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Yjastros is not your typical flamenco company. As one of the few repertory flamenco dance companies in the United States, the versatile dancers of Yjastros perform in many styles, from traditional to contemporary. They have over 80 works in their repertoire, with new ones added every year.

“The idea behind the repertory format is that we’re trying to take the audience on a journey,” Joaquín Encinias, Yjastros’ artistic director, said. “We touch on some very traditional flamenco, and we touch on the Spanish dance feeling of the 1950s. … Then, we take them into a folk dance, where they’re dancing barefoot. … We’re a really gifted and well-trained dance company that can do a lot of styles and dances, so why not celebrate that?”

“Out of Many, One” is a program of five dances, each created by a different choreographer. Yjastros will present the program at sa���ʴ�ý������ҳ���’s National Hispanic Cultural Center on Saturday, April 11, and Sunday, April 12, and The Lensic Performing Arts Center in Santa Fe on Saturday, April 18.

“The arc of the show is exciting,” April Goltz, production director, said. “As the title implies, it’s about how many voices can contribute to a unified vision.”

The first piece, “Elementos,” was created in 2018 by the acclaimed choreographer Adrián Santana from Málaga, Spain.

“It is a tribute to his hometown of Málaga … and it is really visually appealing with beautiful costuming,” Marisol Encinias, the company’s executive director, said. (Marisol and Joaquin Encinias are sister and brother.)

The dancers in “Elementos” make full use of traditional flamenco props, such as mantón shawls, castanets and bata de cola skirts. “Elementos” will also feature two up-and-coming young dancers who are not officially members of Yjastros: Colten Hernandez, a dance student at the University of New Mexico, and Jacob Escobedo, a Conservatory of Flamenco Arts student.

The second piece, “Camina,” was created by innovative flamenco choreographer, Sara Cano.

“She’s a very interesting dancer, in that she incorporates modern and contemporary dance movement with Spanish dance forms,” Marisol Encinias said. “‘Camina’ is kind of a mix of Spanish folk dance and contemporary movement. It’s a piece that’s done barefoot, so that might be unexpected for our audience, when they’re used to seeing people dance with flamenco shoes.”

“Camina” means “walk” in Spanish, and Marisol Encinias interprets the piece’s collective barefoot walking movements metaphorically in light of the program’s overarching theme.

“The metaphor that runs through it is this idea of walking, advancing or moving together as a kind of communal feel,” she said. “It ties into the idea we had of ‘Out of Many, One,’ that we’re distinct individuals, yet we come together, we walk forward and we move together through these different experiences and moments in time.”

Other pieces in the show include “Marianas” by Ricardo Moro, “Taranterias” by Ana Morales and an untitled solo work by Adrian Santana.

“Out of Many, One,” or “E Pluribus Unum” in Latin, is the traditional motto of the United States of America. Marisol Encinias said the company chose that theme for the 2026 season, in part, as a nod to the nation’s semiquincentennial — the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence — which is being celebrated this year.

“That’s what we were thinking about, without making it too overt or being too kumbaya at the same time, but recognizing the importance of diversity … and how, within a collective, you can come together with a singular voice and move things forward,” Encinias said. “And I think that’s been the process for Yjastros. It’s a company of individual artists who have come together over the decades to create work that we express in a singular voice.”

One of the dancers in Yjastros, Elena Osuna, has been with the company since its founding in 1999. Two of Yjastros’ principal dancers, Carlos Menchaca and Kayla Lyall, have been with the company for at least 20 years. Others have joined within the past two years.

Joaquin Encinias characterized the overall tone of “Out of Many, One” as joyful and celebratory.

“We have to find things that we can celebrate together,” he said. “Definitely, as an artist, I want to find things to bring people together, and I hope Yjastros does that for our community.”

Logan Royce Beitmen is an arts writer for the sa���ʴ�ý������ҳ���. He covers visual art, music, fashion, theater and more. Reach him at lbeitmen@abqjournal.com or on Instagram at .