for the Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company

The Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company is stepping into a new chapter. This month marks their return to the stage with a fresh program of flamenco film and live performance — their first since leaving behind their long-standing home of the Fleck Dance Theatre. Now settling into the more intimate Meridian Arts Centre’s Studio Theatre, the company continues to push flamenco forward with the same dedication and artistry that has defined them for decades. I had the pleasure of chatting with Artistic Director Esmeralda Enrique about this new homecoming and what audiences can expect from their upcoming show.

If you haven’t heard of the company, Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company has been a key part of flamenco’s development in Canada since its founding in 1982. Since launching its annual Toronto season in 1990, the company has built a wide-ranging repertoire and received consistent recognition, including three Dora Mavor Moore Awards and twenty-seven nominations. While maintaining the core elements of traditional flamenco's singing, dancing, and music, the company presents a style that balances tradition with a contemporary aesthetic. It continues to operate under the fabulous leadership of founder and artistic director Esmeralda Enrique.

For Enrique, the move to the Meridian Arts Centre’s Studio Theatre is both a challenge and a return. After the closure of the Fleck Dance Theatre, the company wasn’t sure they would present a show at all this year. “It was very difficult to decide whether we even wanted to go ahead,” Enrique says. “But after a few weeks of mulling it over and many discussions with the artists, we decided that we would go ahead and just try… and I’m glad we did.” The venue shift, she explains, feels “like an adventure.” The smaller space brings new challenges but also offers an opportunity to reconnect with audiences more intimately. “It also feels like a sort of homecoming,” she adds, as the company last performed at the Meridian Arts Centre in 1994.

This year’s program is presented in two parts: a curated selection of flamenco films followed by a live ensemble performance. The shift in venue prompted a rethinking of format. “Knowing that the space was much smaller, we had to reconfigure and rethink what we could present,” says Enrique. The second half features a cast of seven dancers — larger than usual for the company — but the lineup was already confirmed before the Fleck Theatre’s closure. Rather than scale down, the company chose to work within the new space’s limitations. “We’re making it work,” she says. The performance also includes guest musicians from Montreal, guitarists from Toronto, and a flamenco singer brought in from Spain.

The program opens with three short films. Two — Reflejos del Tiempo (Reflections of Time) and La Textura del Aire (The Texture of Air) — have been shown previously, while the third, Luz (Light), premieres this season. Each film offers its own creative take on flamenco.

La Textura del Aire, directed by William Yong and choreographed by Javier Latorre, was filmed in a Toronto high-rise, blending sweeping movement with city views and gusts of wind that emphasize the piece’s airy quality. Reflejos del Tiempo, also directed by Yong and choreographed by Daniel Ramos, uses mirrors and contemporary styling to reflect on flamenco’s generational shifts, exploring how tradition is continually reshaped. The final film, Luz, directed by Ella Cooper and choreographed by José Maldonado, offers a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsal and creation. It traces how inspiration builds through repetition, collaboration, and attention to detail. Scored by Caroline Plantet in tribute to her 90-year-old grandmother, the piece ties personal memory to artistic process.

While the program showcases new formats and contemporary aesthetics, Enrique is clear that innovation never means abandoning flamenco’s roots. “Flamenco is a living art,” she explains. “In this moment in time, I am living the art as it has evolved until now.” She emphasizes the importance of remembering flamenco’s history: “the struggles that plagued flamenco for many years, but that somehow allowed it to grow into a very historically rich and rhythmically intricate, challenging and fulfilling art.”

For Enrique, tradition and innovation are deeply linked. “Each generation of flamenco artists brings new ideas and innovations,” she says, “but many things always come back to the original — with a new perspective, a new generation’s perspective.” What continues to move her is seeing that the art form remains just as exciting for emerging artists as it was for her as a child. “Rather than pushing it forward, we take the art by the hand,” she says. “At least I do. And I wear it like a cloak. It travels with me.”

As the company steps into this new chapter, Enrique looks forward to offering audiences a more intimate experience. “They’ll see the dancers closer than they have in many years, and the intensity with which each dancer brings forth their art,” she says. “My hope is that the audience feels enriched by the experience,” with a deeper appreciation for the interconnectedness of flamenco’s core elements. “To see how the dancer makes the singer sing, how the singer makes the dancer dance, and how the guitar makes his companions sing and dance — that three-way communication is so important to the art of flamenco.”

Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company’s latest program takes place May 30 and 31, 2025, at 8:00 PM at the Meridian Arts Centre’s Studio Theatre (5040 Yonge Street, Toronto).

For more information about the company and to purchase tickets, visit flamencos.net. 
You can also follow them on Instagram at @esmeralda_enrique.

Photos provided by the company. 
Written by Deanne Kearney. DeanneKearney.com