Flamenco in the Sun

ARTISTS

CARMELA GRECO
Carmela Greco, daughter of the celebrated Spanish dancer, José Greco, began studying dance at the age of 11. In 1972 she was selected, on merit, to dance in “Ballet Antología”, precursor of the National Ballet of Spain, under the direction of Alberto Lorca. In 1977 she joined the dance company of Luisillo as prima ballerina. Three years later, she formed her own company and toured France, Italy, the Middle East, and Africa. The company later presented “Ritmos Flamencos” in the San Carlos Theater, Naples. She has danced in some of the most popular “tablaos” in Spain including “Torres Bermejas”, “Café de Chinitas”, “Corral de la Morería”, “Los Canasteros” and “Corral de la Pacheca.” She has shared a stage with some of the most renowned Flamenco artists including Rafaela Carrasco, Manuel Reyes, Antonio Reyes, Alejandro Granados, Mario Maya, Faico, Fosforito, La Susi and Chiquetete, to name a few, and has performed for the King of Spain and the Duke of Edinburgh. In 1988, she joined her father’s company and made her debut in New York at the Joyce Theater. In 1990, she joined the famous dance academy “Amor de Dios” in Madrid as an instructor. Beginning in 1995, she performed as guest artist with the company of José Greco II at the International Flamenco Festival in Albuquerque, at the Jackie Gleason Theater in Miami, and the Lincoln Center in New York, as well as, touring Italy and Taiwan. She has performed at some of the most recognized Festivals including Jacob’s Pillow and the Seville Biennial. In 1999 she presented the production “Raza” with her sister Lola Greco at the Bellas Artes Theater in Madrid. In 2002, she toured in Japan for 6 months with her own company, returning later that year in the production “Climax,” together with Lola Greco and José Greco II, in honor of their father. She has been invited to the United States for performance and teaching tours that spanned New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Miami, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Portland. Currently, Carmela Greco teaches classes and workshops throughout the world and heads her own dance company, Compañía Carmela Greco.

JOSÉ LUIS RODRIGUEZ
José Luis Rodríguez was born in Ceuta, Spain and began studying guitar in Huelva at the age of nine in the Peñas Flamencas of the city. From the age of 15, he studied as the favorite student of maestro Mario Escudero. He has performed in numerous countries such as Belgium, Holland, Italy, Morocco, England, Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, the United States and others. He has accompanied numerous popular Flamenco singers and dancers such as La Niña de la Puebla, Carmen Linares, Jose Mercé, Fosforito, Manolo Marín, María Pages, Isabel Bayón and many others. In 1993 he became a member of the Ballet Cristina Hoyos for which he composed various musical scores including “Al Compás del Tiempo,” “A Tiempo y A Compás,” “Tierra Adentro,” and the movie “Despacito y a Compás.” In 2003 he became the composer and invited guest artist for the Ballet Andaluz with the production of “Yerma.” His most recent composition for the Ballet, “Viaje al Sur” is currently on tour. Among his numerous awards, those that most stand out are the one obtained in the 1984 Bienal de Sevilla and the first prize and gold medal conferred at Hospitalet in1989 and 1990. In 1999, he participated in the series “Flamenco Viene del Sur” next to artists Hiniesta Cortes, Manuela Rios, El Junco and Juan Ogalla. Currently, he is recording and performing as a soloist with his production “De Mis Manos” and collaborating with Belén Maya on “Dibujos,” a production that premiered at the 2006 Festival de Jeréz. Since 2005, he has collaborated with Bailes Ferrer on two productions as Resident Musical Director and Artistic Advisor for the Flamenco in the Sun.

GEMA CORREDERA
Gema Corredera is a graduate of the Escuela Nacional de Música de La Habana (1982) and has a degree in Musicology from the Instituto Superior de Arte de La Habana (1987). She studied at the academy of the prestigious Carmen Godoy (1983 a 1988) and was part of the Coro de Cámara de la Escuela Nacional de Música for ten years as first contralto and soloist, today known as the professional performance group Coralina. She has taught various courses at the Casa de América in Madrid plus song and vocal techniques at the Escuela de Nuevas Músicas de Madrid since 1997. In addition to an internationally recognized solo career, she is probably best known for her work with Cuban composer and artist Pavel Urquiza. Together, they are Gema y Pavel, a musical duo that has, over the past twelve years, revolutionized Contemporary Cuban music. In addition to producing numerous records of their own, the last of which Art Bembé is a double CD that traces the many forms that have shaped Cuban music today, they have also produced various CD’s for other recognized artists such as Habana Abierta and Luis Enrique. The duo has toured extensively in Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe, as well as, New York and Miami in the U.S.A. Their latest collaborations have been in combining Contemporary Cuban expressions with Flamenco with artists Ketama and Alejandro Sanz among others. Gema Corredera’s voice is reflective of the crystalline simplicity of nueva trova, the sonorous freedom of Jazz and Rock, the seduction of el són, and the pulsating rhythms inherited from Africa. Her words have united audiences in familiar places, and can, through humor and drama, reflect the human condition.

FERNANDO FAVIER
Fernando Favier was born in 1968 in Guantánamo, Cuba. He comes from a family of musicians and has been involved in music since age 9. He completed his musical studies at the Escuela de Música “Regino Boti (1979-1983)in Guantánamo, at the Escuela Nacional de Artes (1983-1989) in Habana, and at the Instituto Superior de Artes I.S.A.(1989-1995), where he graduated with a degree in Music with a specialization in Percussion (Instructor and Instrumentalist). He co-founded and was part of the band of Carlos Varela for 10 years. At the same time he trained with Enrique Plá (drums), Percussion with Justo Pelladito, Percussion ensemble with Professor Marcos Varcalcel and history of percussion with Dr. Lino Neira. In 1998 he moved to Madrid, where he currently resides and has been intrinsically linked to the musical scene since his arrival, particularly in Flamenco. His collaborations included, but are certainly not limited to, Joaquin Cortés in Soul, Live, New Live ,Mi Soledad and the DVD Joaquín Cortés Live at the Albert Hall (1999 to 2006); Antonio Canales in “Los Grandes del Flamenco” (2006 to present); Ninna Pastori in the tour of her CD Joyas Prestadas. (2006- 2007); Alejandro Sanz in the live concerts and recording of the CD “El Tren de los Momentos” (2006); ECHEGARAY in the live concerts and recording of the CD Echegaray Street Band (2000) and Tino D’Geraldo in the recording of his CD, Tomasito Castaña (1999), to name a few.

NELIDA TIRADO
Nelida Tirado began her formal training at age six at Ballet Hispanico of NY where she became a scholarship recipient, member of the apprentice company, and received the Tito Puente Scholarship. Barely out of her teens, she joined José Molina Bailes Españoles and toured the US for the next several years. She joined Carlota Santana's "Flamenco Vivo" company and was soloist and dance captain for several years. Also an original member of the Metropolitan Opera’s Spanish Ballet, she performed in Franco Zeferelli’s “Carmen” at the Met and toured Japan. In 1997, she received an Artist in Residence grant from the New York Foundation of the Arts. That same year she relocated to Spain where she immediately began studying and performing professionally with Juan Andrés Maya in Granada. She joined Compañía Maria Pages where she was soloist and repetidora (dance captain) performing at major prestigious Flamenco festivals within Spain and Spanish television including the Bienal del Arte Flamenco, Festival de Jerez, Festival de Otoño, Festival de la Guitarra in Cordoba and the Flamenco Festival USA. She has performed nationally and internationally throughout France, Italy, UK, Japan and Germany. In 2000, she was part of World Music Institute's "Gypsy Caravan" with Compañía Antonio El Pipa. She has worked with many of Spain's major Flamenco artists, such as: Fernando Romero, Manolo Marín, Manuel Soler, Antonio Reyes, Juan Ogalla, Isabel Bayón, Manuel Liñán, Pastora Galván, Juan Manuel Cañizares, Antonio Malena, La Tobala, and Marina Heredia. Upon her return to the USA, she worked with "Noche Flamenca” and was featured Flamenco artist in the highly acclaimed show "Riverdance" on Broadway. In 2005, she represented Compañía Maria Pages in the Aichi Expo in Japan as a solo artist. Nelida's intense grace and powerful style are unlike any other causing critics to single her out time and again in her appearances at the Joyce Theater, Jacobs Pillow, Lincoln Center and at the Symphony Space. Ms. Tirado currently resides in New York City and was featured in Dance Magazine’s "25 to Watch" in 2007.

DAMARIS FERRER
Damaris Ferrer is the Artistic Director of the Bailes Ferrer Flamenco Dance Company in Fort Lauderdale, Florida where she has dedicated her career to promoting and teaching the art of Flamenco music and dance. Prior to founding Bailes Ferrer in 1995, she trained at the Ballet Hispanico of New York, Performing Arts High School, and the State University of New York studying Classical Ballet, Graham Technique, Limon Technique, Classical Spanish Dance and Flamenco. Ms. Ferrer has toured nationally and internationally with Ballet Hispanico, José Molina Bailes Españoles, All Nations Dance Company, Ballet Argentino Raices and Mary Street Dance Theater. Her efforts and talents as an artist, and her contributions to the arts have been constantly recognized through such awards as the Tito Puente Scholarship Fund (three time recipient), the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts (1987) and the Individual Artist Fellowship from the State of Florida (2002). Ms. Ferrer is currently teaching classes and workshops at the University Center for the Performing Arts and continues her collaborations with different artists and dance styles. She is the creator of Flamenco in the Sun, Café Cantante and several other Flamenco events and Festivals produced by Bailes Ferrer in the past 12 years.

NIURCA MÁRQUEZ
Niurca Márquez began her training in Classical Spanish Dance and Flamenco in Miami under Pepita Ibañez and Helena Alonso. In 1996 she moved to New Mexico where she continued her training and performed as a guest artist of Dance España and an ensemble member of Alma Flamenca at the 1997 Festival Flamenco Internacional. Upon returning to Miami, she toured with Ballet Flamenco Angela Rhea in Spanish Extravaganza and was one of five dancers featured in Susana Yamuchi’s Interactions (1997 FLA/BRA festival). She has been with Bailes Ferrer since 2000 and performed as company member and soloist for Duende Ballet Español under the direction of Rosa Mercedes. Her own choreography has been featured in programs of the Cove/Rincon of Miami, the Hallandale Symphony, FIU’s Department of Theater and Dance and the University of Kansas Dance Company. Niurca has studied with top artists from the United States and Spain and is the recipient of the 2003 and 2006 Artist Access Grant and 2005 and 2007 Artist Enhancement Grant. Niurca holds an MA in Latin American and Caribbean Studies with a concentration in Dance Ethnography. Her work focuses on the study of Flamenco movement and music as a form of expression and the relationship of the art to other musical forms particularly in the New World. She has been a guest lecturer at various institutions of higher learning, teacher-training workshops and conferences. Her teaching and choreography are based on the integration of body awareness through techniques from the Feldenkrais Method and an understanding of Flamenco as an art form within a specific cultural and aesthetic context.

PAOLA ESCOBAR
Paola Escobar was born in Colombia. She has danced with the modern dance company L’explose with which she participated in the Festival de Almada (Portugal), Festival de Teatro de Cadiz, Festival de los Veranos de la Villa (Madrid), Festival Madrid Sur, Festival Latinidades (Sao Paulo). While with the company she also performed at La Maison de la Danse (Lyon), Theatre de la Comedie (France), Teatro Colón and Teatro de la Candelaria (Colombia). She was part of Afrocontemporaneo 34% visibles project and participated in the Let’s Kick up our Heels Festival in Toronto, Festival de San Sebastian in Spain and the Festival de Teatro de Medillín, among others. As a Flamenco dancer, she has worked in Havana with the companies Ecos and Aires. In Bogota she directed her own company Taconearte. Her work Flamenco 24 horas received the National Prize in 2005 and the award for creation Pasos 2002 among others. Currently residing in Florida, she has participated in Calle Flamenca with Bailes Ferrer (2006) and the lead role in Las brujas de salem with Ballet Flamenco La Rosa (2007). In 2006 she premiered her work Viaje de regreso at the Colony Theater in Miami Beach.

ALEX JORDAN
Alex Jordan, was born in Havana, Cuba and has studied guitar with Juan Maya (Marote), Rafael Riqueni and Jose Luis Rodriguez. He has worked as a guitarist with Ballet Lizt Alfonso, Compañías Aires y Ecos and the Ballet Español de la Habana. While with Ballet Español de la Habana he presented works at the VII Festival Internacional de guitarra de la Habana the XIV, XV and XVI Festivales de Ballet de La Habana, Festival La Huella de España, Festival Internacional de Tetaro de la Habana, and Misa Flamenca at the Catedral of Havana. He has toured México and Colombia and has been an invited guest with the French group Barrio Chino and in a music and poetry concert alongside Aitana Alberti. In 2000 he moved to Bogotá, Colombia were he co-founded and was musical director for the flamenco group Taconearte with Paola Escobar. The group received the award for creation Pasos 2002 and the National Dance Prize for musical and scenic composition in 2005 with the work Flamenco 24 horas. Alex has been an invited guest at the Ramiro Isaza Guitar Festibal and was a professor of guitar at the Fundación Artística Gentil Montana. He currently resides in Florida and was recently featured in Ballet Flamenco La Rosa’s Las brujas de Salem.

BRIANNA AUSTIN
Brianna Austin’s early natural talent for rhythms led to training in Middle Eastern and Flamenco dance and, shortly thereafter, to percussion. She has studied dance with an impressive array of teachers including Myriam Eli, Serena Ramzy, Virginia, Bozenka, Jillina, Rachel Brice, Elena Lentini (Middle Eastern), Leandra La Greca, Omayra Amaya, Joaquin Enciñias, Maria Pages, Damaris Ferrer, and Farruquito (Flamenco). Brianna has also studied dumbek with renowned artists “Sultan of Swing” Hossam Ramzy, Joe Zeytoonian, and Daveed Korup; Flamenco cajón with Manuel Soler and Francisco Javier Orozco “Yiyi”; djembe with Jan Sebon; conga with Richie Flores. As a dancer/percussionist, she has performed in South Florida over the past 12 years, as well as in England, Puerto Rico, New York and Texas. She frequently performs with Bailes Ferrer, Flamencos! Music and Dance Ensemble, and has been a company member of the Middle Eastern dance troupe Harmonic Motion. Additionally, Brianna contributes choreography and is a member and soloist for the innovative dance troupe TranZenDance. Brianna has shared the stage with such renowned artists as Rachel Brice, John Compton, and Tamalyn Dallal, and appeared with Jill Parker and Heather Stants in “Spellbound" as part of the “Spark” tour. She currently teaches Middle Eastern dance at the University Center for the Performing Arts and, together with Erin Harkin, is a co-founder of Masala Middle Eastern Fusion.