Soul & Duende Dance Company, founded in Madrid, Spain in 1991 is an incorporated non-for-profit organization in Chicago, Illinois since 1994.



                                                                                          Mission

Our company believes that the arts are the manifestation of life that reflects the crux of the soul, therefore, we aim to interpret dance, literature, music, and theater with integrity and high standards.  Using the art of flamenco as a driving force, our goal is to translate the metaphysics of performance into the aesthetics of duende, to interpret and disseminate flamenco with passion, fervor, professional artistry and to continue educating the community in the uniqueness of flamenco.  

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designated Flamenco an intangible cultural heritage and 2011’s Patrimony of Humanity. The importance of intangible cultural heritage is not the cultural manifestation itself but rather the wealth of knowledge and skills transmitted through it from one generation to the next.  Flamenco is an artistic expression fusing song (cante), dance (baile), and music (toque).  Other instruments include castanets, hand-clapping, and foot work.  The gamut of feelings and states of mind, grief, joy, tragedy, rejoicing and fear – can be expressed through sincere, evocative lyrics characterized by brevity and simplicity expressed in its musical styles (palos) such as solea, alegrias, farruca, bulerias, amongst many others.  Spain and flamenco have influenced the Americas and vice-versa.  Spain’s trip to the America’s and back (la ida y vuelta) echoes in flamenco’s guajiras (Cuba), tangos (Argentina), and colombianas (Colombia).  Flamenco reverberates the intensity of life.        UNESCO Video