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CARLOTA SANTANA was designated “The
Keeper of Flamenco” by Dance Magazine recognizing her commitment to creating new
works and developing young artists and choreographers. She has pledged the
Company to the mission of building bridges between cultures using the universal
spirit of Flamenco.
In
1983, with Roberto Lorca, Ms. Santana founded the Spanish Dance Arts Company now
known as Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. The Company was created with the
vision of developing a format where new Spanish dance and music could be created
and performed. Under Ms. Santana's direction, the company has expanded its
repertoire by presenting new music, dramatic works, and a mixture of various
dance vocabularies, as well as by integrating Hispanic-American influences.
Recent creations include Burlador (The Trickster), an innovative dance
drama based on tales of the legendary deceived Don Juan, Bailes de Ida y
Vuelta, a journey through Latin America showing how flamenco has been
influenced by Caribbean, Latino and Afro-Latino sounds, Bailaor / Bailaora,
a dazzling display of flamenco styles; the contemporary flamenco story-ballet
Mano a Mano - a tribute to the bullfighter Manolete, and Federico, a
celebration of the life of Federico García Lorca. Each has been performed to
great acclaim at The Joyce Theater in 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001 and 1998
respectively.
Ms.
Santana began her career with the María Alba Spanish Dance Company and continued
performing in the U.S. as a soloist with José Molina, Roberto Cartagena, and
Rosario Galán. In Spain, she performed at the Tablao Arcos de Cuchilleros and
worked with such masters as Carmen Mora, Paco Fernández, La Tati, and Ciro.
Under a grant from the U.S.-Spain Joint Committee for Educational and Cultural
Exchange, Ms. Santana worked in Seville with the renowned artist Manuela
Carrasco. Her independent work has been most strongly influenced aesthetically
by her mentors María Alba in New York and Carmen Mora in Madrid.
Ms. Santana created the company's innovative
arts-in-education program, integrating Spanish dance and culture with the school
curriculum, and has traveled widely implementing this program. The Company has
also created, in conjunction with Lincoln Center Institute, an arts education
performance piece entitled Inesperanza, as well as the popular Amigos
Españoles, a young person’s exciting journey through Spain.
Ms. Santana is on the panel for the New York State
Council on the Arts and has served on the panel for the National Endowment for
the Arts. She is on the faculty of Duke University, has taught at Long Island
and New York Universities. Ms. Santana is a recent recipient of a Choreographer
fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council and is a member of the Board of
Directors of Arts North Carolina.Under her artistic direction, the company has
performed at Lincoln Center, The Joyce Theater, The New Victory Theater,
Summerdance Santa Barbara, Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh, Society of the
Four Arts in Palm Beach, Van Wezel Performing Arts Center in Sarasota,
Universidad Bucaramanga in South America, Palacio de Congresos in Granada,
Spain, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art among many,
many others.
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Touring Programs 2008-2009
Flamenco
Vivo Carlota Santana:
Navidad Flamenca
“an infectiously
joyful celebration of music and dance” - The New York Times
Step
aside toy soldiers…the bullfighters have arrived! Away sugar plum fairies...give
them flamenco dancers! In Spain, it’s one big celebration! For the first time in
over a decade, Flamenco Vivo/Carlota Santana stages this glorious holiday
show- an exciting blend of dance and live music.
A
familiar sounding story but with a new set of characters- Friends and family
gather to eat and drink, dance and sing, to celebrate Christmas and the New Year
-- dancers sing and singers dance, recalling the folkloric fiesta of Flamenco,
rarely seen today by theater audiences.
Villancicos (Spanish language Christmas
Carols), Los Reyes Magos (The Three Kings) and other Hispanic traditions
make up this captivating program.
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Please
contact Baylin Artists for full descriptions of
the following activities.
Fiesta
Flamenca -- Lecture Demonstration
This program is a wonderful blend of entertainment and education. The artists
- in full, colorful, traditional Flamenco costumes - perform and explain the
intricacies of Flamenco dance, song, and its rhythms. Participation from the
audience is essential. The
objectives of this program are: to show the origins of the
flamenco dance, song and music; to demonstrate and relate the relationships
between Spain and the Latin American cultures; and present a high quality,
entertaining multilingual program.
Children's/School
Performance
This
dynamic program highlights the rhythms and emotions of Flamenco.
Flamenco began in Southern Spain, and we bring to our educational
programs the essence of the different culture that influenced Flamenco:
Andalusian, Gypsy, North African, Arabic and Judaic.
Unlike other art forms, the traditional dances do not tell stories but
instead portray feelings. The
program consists of a series of solos, duets and company numbers.
Note:
This is a pure performance without explanation or audience participation.
Masterclasses
Flamenco
Vivo/Carlota Santana offers interactive classes for dance students of all
levels. Classes will focus on Flamenco techniques and increase the participant's
awareness and understanding of Flamenco dance.
These
classes are also appropriate for senior groups.
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Please
contact Baylin Artists for technical information.
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