BIOGRAPHY

Xianix Barrera is an award-winning, Bessie Award–nominated flamenco dancer, choreographer, and educator based in New York City. A native New Yorker of Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage, she creates work that centers bold, tenacious women and unapologetically powerful femininity. Female empowerment, queer identity, social justice, resilience, and personal transformation are recurring themes in her choreography and form the artistic foundation of Xianix Barrera Flamenco Company, which she founded in 2012.

With a background in ballet, modern dance, jazz, percussion, and yoga, Xianix has devoted herself to the lifelong study of flamenco with masters in New York and Spain. Throughout her career, she has shared the stage with acclaimed artists including Isabel Bayón, Raquel Heredia “La Repompa,” Rosario Toledo, Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca, Juan Ogalla, and José Suárez “El Torombo.” Her performances have taken her to major stages and cultural venues around the world, including The Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center, The Red Theater in Abu Dhabi, and La Peña Torres Macarena in Sevilla. She also toured internationally with Noche Flamenca’s acclaimed production Antigona.

In 2026, Xianix won First Place in the Concurso de Tablao at Festival Flamenco Albuquerque, one of the largest and most respected flamenco festivals outside Spain. She also received Second Place at Flamenco Certamen USA in New York, further distinguishing her as a powerful and accomplished soloist within the national flamenco community.

Xianix’s work has received ongoing recognition. She was a scholarship recipient for the Flamenco Program at the School of Jacob’s Pillow, an Artist in Residence with Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana, a three-time SU-CASA community arts engagement grantee, and a 2025 Creative Engagement grant recipient from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. In 2019, she was nominated for a Bessie Award for Outstanding Performer for her role in Latido, presented through the Emerging Choreographer Series at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center and produced by Mare Nostrum Elements. In 2023, she was featured in Dance Magazine, in print and online, in the article “How Using Hand and Finger Articulation Can Enhance Expressivity.”

Continuously expanding flamenco’s possibilities while remaining deeply rooted in its traditions, Xianix has created productions including Mujeres, featuring a rare all-female cast, and QUEBRADA, a flamenco-theatrical work inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi. Through dance, live music, and multimedia, QUEBRADA explores how vulnerability and fracture can be transformed into strength, beauty, and renewal.

As an educator, Xianix directs a thriving New York City flamenco school serving students of all ages, levels, backgrounds, and abilities. She has taught workshops for The Joyce Theater, New York City Center, Ballet Hispánico, and Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. She also co-organizes an annual flamenco immersion trip to Sevilla, giving students the opportunity to study with renowned artists and experience flamenco within its cultural home.

Follow me on social media: @XianixBarreraFlamenco Instagram Facebook TikTok

PRESS

“Xianix Barrera is strong and feminine, and showcases the smaller flourishes and attributes of the Flamenco form. Her style exemplifies sweetness, power and poise." - Jamuna Chiarini, Artslandia Magazine

"...I enjoyed Xianix Barrera, who injected a healthy dose of teasing sensuality.” - Marina Harss, Dance Tabs

"...Xianix Barrera, had a striking presence...she was extremely refined in her movement, her head remaining absolutely still as her body kept moving. Her gaze into the audience was impactful, while her movements in her arms, torso and feet were subtle. Her fingers held as through they had a constant breeze moving through them. Her hand movements, gestures and fingers became the focal point of attention..." - Gina Palumbo, Philadelphia Dance , 2016

"Flamenco artist, Xianix Barrera, a picture of sensuous hour-glass richness, transfixed many pairs of eyes with fiery grace and sinuous body movement. Draped in a magnificent, embroidered peacock blue silk shawl with shimmering bone fringes, Barrera skillfully flung, wrapped and unwrapped herself as she wended through an entrancing solo." - Ashabi Rich, The Dance Journal

“Xianix Barrera in a Solea por Buleria...This lady can literally rock the house. Before she discovered flamenco, this talented dancer was a percussionist. That skill was apparent in her deep understanding of rhythms and reflected in her mastery of compás. She is a remarkable artist ... she deserves to be recognized for the fierce diva she is."  - Maya de Silva, Flamenco Buzz 

"A Renowned Dance Couple Keeps Flamenco’s Flame Burning in New York" by Susan Hartman, New York Times