La Argentinita in New York: New York in La Argentinita

In February 1930, three friends converged in New York City: the singer and bailaora Encarnación López Júlvez—known as La Argentinita, one of the most influential Spanish artists of the 20th century; her partner, the bullfighter, writer, and impresario Ignacio Sánchez Mejías; and the poet Federico García Lorca, who had been living at Columbia University since June 1929. During those days, Encarna performed in several of the city’s theaters, Ignacio lectured on bullfighting, and Lorca on poetry. But more importantly, in New York they conceived ideas and collaborations that would reshape the future of flamenco, expanding its expressive possibilities and projecting it onto international stages. The city became, through them, a catalyst for new forms—bridging flamenco with ballet, Spanish song, and modern artistic experimentation.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of Flamenco Festival New York, the Library for the Performing Arts hosts a lecture by José Javier León on La Argentinita and the intersections of flamenco, Lorca, and Spanish cultural identity. The lecture will be followed by a live performance with artists who are also participating in the 25th anniversary of Flamenco Festival New York, bringing La Argentinita’s legacy to life through the very art form she helped transform.

Photo Credit: Argentinita.  Jerome Robbins Dance Division.

SEATING POLICY | Programs are free and open to all, but registration is requested. Check-in line forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Registered guests are given priority check-in 15 to 30 minutes before start time. Five minutes before the advertised start time, all seats are released, regardless of registration, to our patrons in the stand-by line. If you arrive after the program starts, you will be seated at the discretion of our front-of-house staff.

STANDBY LINE | If registration is sold out or has ended, do not fret! We welcome you to come to the Library regardless of registration status and wait in our standby line, which forms 45 minutes before the advertised start time. Five minutes before the program starts, all remaining seats are released. While this is not guaranteed, we will do our best to get you into any of our programs.

ASSISTIVE LISTENING AND ASL | ASL interpretation and real-time (CART) captioning available upon request. Please submit your request at least two weeks in advance by emailing [email protected].

BRUNO WALTER POLICY | Please note that any unoccupied seat will be released five minutes before the show begins and holding seats for anyone beyond that is prohibited. There is no food or drink allowed inside the venue.

AUDIO/VIDEO RECORDING | Programs may be photographed and recorded by and at the discretion of the Library for the Performing Arts and will post signs indicating as such. If you would prefer your image not be captured, please let us know and we can seat you accordingly. Attending any program indicates your consent to being filmed/photographed and your consent to the use of your recorded image for any and all purposes of the New York Public Library.

PRESS | Please send all press inquiries to Alex Teplitzky at [email protected]. Please note that all recording, including professional video recordings, are prohibited without expressed consent from the Library.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher New York Public Library for the Performing Arts