What We Do

Se Abre Paso / / Making Way

Abrepaso Flamenco is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit arts and culture organization rooted in the belief that flamenco has the power to transform lives and build community. Through performances, workshops, classes, school programs, and collaborative projects, we share flamenco as a living, breathing art form: one that carries centuries of tradition while constantly evolving through new voices and perspectives. From the intimacy of tablao performances to the energy of K–12 residencies, from therapeutic arts to bold cross-genre collaborations, our work creates many entry points for people to connect with flamenco.

At the heart of it all is a simple idea: we create the space so that each person can begin their own journey in flamenco.

Our Story

From a Vision to a Path Forward

The name Abrepaso comes from the Spanish phrase se abre paso—to forge a new path, to make way. From the very beginning, that has been our mission: to create new pathways within flamenco and new entry points into the art form.

Founder Alice Lawhorn dreamed of a flamenco that went beyond stereotypes—a flamenco that could be both true to its roots and daring in its openness as performance. While touring the U.S. as a flamenco dancer, she often felt something was missing. She didn’t want applause for castanets and red dresses—she wanted audiences to be moved by the power of the art itself. It finally struck her: she didn’t have to wait for someone else to create the company she envisioned—she could build it herself.

In 2016, back in her hometown of Albuquerque, she launched Abrepaso Flamenco in partnership with the National Hispanic Cultural Center, producing three evening-length works that blended flamenco with other music and art forms.

When the company relocated to Northeast Ohio, forging a path took on new meaning. Here, where flamenco was nearly absent, Abrepaso began by presenting traditional tablao performances and classes to ground audiences in the form’s history and traditions. In 2021, after pandemic delays, the company premiered its first new theatrical work in Cleveland to critical acclaim.

Today, Abrepaso continues to grow—building community, creating bold new work, and sharing flamenco’s power to transform. We honor flamenco’s past while opening doors to its future.

Values

Centering Dignity

At Abrepaso Flamenco, our aesthetic is rooted in the power of flamenco to connect human experience across boundaries. We draw from flamenco’s raw intensity and improvisational codes while embracing contemporary approaches to choreography and collaboration. Our work seeks simplicity and honesty—stripped of ornament for ornament’s sake—so that music, movement, and story emerge with clarity.

Our values are grounded in human dignity. We believe everyone deserves access to artistic expression and that flamenco, at its core, is a people’s art—a voice for those often unheard. This belief shapes everything we do, from boundary-pushing stage productions to free community classes.

Education is central to our mission. Whether in K–12 residencies, apprenticeships, or open community workshops, we strive to open pathways into flamenco, offering not just steps and songs, but tools for creativity, self-expression, and cultural understanding.

Above all, we see flamenco as a transformative practice—a way to remind us of our shared humanity, to heal, to empower, and to celebrate resilience. Our work honors flamenco’s past while imagining its future, forging new paths for the art form and for the communities we serve.

Board Members

La Romera

Silvia Perez - Protto

Robert Cabrera

Alice Lawhorn

Kate Borders

Luz Guillén