Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre

I have attended numerous theatre shows and community events with performances by Alborado Spanish Dance Theatre.
The commitment of the group to educate the public about the history of Spanish dance is an inspiration to me as well as are the singers and dancers who display the artistry of Flamenco in a colorful and exciting way.

Viva Espana and viva Alborado!

The ten years or so that I have been involved with Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre and its executive director, Eva Lucena, have given me a wealth of artistic, cultural, educational and practical experiences. As a student, the study of dances from the many regions of Spain and around the world has given me such an appreciation of the immensity of the influence and appeal of Spanish music and dance. One does not have to be of Hispanic heritage to fall under its spell. I have had the opportunity to perform some of these beautiful dances at senior centers, hospitals, schools and festivals. Sharing this passion for dance with such appreciative audiences is very rewarding. Working with and learning from the many talented members of Alborada's company is such a pleasure. Their loyalty and hard work is inspiring. The most inspiring is Eva, herself. She works ceaselessly to maintain the high standard of the company that she co-founded with Maria Alba and to create opportunities to bring Alborada's cultural treasures to the public.
Signing up for flamenco lessons ten years ago was a leap of faith and turned out to be one of the best things I have ever done for myself. And one more thing, I LOVE the costumes!

Alborada is a wonderful organization that works tremendously hard to educate the community about culture and the power of dance. Their shows are thoughtfully choreographed and beautifully performed, each telling a story that captures, enlightens, and entertains. Aside from their shows, Alborada also participates in many community events, spreading awareness and excitement for Spanish dance to people of all ages and walks of life. The classes offered by various members of the company throughout New Jersey are welcoming of dancers at all levels, inspiring even the most apprehensive participant to succumb to the joys of music and movement. I am certainly grateful to Alborada for being a true inspiration to me for over six years and I look forward to enjoying all their future projects.

Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre merits special recognition for transmitting the cultural heritage to the public. I have experienced the great fortune to receive instruction in the art form of Spanish dance
from master teachers Eva Lucena and Claudia Campbell. From both of them, I have been enriched intellecutally and aesthetically with regard to Hispanic culture, history, folklore, language, and music.
I have appreciated the opportunity to participate in community service with Alborada by performing
in local venues with the company and students.

I volunteer my time to Alborada to help with marketing and small grant writing tasks. This dance company truly makes miracles on a shoestring budget. They bring a Broadway show like experience on stage – live music, dance, singing, drama, poetry, history and more – at ticket prices usually $20 or below. Their passion for the Spanish cultural arts is unmatched, and they also bring in other world cultures – Latino, Caribbean, Indian, Irish, Middle Eastern and more – to show how these cultures influenced Spain, and through these arts, to also show how we can appreciate cultural differences and similarities.

Alborada's shows are truly spectacular; their performers are dedicated experts and scholars of this genre, so it definitely shows the love and respect they have for authenticity and art. Their flamenco classes are fun and comprehensive.

The Hispanic Heritage Month committee wants to thank you for today's presentation. It went very well and was well received by the children, the parents, the teachers, the staff and the guests; we were also pleased to see that the dancers and musicians did a fantastic job. We want to thank you for bringing us happiness with your music and dancers to our school. This show was an excellent event to wrap up our Hispanic Heritage Month activities at Washington Community School.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!!!!!!

I try to attend all their performances in my area. The well executed choreography is original and brings out elements of flamenco well researched and rarely displayed by other companies. Alborada embraces diversity, unifies traditions, and celebrates the gypsy experience. Educational, uplifting, inspirational!

I highly respect and admire the work (lots of work) that Alborada did for the community and for its artists members! The only group in New Jersey, such a big state but there is no foundation like Alborada that sustains all years preserving the Flamenco arts and culture. The performances has no boundaries, always exploring new works, that we could see in the company repertoire shows, presenting the mix of different culture, and in every show they have always involved large numbers of performers. This scale I have only experienced on & off Broadway theaters. Alborada artists members do these because they LOVE doing it! so every presentation come from their hearts and the audience could simply see this loving and talented energies on stage! They deserve all your support! I forgot to mention also, I am lucky to find Alborada and have learned the Flamenco dance the past 1yr from them. OLE!

I am taking lessons in Flamenco Dance--it's the only studio that does so where in my area--and the dance company is great. Full of talented people and great teachers!

Having seen both A Celtic Connection and A Gypsy Story I can only say that I have been amazed at the breadth of a dance style that is encompassed by Spanish dance that I had always thought limited to the foot stomping flamenco. The Alborada dancers made both experiences a visual delight. Thanks- and see you again in many future performances

We attended the 2007 Spanish Nutcracker performance in New Jersey and we absolutely loved it! It exceeded our expectations, as we viewed the professional talent of the performers. The costumes were beautiful and the choreography was excellent. The dancers were in perfect unison for the routine and each one met the mark. We, also, were very impressed by the diversity of the dances performed. The dance troupe featured multiple age groups showing that Spanish dance is for everyone. We highly recommend the Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre.

Their shows are very engaging. The costumes are amazing and the dancers execute nearly flawless moves. I alawys walk away inspired. The love the way they integrate the cultures. The diversity is a great pull. I would have seen them last year had my schedule been open on the dates they were in the area. I look forward to seeing them in the future!

I had the pleasure of seeing one of the group's wonderful cross cultural performances - Sephardic Connection - in Atlantic City in 2008. I was spellbound throughout the entire production. The dancing was superb!

I was wowed by the costumes of this group and that the dancers seem to reach all people. It is really refreshing to see how this group introduces spanish culture to everybody interested in attending a show. I haven't seen anything like this before in my community and I hope its here to stay.

The dancers at the Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre are fabulous! They dance with such passion it makes you want to take up flamenco dancing. When you watch the performance you feel like you are transported out of your mundane life into some exciting village in Spain. I am looking forward to coming back and bringing my daughter to expereince this wonderful group. Great show!

I absolutely adore the Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre! I have driven to New Jersey from my home in Washington, DC just to see their performance of the Sephardic Connection. Being a former ballet dancer, I appreciate a heartfelt performance involving any form of dance. I was impressed to see a diverse group of people in the company and was blown away by their passion for flamenco dancing. I was also very impressed by with the beautiful costumes - a lot of which I'm sure are handmade. Alborada is an awesome group and I'm looking forward to attending more performances!

Alborada has enriched my life since I started with them about 3 years ago. It has given me a chance again to feel the passion through the dance. Their performances bring together the connections of many similar cultures through dance and theater. They tell a story of passion, joy, and eros. I am very proud being a part of this organization because of it's committment to keeping Spanish dance alive and its committment to educate and spread the passionate world of Spanish Dance Theater.

As a foreign language teacher it is difficult to incorporate beneficial cultural experiences. The Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre has done several incredible performances at our school allowing students to observe, participate and relate to other cultures. The students were impressed with the ability of the dancers and even ask if Alborada would return soon. (We held our performances after school, but they are willing and want to stay again!) Personally, I was so impressed that I inquired about future performances and have had the privilege to attend a number of different presentations. I also began taking beginner flamenco lessons taught by Eva Lucena, director and principle dancer, who's personality is beautiful and knowledge vast and has taught me the art and passion of the dance.

I enjoyed the Celtic Connection show very much. The costumes and scenery were lovely. The music was wonderful and the dancing a joy to watch. I loved watching the flamenco dances(love the castanets) and the guest artists were wonderful as well. It was very interesting to see the similarities in the two cultures through dance. It was a lively, entertaining, and informative show. I look forward to seeing another show by Alborada.

I have had the opportunity to attend many Alborada productions. The programs were entertaining and the dancing exquisite and well choregraphed. I habe also been impressed with Alborada for showing the connection of different cultures through music and dance. I am a former public school administrator. I had the opportunity to observe Alborada's arts in education program. The group presented a wonderful show complete with beautiful costumes and wonderful music. I was greatly impressed with Alborada's ability to interact and capture the attention of our students through participatory exercises.

I started renting my studio to ALBORADA over three years ago. The company members and studens are equally passionate about Eva herself as well as the art of Flamenco. The dedication Eva has for all her students and this company is the heart and soul of Alborada. Her enthusiasm has a way of drawing you in. I later donated my studio to the company for rehearsals and recently have been invited to join the Board. This company receives the highest marks from me in professionalism, Community education, and dance performance. Keep up the great job Alborada!

watching my aunt, karen gary dance was entertainment in itself. i enjoyed the colorful dance routines and costumes along with beautiful music that made me want to dance with them. i enjoyed my aunt taking to the stage and coming alive in a way that i have never seen before. all the dancers and their movement was like watching a series of flamincos dancing together in rythm and time brava cant wait to see them perform again

Alborada is truly a shining star in the area of the Arts. Watching a performance is a sensory festival of colors and rhythm and sound as they combine dance, choregraphy, singing, musicians, costumes and story. They have preserved the beautiful Spanish arts and present them with a passion and determination all their own. Each artist is absolutely brilliant and talented with each performance sure to please. Thank you Alborada for transporting me to Spain.

I have been attending performances of Alborada for the past four years and found them to be consistently moving and thought-provoking. I especially like their inclusion of other forms of dance, such as celtic and hungarian, which adds a new dimension to and appreciation of these forms. There is a terrific personal spirit with this group that one rarely feels as an audience member for a dance performance.

I have been a fan of Alborada Spanish Dance Theater for many years. My wife and I went to Alborada's theatrical productions and found them to be incredibly entertaining, high-quality, and unique in their cross-cultural themes. I have since become a trustee of Alborada and have had the privilege of working with a wonderfully talented team of professionals in bringing many productions to theaters, schools, and community events. Alborada's productions combine exceptional choreography, talented dancers, singers and musicians and the telling of compelling cross-cultural stories. I am honored to be able to assist the company in its efforts to continue to bring extraordinary cultural productions to the community.

I was introduced to excitment and beauty of spanish dance at a small restaurant were some of the members were dancing. Since then, I have come to realize that Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre has brought the beauty and history of spanish dance to communities across entire Central New Jersey. This is no small task for a relatively small group of dancers on a tight budget. Never the less they carry their message. I have see them on New Jersey Public Television, attended their theatrical evenings of dance, and watched them perform at outdoor street fairs and in small restaurants. Where ever members of this company travel to dance, I have seen them carry themselves with the utmost professionalism. I am now a student of the Art myself being drawn in and inspired by the level of creativity and dedication of this talented group.

I had discovered Alborada Spanish Dance Theatre one year and a half ago. Since then I had gone to most of the shows and performances all over New Jersey and each time had enjoyed a different show not only rich in dances but also including a rich mix of cultures that become together. From the Iris, the Jewish, the Egypcians, the Indues you can find the similarities and the mix of this cultures from the past until today... This organization had given so much happiness to people in Nursing Homes, Schools, etnic public events, and more, it also gave me the will to wanted to learn and enjoy this dances so much that I became a student despite my age (mature adult)and showed me there is not age for learning, for dancing and enjoying. This organization open arms for all kind of people and ages that want to participate in the arts and learn from the arts. I give them a thumbs up for all they had done and want to keep on doing. They had changed my life and open awareness to a lot of people around me too. You don't have to be Spanish to appreciate their art.