Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana

Considered the most prominent flamenco dance company in the United States, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana will make its SPAC debut with the world premiere of QUINTO ELEMENTO (Fifth Element), a new evening-length work set to an original score of live music. Choreographed by Patricia Guerrero, the new work explores the fifth element of the earth: ether, the essence that makes up the space around us. Hailed as a master of tradition who dares to deconstruct the art form, Guerrero draws on her deep knowledge of traditional flamenco but pushes past the restriction of its rules. In doing so, she seeks to extract the essence of flamenco itself, its invisible fifth element, and make it tangible to audiences.

About the Company

Founded in 1983, Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana is one of America’s premier flamenco companies with home bases in New York City and Durham, NC. We reach more than 30,000 people nationwide each year through inclusive programs that entertain, educate and empower. Our mission is to promote flamenco as a living art form and a vital part of Hispanic heritage; produce and perform high quality dance works; provide arts education programs that catalyze connections among young people; and nurture the next generations of Spanish dance artists and educators. We believe that the universal spirit of flamenco – with diverse influences from Roma, Arabic, Jewish, Spanish, African and Latin American cultures – gives this art form a unique power to build bridges between people.

 Who’s Who in the Company: 

PATRICIA GUERRERO (Choreographer) is an acclaimed flamenco dancer and choreographer, winner of the 2021 Spanish Ministry of Culture’s National Dance Award, and was named director of the Andalusian Flamenco Ballet in 2023. Born in Granada, a seminal city of flamenco, Guerrero has deep roots in the art form yet is fluent in other styles, from classical dance to Cuban guajiro. She began performing at age 8 and was touring professionally by age 15. At 17, she won the prestigious Desplante Award at Las Minas International Cante Festival and then performed at major dance events, e.g. Jerez and Düsseldorf Festivals. In 2010, she presented her first solo show, which toured Europe, and she has since choreographed numerous works. Carlos Saura asked her to be a soloist in “Flamenco Today,” which toured the world, including NY City Center, and she danced in Saura’s film, Flamenco, Flamenco. In 2011, she was named prima ballerina of the Andalusian Flamenco Ballet, and in 2012, won Best New Artist Award at the Bien al de Sevilla. She has been cast in works by Belén Maya, Dani de Morón and Antonio Rey, and starred as “La Bella Otero” with Spanish National Ballet in 2020-22, for which she won the Spain National Dance Award. 

CARLOTA SANTANA (Founder and Artistic Director) Hailed as “The Keeper of Flamenco” by Dance Magazine and honored by the King and Government of Spain with La Cruz de la Orden al Mérito Civil for “all the years of passion, excellence and dedication to the flamenco art.” In 1983, she co-founded Flamenco Vivo with Roberto Lorca; following his death from AIDS in 1987, she was determined to continue their work. In the decades since, she has led Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana’s growth with a mission to promote flamenco as a living art form and a vital part of Hispanic heritage. Ms. Santana created the company’s innovative arts-in-education program, integrating Spanish dance and culture with academic curricula, and has pioneered bilingual education initiatives targeted to immigrant populations. Ms. Santana has been on the faculty of Duke University. Beyond the company’s on-going work, she was the driving force behind the “100 Years of Flamenco in New York” exhibit mounted in partnership with The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. The first-ever curated museum show on flamenco in the U.S., “100 Years,” the New York Times, chief dance critic Alastair Macaulay praised the “vitality and pride” of the show, noting: “This vivid collection enriches our ideas of both this genre and this city.” 

EMILIO OCHANDO (Associate Artistic Director, Dancer) of Valencia, Spain, began his training at the age of 9, collaborated with the National Ballet of Spain at 12, and moved to Madrid at 16 where he furthered his training at the Royal Conservatory of Madrid. He then began performing with multiple Spanish companies (Domingo and Inma Ortega, Malucos Danza, Nuevo Ballet Español, Aida Gómez, Rafael Aguilar) as well as in various esteemed tablaos, touring both the national and international scenes. In 2015, Ochando created his own Company, for which he has choreographed the original works Ida y Vuelta, 3DEUNO, SIROCO, and CLÁSICA TRADICIÓN. A highly awarded dancer, in 2016 alone he received 1st Prize in the category of dance in TalentMadrid, 1st Prize for Group Choreography in Madrid’s Certamen of Spanish Dance and Flamenco as well as the Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana prize to travel to NYC and dance with the Company. Ochando now works extensively as part of the artistic team and as a dancer and choreographer for Flamenco Vivo. Among his additional honors are nominations for the prestigious Max Awards, including Best New Artist and Best Male Interpreter in 2017 for his show SIROCO as well as Best New Show in 2020 for his work CLÁSICA TRADICIÓN. Ochando is currently immersed in solo projects as a guest artist for national and international companies, teaching workshops and masterclasses abroad, and touring his latest original works. 

LORENA FRANCO (Rehearsal Director, Dancer) began studying dance at the age of five in her home town of Cordoba. She continued her studies there until 2005 when she received a grant to study with the well-known Maestro Granero in Seville. There she also studied with Andrés Marín, Isabel Bayón, Rocío Coral, Matilde Coral, Rubén Olmo, Antonio Canales, Rafael Campallo, Encarna López, Adela Campallo and Eva Yerbabuena, among others. She began her professional career with Eva Yerbabuena in 2006 and worked with her until 2017 as rehearsal director. She then worked with other companies such as Daniel Navarro, Javier Latorre, Andrés Peña, Álvaro Paños, among others. She has worked as soloist in productions of Agustín Carbonell “el Bola” and Manuel Cuevas. She also performs frequently as soloist in tablaos such as Los Gallos in Seville, Las Tablas in Madrid, Los Tarantos and Las Ramblas in Barcelona and in Japan. 

FANNY ARA (Dancer) is an internationally-sought after and award-winning choreographer, performer and instructor. Her most dedicated worldwide fans especially credit her as one of the driving forces of flamenco today; an artist excelling in the full spectrum of flamenco, from the most traditional to the avant-garde. Fanny has been an invited artist in national and international festivals and has toured extensively in Canada, Central and South America, the Middle East, Africa, and throughout Europe. She has been distinguished since 2006 with nominations from the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards in the categories of Most Outstanding Individual Dancer, Most Outstanding Music, Ensemble, and Individual Performance for her project, Juncal Street, and Best Ensemble for her work with the San Francisco Opera in La Traviata. New York’s Vilcek Foundation also awarded Fanny a prestigious finalist prize for “Creative Promise in Dance” in 2012. Fanny’s versatility in the art form of flamenco is manifested in her many artistic works. As Philip Gardner said of her performance at the Joyce Theater in New York City “My newest love is Fanny Ara…the captivating expressive qualities of Fanny’s upper body mesmerized us while her footwork dazzled both the eye and the ear…she soared into the upper most echelon of dance artists I have witnessed over the years.” 

REBECA TOMAS (Dancer) began her formal dance training in Granada, Spain and later moved to Madrid, where she studied at the renowned Flamenco Academy Amor de Dios. In 2006, she settled in New York and began performing with U.S.-based companies such as Flamenco Vivo and Noche Flamenca. In 2010, she founded her own company, A Palo Seco, for which she continues to direct and choreograph. For her choreographic work, Tomas has received support from Arts Westchester, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Jerome Foundation, Connecticut Office of the Arts, the CUNY Dance Initiative, and she is a two-time recipient of the NYFA Fellowship in Choreography (2013 & 2019). She was selected by Arts Westchester as one of 50 top artists in Westchester County, and she received first place at the XIII Concurso Nacional de Flamenco in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Her past projects include Lincoln Center’s “Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown,” R.evolución Latina’s Choreographer’s Festival, and Yaron Zilberman’s “A Late Quartet.” Described as “awesomely fiery” (NYTimes) and “a postcard image of the feminine Flamenco dancer” (Kansas City Metropolis), she has performed throughout the U.S. at venues such as NY SummerStage, (le) Poisson Rouge, the Chicago Flamenco Festival, Eastman School of Music, the Pocantico Center (Rockefeller Brothers Fund), Flushing Town Hall, the New Victory Theater, and the Hollywood Bowl. A firm believer in Arts-Education, she conducts workshops, residencies, and Lecture Demonstrations to students of all ages and backgrounds throughout the country. 

YOEL VARGAS (Dancer) began his studies at nine training in Spanish Dance, Classical, Contemporary and Flamenco. In 2017 he entered the Professional Dance Conservatory of the Institut del Teatre, in Barcelona graduating in 2021. In 2020 Yoel was awarded the Outstanding Dancer at the Certamen Coreográfico de Madrid and in 2021, he received the Dávalos-Fletcher Foundation Award with his choreography “Malagueña.” Yoel joined the Manuel Liñan Company with the show “VIVA!!!” touring major cities around the world. In 2023, he directed and choreographed “Flamenco, Tablao” at the festival Sona Flamenc, and he often performs at Tablao El Cordobés, Tablao Las Carboneras, and Tablao Corral de la Morería. Most important, Vargas, at the age of 19, receives the “El Desplante” Award at the 62nd edition of the renowned and prestigious Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas, August 2023. HUGO SANCHEZ (Dancer) born in Madrid (1984) and resident in Seville, has been a professional dancer since he was 10 years old with his first contract in Antena 3 in the program (Menudas Estrellas ). He won the 1st prize of young flamenco in 2007. Since then, he has not stopped performing in all the most important tablaos and festivals nationally and internationally including Bienal de Sevilla, Festival de Jerez, Festival Flamenco Nimes, Festival Flamenco Alburquerque and many others. Alburquerque and many more. Working with artists such as Patricia Guerrero, Rafael Campallo, Adela Campallo, Mercedes de Cordoba, Rosario Toledo, Maria Moreno, María Moreno, and more. He is currently working in the many tablaos of the national and international scene, and is immersed in 3 different companies and with Patricia Guerrero with (Deliranza). He is the main artist in the show “Hamlet La danza del Melancólico” with Jesús Herrera. He is also the first dancer in the passion Spirit of Sevilla of the company Antonio Andrade. 

MANUEL SOTO (Singer) was born in Jerez de la Frontera in the heart of a family of artists from the Barrio de Santiago. His professional career began at the age of 10, as a flamenco dancer in the Dance Academy of Manuela Carpio. At 16, he left flamenco to become the vocalist of a Rock band called “Plashe” After several years of academic training, he returned to the world of art to devote himself to singing. He has worked with the pianist Rosario Montoya “La Reina Gitana” in her shows from 2003- 2009 highlighting the performances in the World Fair of Flamenco (Seville), Caixa Forum (Barcelona), Fiesta de la Buleria (Jerez) and X Festival de Jerez. In 2008, he toured the Italian peninsula with Maria Luisa Sereno Lozano “Chiqui de Jerez” and traveled to the United States with José Porcel in the show “Libre Albedrío,” performing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Bronx Museum of the Arts. He has performed with: Carlos Carbonell’s Company participating in the Festival de Lille (France 2008) and in the XIII edition of the Festival de Jerez (2009), with Antonioand SilviaPerujo and in the Company of Andrés Peñaand Pilar Ogalla. From 2019 until today, he is part of “Maestros FlamencoOnline” directed by Manuel Betanzos, an online platform to teach flamenco courses worldwide.He is the official cantaor of the bailaor Eduardo Guerrero.In 2022 he was singer for the bailaor JuanFernandez’s”De los Puertos” in the Festival de Jerez and performs in tablaos Casa dela Memoria, El Arenal, Corraldela Morería, and Casa Patas.

FRANCIS GOMEZ (Composer,Guitarist) Francisco J. Gómez Cruzado.Francis was born in August1987 in the Huelva municipality of Moguer. It was at the age of 13 when he started playing the guitar with Quique Paredes and later trained with teachers such as Miguel A. Cortés, Manolo Sanlúcar. He is a guitarist for artists such as Joaquín Grilo, Arcángel, Argentina, Marco Flores, among others. In 2018 he joined Joaquín Grilo’s company as a guitarist, being a performer and author of the music for the show La calle de mis Sueños held at the Jerez Festival. Subsequently, he participated as musical director of the shows Grilo, Alma y Cucharon y paso backwards. He is also part of Marco Flores’ company, authoring the music for the show Jack, Horse and Queen. In 2021, she won the award for best dance composition with the piece En mi sense by dancer Macarena López at the Madrid national choreography competition. He is a regular guitarist for Arcángel and musical director of his latest show presented at the Seville Biennial “Un mar de cantes.”At the same time, he combines his role asa guitarist with that of composer and producer on albums such as “El Arbol Despacio”by Alejandro Rivera,“Fresaácida”by Alba Casado, from Argentina’s latest album, and “Alzaré mi Voz” by the artist Rocío Belén. He also directs his own projects such as Flazz trio and Planeta Jondo, both with recording works.

LORETO DE DIEGO(Singer)isaflamencoartistbasedinMadridwhoperformsasa soloistaswell as a singer for dancers. In 2017, she received a Prize for RhythmSongs in theFestival de LoFerro,and 2nd Prize in the Singing Competition of the Federation ofPeñasFlamencasGranadinas.AttheFestivalInternacionaldel CantedelasMinasshewontheprizeforSeguiriyasin2018andthirdplaceintheFinal of2019.Sheisalsoinvitedtoperformbyimportantdancecompanies,suchastheBalletNacionaldeEspaña,Cía.deMaría Pagés,Aida Gómez,MarcoFlores, Jesús Carmona, with whom shetours all over the world. She also performs in the mostimportanttablaos,includingCorraldelaMorería,Villarosa,Casa Patas,andEl Cordobés.

ANTONIO GONZALEZ REYES (Guitarist) was born in Chipiona,in the province of Cadiz. His interest in the guitar began at an early age, at about 11 years old he began to take lessons from:Juan Gomez, from Chipiona. Later, he continued with various teachers from Jerez, such as José Luis Balao, Manuel Lozano “El Carbonero”, Juan Diego Mateos, José Ignacio Franco,Niño Manuel (Sanlúcar de Barrameda)and others; all provided him with different and enriching perspectives of conceiving the guitar and flamenco. In 2019, Maestro Manolo Sanlúcar, welcomed Antonio into his home and deeplyi nfluenced his life with the Maestro’s direct teachings.In 2021 Antonio graduated, with honors, from the Conservatorio Superior de Música “Rafael Orozco”in Córdoba, specializing in flamenco guitar.He has worked with well known artists such as Arcángel, Belén López, El Choro, María Moreno, Carmen La Talegona, Paula Comitre, Eduardo Guerrero, Nino de losReyes, Concha Vargas, Pedro Córdoba, Mercedes Ruiz, Argentina,Miguel Lavi, El Londro, Florencia Oz, Santiago Lara, Tino DiGeraldo, Nayke Ponce, Juañares Carrasco, Paquito González, Rosario La Tremendita, Juan Debel, Orquesta Sinfónica de la UCAM, Juan Diego Mateos, Soraya Clavijo, CIA Antonio Márquez, Perico Navarro, Carmen Grilo,and Helena Martín. Currently he performs at most prominent tablaos in Madrid and combines his artistic activity with teaching at the Centro Superior Música Creativa,in the Official Master of Flamenco,sharing the teaching staff with artists such as Arcángel, Josemi Carmona, Dani de Morón, Antonio Serrano, and Bandolero.

DAISY LONG(Lighting Designer) is a lighting designer for theater, opera, music and dance. She is thrilled to be back with Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana at the Joyce this year. Credits include Cincinnati Playhouse in thePark,Keen Company, Abingdon, Alliance Theatre, Everyman Theatre, Wexford Festival Opera, BAM, TheShed,Speakeasy Stage Company (IRNE Award for The Scottsboro Boys), and TADA! Youth Theater (National Youth Arts Award for The PerfectMonster). She is aNew Georges Affiliated Artist and Roundabout TeachingArtist. Member, USA 829.IG:@daisyglong

JOANNA REYES (Production Stage Manager) is a dedicated stage manager with over six years of professional experience in the theater arts. A proud graduate of California StateUniversity, Los Angeles, she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Theater Arts, laying a solid foundation for her successful career. Her passion for the theater extends beyond just managing productions—Joanna has worked on a wide variety of performances, including dance shows, magic acts, musical theater, children’s theater, and other theatrical productions. Throughout her career, Joanna has developed a reputation for her strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to coordinate complex productions.Whether backstage or in the field, she ensures everything runs smoothly, from rehearsals to opening night, making sure all technical elements align seamlessly with the artistic vision. In addition to her technical expertise, Joanna’s love for theater is fueled by a deep passion for traveling and experiencing different cultures. She views each project as an opportunity not only to contribute to the arts but also to broaden her understanding of the world through diverse artistic expressions. As she continues her journey in the theater world, Joanna remains committed to creating magical experiences for audiences and supporting the artists and performers she works with.Her extensive experience, coupled with her unyielding dedication to the craft, makes her a valuable asset in any theater production.

MINERVA JOSIFF (Co-Lighting Designer Lighting Supervisor)is an Egyptian-American lighting designer fromLos Angeles. She is immensely grateful for the opportunity to pursue her passion for creating art, storytelling, and connecting with others. She thanks God for the ability to do what she loves and is thankful to her family and friends for their unwavering support. Her work moves across theater, music, dance, and immersive experiences, each one pushing her to see light not just as a tool, but as a language. Culture, identity, and emotion form the foundation of her work, shaping the way she sees the world, the way she listens, and the way she designs. Every project she has the opportunity to be a part of is a conversation—between space and emotion, tradition and innovation, artist and audience. She hopes to keep contributing to storytelling in ways that foster spaces where people feel truly seen, and where stories come to life.