Theatre Flamenco presents its 41st annual home season

"Al Compas del Tiempo"

Choreography by Carola Zertuche with special guest
Juan Aire, Jesus Montoya, Jose Valle "Chuscales" and Felix de Lola.

8 pm January 4, 2008

Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
Tickets (650)903-6000

Theatre Flamenco is delighted to premier "Al Compas del Tiempo" for their 41st annual season. This exciting production is choreographed by Theatre Flamenco's new Artistic Director, Carola Zertuche, and performed by Theatre Flamenco's distinguished dancers and musicians, along with extraordinary talents of their special guest artists- Juan Aire, Jose Valle "Chuscales", Jesus Montaya and Felix de Lola.

"Al Compas del Tiempo" uses the deep songs (cante grande) and light songs (cante chico) to explore the contradictory demands of modern life, from a frantic rush to the serene nature of contemplation.

About the company
Theatre Flamenco is the second oldest company in the Bay area after the SF ballet, founded in 1966 by Adela Clara. The company's purpose was to fill what was then a dearth of Spanish dance in the Bay Area. Theatre Flamenco was the first American Dance company to stage full productions of Spanish dance in the U.S., and is now one of the oldest dance companies in California. Over the years, Theatre Flamenco has served as a beacon of cultural pride, a reservoir for the diverse traditions of Spanish Culture, and a vital source for artistic collaboration.

Miguel Santos
Miguel Santos, the Company's longtime artistic director, has been at the company's helm for several decades. He stared in 1968 as principal dancer, choreographer, and since 1987, as Artistic Director. This past year, Mr. Santos passes the role of Artistic Director to Carola Zertuche, a notable dancer and teacher in her own right, marking the 41st annual concert season the beginning of a new era of artistic leadership for this venerable company.

Jose Valle "Chuscales"
Jose Valle "Chuscales" is one of today's leading flamenco guitarists. Born into a gypsy family in Spain, he grew up performing with his relatives in the legendary caves of Sacromonte. Internationally acclaimed as both soloist and accompanist, he has worked with some of Spain's most outstanding artists such as La Cingla, Farruco, La Tati and el Guito. In a recent interwiew, the legendary guitarist Juan Maya Marote recognized Chusclaes as one of his most important musical heirs.
 
Juan Siddi Aivar "Juan Aire"
Juan Siddi Aivar "Juan Aire" was introduced to flamenco at a young age. His mother is from Barcelona and his father is from Italy. He studied in Barcelona with Rebeca Carmona and la Tani and after he bagan his professional career at 15 in tablao flamenco al andaluz. Juan performs companies and toured in Europe and the United stated such as: company Flamenco Alhama in Noches de amor at the Metropolis Vienna, Tranenpalast Berlin, Bienal de flamenco Sevilla, with Rafael Cortez in Poland. La Tania, with the music ensemble of Benares "Kathak meets Flamenco and 7 summer season in Santa Fe, Fox Theater Atlanta, Orway center Minnesota and Joyce Theater new Your city. 

Felix de Lola
Flamenco singer Felix de Lola from Sevilla, Spain, began his flamenco singing with the Campallo family and went on to study with the renowned flamenco singers, Jesus Heredia and Naranjito de Triana. His recent, extensive touring schedule has brought him to the world stages throughout Western and Eastern Europe, Costa Rica, South Africa and the United States, singing for a list of illustrious artists such as dancers Juan Polvillo, Belen Maya, Angel Atienza, Pastora Galvan, Carmela Greco, Maria Benitez and guitarists Jose Luis Postigo and the prestigious guitarist and composer Jose Luis Rodriguez, musical director of the famed Cristina Hoyos Flamenco Company. Along with his superb singing talent, Felix composes music and verses for flamenco song, composes theatrical works and musical adaptations for flamenco theater. In Costa Rica he is recognized as a leading exponent of Flamenco. Recent projects include composing musical adaptations of Costa Rican writer, Cristy Van de Laatis "The Red Book of Black Haiku" and the play "Moureliana" based on the poetic works of writer, Jose Nestor Mourelo Aguilar.
 
Carola Zertuche (Artistic director)
Carola Zertuche began her dance career in Mexico City's Tablao Meson  de Triana. Her studies have led her to such renowned teachers as Manolo Vargas;  Ciro; Belen Maya; Andres Marin; Israel Galvan and Jota Master, Pedro  Azori-n. She has bee  featured as a soloist in Pilar Rioj's  company Reflejo Espanol and danced with the Maria Elena Anaya Company under  the artistic direction of 
Manolo Vargas. In addition, she has performed with  many different companies such as Los Tarantos, La Tania's, Teatro Flamenco  and Maria Benitez Company.  Her  dance has been showcased in such festivals as the Ethnic Dance Festival in San  Francisco; the Santa Barbara Flamenco Festival and the Monterrey Mexico Flamenco  Festival. 

The year 2002 found Carola touring Mexico and the U.S. with the Sentido Flamenco Show  starring Alegria Suarez, Cano, Mercedes Amaya and Santiago Aguilar; in the same  year Carola was nominated for the Isadora Duncan Award in the soloist category. In 2003 she toured with the Maria Benitez Company and presented her  first full show of flamenco El Color del Flamenco. In,  2005  witnessed her presentation of Verde with the participation of Pastora Galvan  and Jose Anillo. In Octuber 2005 She dance as a guest Artist with  Domingo Ortega  Flamenco Company in Los Angels and  Andres Marin Company in the First Flamenco Festival in San Francisco. And in 2007 Carola she become Artistic director of Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco and was voted as best Classic Flamenco for her "Jueves Flamenco" a weekly flamenco Shows on San Francisco Magazine  2007.
 

Roberto Aguilar (Dancer)
Roberto has been dancing flamenco for 7 years. He became interested in flamenco dance after many years of playing guitar for the local Bay Area dancers. His first teacher was Carola Zertuche and has also studied with La Monica and Virginia Iglesias. Roberto has also studied in Madrid and Seville with Maria Magdalena, Alicia Marquez, Manuel Betanzos and Pilar Ortega. He currently performs at Peña Pacha Mama and Thirsty Bear in San Francisco.
 
Kerensa De Mars (Dancer)
Kerensa De Mars was first captivated by the art of flamenco while earning her Bachelor of fine Arts at the San Francisco Art Institute. With a backgraund in ethnic dance forms (Arabic, Butoh) and a continuing passion for anthropological dance studies, she was soon embedded in the San Francisco flamenco scene. In 1977, Kerensa followed her chosen path to Madrid where she caught the eye of world music group Radio Tarifa and toured with them as featured dancer though 2003. In those six years she continued intensive flamenco studies with some of Spain's foremst flamenco artists. Since returning to San Francisco in 2004 Kerensa performs regularly around the Bay Area, and continued to present works with Querencia Productions, a performance company she began in 1999. She is also the Artistic Director of the Flamenco Room, a weekley flamenco Show in San Francisco that showcases local, national, and international flamenco artists. This is her second season with Theatre Flamenco.
 
Eliza Llewellyn (Dancer)
Eliza Llewellyn began dancing at the age of three, studying ballet in her hometown of New Orleans. She initiated her flamenco training in New Mexico under Maria Benitez, Martin Santangelo and Soledad Barrio, and later in Mexico with Raul Salcedo and Marisol Moreno. In 2002 she moved to Spain to pursue more advanced studies at the prestigious Centro de Estudios Mario Maya in Granada and later in Seville under Yolanda Heredia, Pastora Galvan and Israel Galvan. She rencently moved to the Bay Area to continue her studies in Flamenco and explore various other ethnic dance forms. This is her second season with theatre flamenco.
 
Stephanie Narvaez (Dancer)
Stephanie Narvaez made her  debut performing in the Boston performance  "Fiesta Flamenca Navidena",  produced by the Ramon de Los Reyes Spanish Dance Theatre. Since then she has  performed as a soloist and lead dancer  in Omayra Amaya's Flamenco Sin Limites II Dance Company, as well as  with a Boston based  family troupe El Arte Flamenco. She has  studies in New York, Madrid and  Sevilla with artists such as Omayra Amaya, La Conja, and La Meira,  Farruquito, Domingo Ortega, and Manuel Reyes; and most recently  in Sevilla with El Torombo, Soraya Clavijo, Yolanda Heredia and Alejandro  Granados. Since then, Stephanie has been dancing  and performing at various tablaos and theatres across the US, from  Boston, New  York City, and throughout the east coast, to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Santa Cruz. She has performed with the Philadelphia based troupe  Pasion y  Arte.  tour throughout the East Coast. She has also performed as part of  Carlota  Santana's "Flamenco Vivo" at the Lincoln Center. Stephanie's  most recent performances have been in the wonderful city of San Francisco,  California. This is her second season with Theatre Flamenco.