We recently connected with Ernesto and Jenny Caballero and have shared our conversation below.
Ernesto and Jenny, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. One of our favorite things to hear about is stories around the nicest thing someone has done for someone else – what’s the nicest thing someone has ever done for you?
After September 11, 2001; the immigration process and paper works got stricter and longer, for which finding sponsor to help us out with visa process was getting harder, but thanks to Miguel Lopez who was the owner of Cafe Spain in St. Augustine in that time, who himself offer to help us out with the sponsorship for the visa and permanent resident process. Also, he hired us to perform weekly at his restaurant in St. Augustine.
Ernesto and Jenny, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Ernesto Caballero and his wife, Jenny Rios, are partners in both their Alboreá Dances flamenco company and in life itself. And as is the case with many great love and success stories, theirs is a case of parallel tracks coming together.
Each of them studied dance from an early age in their native Bolivia – Ernesto in Santa Cruz and Jenny on the other side of the country in Potosi. Ernesto toured the country and outside locales like Peru, Ecuador and Spain, performing well-received folkloric routines. But when a drought in Potosi brought Jenny to Santa Cruz, the fates were put in motion for them to become dance partners.
Their eventual move to the United States, employment at Universal Studios Florida, Walt Disney World and other area attractions held out the promise of exciting new opportunities – but at first, Jenny thought the move would be a temporary one. Maybe they’d stay a few years and then return home.
Now, more than two decades later, Central Florida is home. And the Alboreá company they founded has grown into a thriving performance and education initiatives, that has Productions like a flamenco adaptation of “The Phantom of the Opera” that the company brought to Sanford in May 2021 and at The Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center in Abril 2022 typify the contemporary approach to the art form that is Alboreá’s stock in trade
We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?
We built our audience performing in many types of venues and events, from small restaurants, hotels, theme parks, resorts, theaters. Also, was very important to us to collaborate with other performers of different backgrounds and nationalities, creating hybrid performances.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
The best way that society can help artist is by supporting the local productions and performers, buying tickets, sponsoring productions and sharing the information of the events.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.AlboreaDances.com
- Instagram: flamencoalboreaorlando
- Facebook: Flamenco Alborea Orlando
Image Credits
Alex Olivera