La Argentina

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Antonia Mercé y Luque (September 4, 1890 – July 18, 1936), known by her stage name as La Argentina, was a flamenco dancer. She was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and died in Bayonne, France. She originated and helped to establish the neoclassical style of Spanish dance as a theatrical art.

A talented young dancer, her career was greatly influenced by her parents Manuel Mercé (Andalusian), and Josefina Luque (Castilian), who were professional Spanish dancers. It was due to them that La Argentina's entire life was mainly focused on dance, where her parents greatly wanted her to excel. She studied ballet with her parents in her youth. She trained mainly with her father, who taught her to dance at the age of four.

When La Argentina was nine years old, she debuted at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Spain. At the age of eleven, La Argentina was a star dancer at the Madrid Opera.

Shortly after the death of her father, La Argentina retired from ballet. After this life-transforming event, at the age of fourteen La Argentina started studying native Spanish dances with her mother. For several years to come, her style of dancing was not highly admired in her society; therefore she could not perform in theatres or in concerts (in which she was used to dancing). She danced wherever she could, which meant performing in café cantantés and music halls.

Prior to World War I, La Argentina was extremely admired in Paris, where she accepted invitations to dance at the Moulin Rouge, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, and other important locations. Years later, she took interest in a gypsy-style dance and transformed it into her very own.

In her career she made six transcontinental tours in North America, sometimes accompanied by flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya.

She received several awards, including the French Légion d'honneur and the Spanish Orden de Honor Isabel La Católica.

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