She arrived in NY that year – almost 10 years ago – with her nine year old son, Antonio, in tow and moved in to the Roger Smith for a month.  During the festival, Elena sang and danced a few nights per week, with little Antonio attending each tablao and occasionally stepping out to dance a few moves or drum on the cajón…a crowd-pleasing foreshadow of the talent he would later develop!  When he wasn’t performing with his mom, he would cruise the hotel, a relative Eloise let loose in a new a fabulous place, full of interesting things and people.

Elena Andujar, born of a Sevillana and a New Yorker, uses flamenco to bridge the cultures that she represents.  Her work includes festivals, self-produced espectáculos, master classes and even early-stage plans to make a movie of her life story, set here and there.  Her bigscreen career began when she was cast in the movie Devil’s Advocate along with flamenco great, Tomatito, to perform with Al Pacino.

So…as we knock around the idea of reviving the Iberian Festival, we’d love to hear your feedback! Let us know your thoughts!

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