<P>Antonia Merc&#233;, stage-named La Argentina, was the most celebrated Spanish dancer of the early 20th century. Her intensive musical and theatrical collaborations with members of the Spanish vanguard – Manuel de Falla, Frederico Garc&#237;a Lorca, Enrique Granados, N&#233;stor de la Torre, Joaqu&#237;n N&#237;n, and with renowned Andalusian Gypsy dancers – reflect her importance as an artistic symbol for contemporary Spain and its cultural history. When she died in 1936, newspapers around the world mourned the passing of the «Flamenco Pavlova.»</P>
