Carlota Santana, Artistic Director and Founder, has been designated "The Keeper of Flamenco" by Dance Magazine in recognition of her commitment to creating new works and developing young artists and choreographers. She has dedicated her company to the mission of building bridges between cultures using the universal spirit of flamenco.

The Company was founded in 1983 by Carlota Santana and Roberto Lorca. It was their vision to create a permanent home for Spanish dance in the U.S. and to provide an environment in which its creation and performance would thrive. Mr. Lorca passed away in 1987, an early victim of the AIDS epidemic. Ms. Santana was determined to carry on their work.

Under Ms. Santana's direction, the Company has expanded its repertory by presenting new music, dramatic works, and a mixture of various dance vocabularies, as well as by integrating Hispanic-American influences. The Company presents its repertoire to national audiences with two annual tours and a New York Season at The Joyce Theater. Recent creations include:

• Bailes de Ida y Vuelta
• Mano a Mano
• Federico
• Burlador
• The Company marks its 25th Anniversary in 2008 with the creation of Carmen: El Baile

Ms. Santana created Project Olé, the Company's innovative arts-in-education program, integrating flamenco, Spanish dance and culture with the school curriculum, and has traveled widely implementing this program. In 2005 the educational power of flamenco was recognized by the U.S. Department of Education when the Company was awarded a three-year professional development grant.

Ms. Santana is a member of the Dance 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 and has taught at Long Island and New York Universities. Ms. Santana is a recipient of a Choreographer fellowship from the North Carolina Arts Council.

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 Colombia, South America, Palacio de Congresos in Granada, Spain, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Brooklyn Museum, and the Museum of Modern Art among many others.

• sitemap
• accessibility