Flamenco Beirut - Who Are We

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Being an aficionada of flamenco even before I was born (I’ve said this before!), I have always wanted Lebanon to have an association entirely devoted to flamenco that would bring together all the lovers of flamenco, and would help disseminate and teach this art form.

The project was not easy: the current political situation, the lack of competent teachers, the enormous means one must have to organize activities, and most importantly the lack of a locale to use – all contributed to make it a difficult, complicated, almost impossible undertaking.

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At first we were located in an old Lebanese house in the heart of Beirut, where we installed the dance studio. It was a charming place, but too small for our dance classes.... The salon could take 10 persons at the max and therefore for practical reasons we had to move to another place.

After a long search, we have been welcomed at "LEBANON DANCE ACADEMY (Private Club) where Ivan Samaha put at my entire disposition a very nice studio and accepted to let me customize it following my needs and my taste.

So we are now at Lebanon Dance Academy, Sin el Fil (Dekouaneh) having our own independant studio where we can rehearse and take classes in a flamenco environment.

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But... 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.

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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.

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The Peña proposes dance classes that take place at LDA but in the studio affectionately known as « Fadia’s Studio » by our beloved bailora Yalda Younes. We also offer an exhaustive documentation on flamenco, the most complete in Lebanon. In the future, and if this project is allowed to grow, we will offer guitar classes, shows and various flamenco activities.

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This website offers an overview of flamenco: its history, evolution, music, famous interpreters… as well as a description of the “content” of the locale: library, boutique, available classes…

It also keeps you updated with the flamenco scene in Lebanon : shows, concerts, movies, events, classes etc.

I hope, through this project, that I will be able to share my passion with neophytes, and give knowledgeable flamenco lovers something to sustain their interest and their passion.

This website would not have come into being without the invaluable help of a few people that I would like to thank, including :

* Aida Yared (my sister) who translated the texts into English,
* Dean Leroy and Mikey Badr who proofread the English version,
* Julien Feytit who explained the design of an ideal flamenco dance floor,
* Yalda Younes whose support was unwavering,
* And of course all those who, for the last 5 years, have participated in the classes and courses, and who continue to encourage and help me!