We received a sign from the gods: after fighting for several years, I was at last able to acquire and save from demolition an old family dwelling, located in one of the most beautiful neighborhoods of Beirut, in the Nagib Trad street, between the elegant Sursock street and the very select Charles Malek avenue. Some restoration was needed, the garden was cleaned out and landscaped, a minimalist (albeit very flamenco) décor was put together, a special parquet and some nice mirrors installed, and tadaa, it all fell into place! I was ready to open the Peña and get this project up and running.

What is a Peña? In the language of flamenco, a peña is a cultural association created and managed by « aficionados » for the purpose of spreading knowledge about flamenco. It also means the site itself, the locale where these same aficionados meet to live together their passion for this art form, share their knowledge, and encourage performances by students and artists. This is exactly the goal I want to reach: create a privileged site where flamenco lovers meet, improve their knowledge of flamenco, practice the dance, play the music, in one word LIVE flamenco.

The name of the Peña « Nila Amparo » was not chosen haphazardly. It is traditional in Spain and elsewhere to give a Peña the name of a flamenco artist to whom one wants to pay homage, or advertise a preference or admiration for a specific performer. There exist for example the Peña Sabicas, Carmen Amaya, or Enrique Morente…. I chose Nila Amparo simply because she is a performer of Lebanese origin and probably the only one in her time who had an international career. It is only fair to pay homage to an artist who is little known in her country of origin when she is famous in the USA, her adoptive country.