Ana Quintero

Ana Quintero comes from a family of musicians and has been singing all her life. She began studying flamenco in 1993, and has been performing professionally for over twenty years with many recognized flamenco dancers.

Ryan Rockmore

Ryan Rockmore is a Los Angeles-based queer flamenco performer, dance researcher, and first-year doctoral student in UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance. His scholarly work addresses percussive dance and sonic corporealities, while his research-based, artistic practice focuses on queerness and gender in flamenco dance. Rockmore has studied with revered traditional and contemporary flamenco artists and performed throughout the United States, Spain, and London. He has previously conducted ethnographic research and developed his artistic practice as a Fulbright grantee, Jerome Foundation grantee, and inaugural artist-in-residence with Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. He has also concentrated on issues of advocacy, equity, justice, and education as a member of Dance/NYC's Junior Committee; an inaugural participant in NYSAIS’s Justice, Equity, and Diversity Institute; and as a Spanish teacher and diversity practitioner in New York City private schools. As co-artistic director of Al Margen Flamenco, a New York-based contemporary flamenco company that deconstructs traditional boundaries in the form, he has co-created four full-length works as company-in-residence at Teatro Círculo with his artistic partner, Mary Baird. In his free time, Ryan loves traveling, cooking/baking, and binging YouTube videos.

Gerardo Morales

Gerardo Morales is guitarist, percussionist, composer and recording artist from East Los Angeles who began playing guitar and percussion at 12 years old. He has traveled the world as a professional musician, including performing alongside such artists as Black Eyed Peas, Cristina Aguilera, Ozomatli, Kanye West, and with Nino and Isaac de los Reyes. In addition to studying Classical Guitar at the Conservatorio Profesional de Música Cristóbal de Morales in Sevilla, Spain, he also studied privately with Kenton Youngstrom of the Colburn School of Music, and highly regarded Spanish Flamenco guitarists El Entri, Kilino Jimenez, and Jesus de Rosario. Beyond Flamenco guitar, he has released two contemporary collaborative albums - Dreaming Awake (Morales.Lara), and Burning Star (Burning Star, artist collective). As part of Burning Star, Gerardo Morales has performed with many popular artists like Linkin Park, Blackalicious, Jurassic 5, Slum Village, Rakim, Raekwon, Cypress Hill, System of a Down, Saul Williams, Black Eyed Peas, Ozomatli, Mos Def, KRS One and numerous other worthy acts. He is an essential member of LA’s Subsuelo, and under his direction produces Flamenco, Latin, Hip Hop, R&B, and Pop shows throughout the country.  Gerardo Morales has worked on films including Toy Story 3, Little Fockers, and Think Like a Man.

Paz Angélica Vásquez​

Paz Angélica Gutiérrez de Vázquez was born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico and began her studies in classical Spanish and Flamenco dance there at Las Cabales dance academy at the age of ten. She earned her title, Ejecutante de Danza Española, from Las Cabales and has been a professional Spanish and Flamenco dancer since the age of sixteen. She furthered her studies in Madrid at the Centro de Arte Flamenco y Danza Española “Amor de Dios” where she studied Classical Spanish dance with María Magdalena, Paco Romero, and Azorín, and Flamenco dance with Domingo Ortega, Joselillo Romero, Belén Fernández, Antonio Reyes, Ciro, Belén Maya, Alejandro Granados, Lola Greco, Manuel Reyes, Juana Amaya, “La chimi,” Yolanda Heredia, and “La Tati.” Angélica performed with the Compañía Nacional de Danza Las Cabales throughout Guadalajara and Mexico, and formed part of the group “Almoraima,” that was active in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico from 1994 to 1999. The group “Almoraima” performed throughout Mexico (Guadalajara, Celaya, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, La Paz) and briefly in Costa Rica. She currently choreographs for the Paso de Oro Dance Company, and teaches Classical Spanish and Flamenco dance at Studio Danza in Uptown Whittier, and the Academy of International Dance in Santa Ana.

Yvette "La Sole"

Yvette Garcia "La Sole" Award-winning Flamenco Dancer, Instructor & Choreographer, from Andalucia, Spain. She is the artistic director of an extremely highly regarded Flamenco performance company: La Sole Flamenco. La Sole Flamenco is the only dance company in the greater L.A., O.C & I.E. under the direction of a true professional & internationally recognized award winning dancer, instructor, choreographer and performer from Andalucia, Spain. Yvette was a lecturer at the dance Dept. of the Cal Poly University and dance studio owner of International Arts Academy in Covina, then moved back to Spain and now recently returned in 2009 to teach and perform in Southern California.

Karina Leiro

Karina Leiro started her dance training in Ebateca (Salvador, Brazil). Karina was born in Brazil to Spanish parents . At age thirteen she took her first Sevillanas and Spanish folklore dances intensive in Spain. She danced and taught for various schools including EDAC, Mar Esmeralda Cia de Dança, she spent two years dancing in Portugal. Karina also studied in Flamenco Ados, Isabel Bayón's school and Ángel Atienza's school, located in Sevilla, Spain. She taught flamenco in Escola 1001 Danças in Lisbon, Portugal. In 2008, returned to Brazil, she founded the flamenco group Aires, taught an extension course at UFBA (the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil) & flamenco at the Instituto Cervantes Recife. In 2014, Karina went back to Spain to study in the center Flamenco Amor de Dios in Madrid. Currently she resides in Orange County performing at Cafe Sevilla Long Beach & Costa Mesa and teaching dance classes.

Reyes Barrios

Reyes Barrios has been a flamenco singer and teacher/artist in San Diego for over 20 years. Her passion for dancing Flamenco began at the age of 4 or 5. Living in the heart of Flamenco, Sevilla Spain, she was inspired by the singing and the footwork throughout the streets. She began to study Flamenco dance and music and traveled to Spain to continue to learn and studied with great teachers. In addition to being a dancer and choreographer, Reyes is also a sought out singer. Her knowledge of the “cante” as it relates to flamenco dance makes me a multi-talented artist.

Nikkal Feyrose

Belly Dancing Performer and Coach Nikkal Feyrouz has been dancing for the better part of a two decades creating an exciting atmosphere of charismatic passion and playful interpretation of music. Her styles range from Folkloric, Cabaret, and Egyptian to Taksims, Lebanese, Turkish Kashlimar and American Tribal. Nikkal personalized lessons and instruction to students online and in person.

Nova

Nova has been dancing her entire life and has studied ballet, jazz, and hip-hop in addition to Raks-Sharqi/belly dance.  She is a member of the Sekhmet Dance Company, Directed by Devilla (another Cafe Sevilla Bellydance artist), and takes every opportunity she finds to share her love of Raqs Sharqi with audiences.

Devilla

Elegance, grace and beautifully executed Middle Eastern Dance with a glamorous and theatrical flare are the benchmarks of this L.A. based dance artist. DeVilla, a nationally known performer, has trained  dancers across the United States in both theatrical Make Up and dance. She performs as a soloist and with her professional dance company, Sekhmet Dance Company, for whom she functions as the Artistic Director. Equally at home onstage and behind the scenes, DeVilla packs a double punch by seamlessly integrating her two full time careers—professional make-up artist and professional dancer. DeVilla holds a Peabody award and an Emmy nomination for her work in Television and film. You have most recently seen her work on the TV hit "HOLLYWOOD". DeVilla is happy to share her years of Makeup knowledge, dance  artistry and fitness skills with you to enable you to bring your best dance self to the stage.

Arleen Hurtado

Arleen Hurtado grew up in southern California. Early in life she began playing the drums and trained in ballet, jazz and tap.  As a child she discovered flamenco on a trip to Spain, which appealed to her passion for both dance and percussion.   Arleen pursued her study of flamenco in Seville and Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, New Mexico, New York and California with world-renowned artists.

 For the last 18 years she has performed throughout the world including several tours in the United States at venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Red Rocks in Denver and the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.  Internationally she has toured and performed in United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Spain, Italy, Croatia, China and India.  Arleen has been featured in music videos, commercials, television and print.  Based in Los Angeles, she teaches weekly flamenco dance classes and continues to perform and tour.

Jennifer Larson

Jennifer Larsen, La Yeni, began her dance training at the age of 4. Moving from ballet to modern, lyrical and hip-hop, it wasn’t until after college that she discovered flamenco. The complex rhythms and music captivated her attention and led her to study intensively in Sevilla for a year and a half. While there, she studied with flamenco greats such as Pastora Galvan, Adela Campallo, Javier Cruz and Manolo Marin. Upon returning to the states, she began performing with local artists at Spanish restaurants and in theaters shows with various flamenco companies. She opened the Santa Barbara Flamenco Arts Festival with La Tania and Company and has performed for numerous events for Operation USA and the Asia Society which included engagements hosted by Julie Andrews. Her dancing has been described as “cerebral and eloquent” by the LA Times. She currently performs at Café Sevilla and teaches flamenco dance classes.

Gabriela Martinez

She toured over 8 years with  Mexican singer/ songwriter, Joan Sebastian and has also performed and recorded with a variety of Latin artists including Alejandro Fernandez, Luis Enrique, Jenni Rivera, and Cristian Castro.

She began her flamenco studies as a young dancer, and later transitioned to cante, studying with renowned cantaor, Rafael De Utrera in Morón De La Frontera, Spain. She continues her flamenco studies in Sevilla and Granada with cantaores such as Alícia Morales and Sergio Gomez “El Colorao” as well as Portuguese Fado in Lisbon.

Assieh

Assieh “La Mora” born and raised in Iran. She started her flamenco dance training in Los Angeles and later in Spain at Amor de Dios Dance Academy in Madrid and in Sevilla, at Manolo Marine Dance Academy. She also studied under the private training of Angelita Vargas and Pepa Montes. She has been performing professionally with many flamenco dance companies and artists in California including tablaos like El Cid and Cafe Sevilla.

Yaelisa

During the last twelve years, Yaelisa has spent extensive periods of time living and performing in Spain, presenting her choreography there and in the U.S. Her choreographies have been commissoned by several modern dance companies, including John Malashock & Company, Rose Polsky and Collage Dance Theatre. In 1995 she was one of 11 choreographers in Spain invited to present a piece at the prestigious Certamen de Coreografia in Madrid, and the only American choreographer chosen among them. In 1996 she returned to the U.S. where she continues to choreograph, develop and train dancers for her company. Creating innovative theatrical presentations has established her as a choreographer of merit.

Jason McGuire

Jason McGuire "El Rubio" has become synonymous with flamenco despite his Irish/American heritage. With over 30 years playing experience and concerts from coast to coast he has been for many years the guitarist other professional players come to help learn and hone their craft. As Musical Director of the award winning flamenco dance company Caminos Flamencos as well as Musical Director for "The New World Flamenco Festival," Jason has shared the stage with some of the top flamenco artists in the world today as well as other legendary performers like Carlos Santana, Savion Glover and Wynton Marsalis to name a few. 

Along with his Emmy Award winning wife, flamenco dance extraordinaire Yaelisa, the two have forged the path for authentic as well as experimental flamenco through their groundbreaking productions. Jason's album "Distancias" has received much critical acclaim and his compositions have been compared to some of Spain's most important guitarists.  Jason is endorsed by D'Addario Strings, Stephen Faulk Guitars, Glenn Canin Guitars and Ethan Deutsch Guitars.

Rina Orellana

Rina Orellana is a Madrid-trained flamenco dancer, instructor, and choreographer based in Southern California with over 25 years of experience. She studied at the renowned Centro de Flamenco y Danza España Amor de Dios in Madrid with some of the most celebrated flamenco artists in the world. Rina continues to train with Spain's great traditional and contemporary flamenco artists to this day. Currently, Rina shares her love of flamenco through her Flamenco Academy and Online Flamenco Studio. She directed her own dance company, Rina Orellana Compañía Flamenca, founded and directed the Flamenco Project, a showcase of Southern California performers. Rina's strong, feminine style is contemporary yet firmly rooted in the traditions of “flamenco puro”, showcasing her versatility as a performer and artist. Her passion and authenticity has earned her a reputation as a respected and exciting flamenco dancer in the region and is a regular at Cafe Sevilla Long Beach.

Miguel Bernal

Miguel Bernal, Spanish and Flamenco dancer/singer/writer, started his professional dance career at Las Golondrinas Restaurant at Olvera Street in Los Angeles, performing with his sisters as Los Hermanos Bernal, dancing for many Latin and Hollywood celebrities. His focus on dance took him first to Mexico City for studies with The Ballet Folklorico of Mexico and private Flamenco classes with Joaquin Fajardo and Manolo Vargas as well as ascertaining various performances throughout Mexico City. A few years later Miguel embarked on extensive studies of Classical Spanish dance and Flamenco with Carmelita Maracci and Inesita in Los Angeles. In Madrid, Spain, Miguel studied extensively in private classes with renowned dance teachers Faico, Rosario, Martin Vargas, Eloy Pericet and his mentor and icon, Pilar Lopez.

Miguel has made many television appearances, the Latin Grammy’s, “The Passion of Flamenco” and the award-winning “The Spirit of Flamenco” filmed at Time Warner Studios in San Diego. Miguel and Company completed a film documentary of “Flamenco” for Pro-Vision TV for distribution in Japan and has been interviewed on Los Angeles talk shows for KNLA Latino TV Channel 27and USC Trojan University TV.

Aside from his acting/dance career, in recent years Miguel, aka Michael Bernal, has been a contributing writer for magazines such as “Films of the Golden Age” and “Classic Images” with biographies on Hollywood entertainers Desi Arnaz, Elsa Lanchester and his pen pal for many years, famed tap dancer Eleonar Powell. To this day Hollywood Celebrities continue to sing their praises of the talented dancing of Miguel Bernal.

Wendy Castellanos

Wendy is a versatile dancer and choreographer with Classical, Modern/Contemporary, Jazz, Flamenco and Latin Dance training. She is a graduate of UCLA’s Department of World Arts and Cultures. Wendy has also studied in Spain at the legendary Amor de Dios studio in Madrid and in the South of Spain in Sevilla and Granada.

In Los Angeles, Wendy has performed in the most prominent venues in the city. From theater to the "Tablao," Wendy regularly graces the stages of El Cid, Cafe Sevilla Long Beach & Costa Mesa as well as Alegrias, she has danced in the legendary Forever Flamenco series at The Fountain Theater, danced for Los Angeles Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion between 2006-2019, choreographed and danced for Opera Santa Barbara for their 2016-2017 season, has been a Flamenco showgirl at the Flamingo Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and toured with Flamenco Express aboard the Caribbean Princess.

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