Flamenco dancing will be in plentiful supply at the Cocina Flamenca Live.
Sharen Bradford
A free food and art festival is set to transform the Latino Cultural Center (LCC) for a third year, with the sights and sounds of a vibrant Spanish holiday. This year’s Cocina Flamenca Live Festival on Saturday afternoon is stacked with performances, activities and authentic cuisine.
The festival will take over the entire LCC from 4 – 8:30 p.m. and utilize all performance spaces, says Delilah Buitrón Arrebola, artistic director of The Flame Foundation, which produces the event.
“What started as a single outdoor festival has turned into a full cultural takeover of the Latino Cultural Center. This year, flamenco isn’t just happening in one place, it’s alive everywhere,” Buitrón Arrebola tells us. “Artistically, we’ve become more confident in showing flamenco as something lived and shared, with dance, guitar, [singing], food and community all happening at once. As always, it’s really special to see so many people coming back year after year.”
Another addition for 2026? A salsa-flamenco style dance class instructed by Nélida Tirado, a celebrated dancer whose resume includes an appearance in the In the Heights film adaptation. The class is free, but space is limited.
The performance lineup includes a showcase by Sabor Flamenco, a professional group that dates back more than 20 years. The group, which has performed at previous Cocina Live festivals, plans to dazzle the crowd with a stylistic blend of techniques.
“We have a very interesting mix of dance styles and music,” says Julie Kinzie, a performer in Sabor. “We have traditional numbers and also a few with a little bit more modern and contemporary infused flair.”
Kinzie, who’s been practicing flamenco dance since 1999, says she appreciates the art form because of its inclusivity and because it brings so much joy to audiences.
The festival is inspired by Spain’s cultural tradition, La Feria de Abril de Sevilla, or the April Fair. Spain’s version is a weeklong, colorful celebration, but the event here in Dallas is about capturing that same jovial energy in one jampacked afternoon.
“For me, La Feria de Sevilla has always been about togetherness,” Buitrón Arrebola says. “Cocina Flamenca Live isn’t about recreating the Feria exactly, but it’s absolutely inspired by that same joy, pride, and sense of belonging.”
Flamenco art dates back to the late 18th century in southern Spain and spread to Madrid through the mid-19th century. The passionate, eye-catching characteristics of the complex art form were also influenced by performers in the Caribbean and Latin America.
“Flamenco brought me back to dance in a passionate way. While I’ve danced all my life, I always felt excluded because I was not the picture of a traditional dancer, very long and lean,” Kinzie says. “In flamenco [there’s] a place for everybody. You’re in a wheelchair? Great, we have something for you. You’re overweight? Great, you’re going to express yourself and do phenomenal things with your body. Flamenco is very inclusive and there is a dance for every emotion you could possibly imagine. Being able to express that is a gift.”
The festival will close with Fiesta Flamenca XII, a ticketed one‑hour indoor performance held in the LCC auditorium. The finale features flamenco dancers Tirado and Carmen Montes, guitarists Ricardo Sanchez and Juanis de la Isla and vocalist José Cortes. Local Maestro Antonio Arrebola of Flamenco DNA will represent Dallas in the lineup. Like the flamenco dance class, space at the finale is limited.
The full event schedule, registration and more details are available online.