Edwin Aparicio

Edwin Aparicio is considered to be one of the most sought-after flamenco performers, teachers and choreographers in the United States. He has been described by critics as “the most amazing dancer seen in years,”“a technical powerhouse dancing with blistering conviction,” having “hellfire footwork” and choreographies with “beautiful, evocative imagery." He is a recipient of the Cross of the Order of Civil Merit, granted by the King Felipe VI of Spain.

Trained by the world renowned flamenco artists Tomás de Madrid and “La Tati”, Mr. Aparicio made his debut at the legendary Casa Patas in Madrid in 2001 and in 2005 performed as a soloist and a company member with “Jóvenes Flamenco” at the Centro Cultural de San Blas in Madrid. Mr. Aparicio performed with The Washington National Opera at The Kennedy Center in El Gato Montés (1997) and in Don Giovanni (2003), under the direction of Plácido Domingo, and in Carmen (2015).

Mr. Aparicio has performed as a soloist throughout the United States with ensembles such as the “José Greco Spanish Dance Company” and Reynaldo Rincón’s “Romería Flamenca”. He has shared the stage with such internationally celebrated artists as Chuscales, Silverio Heredia, Roberto Castellón, Pedro Cortés,“La Truco”, Elena Andújar, Carmela Greco, Pastora Galván and José Luis Rodríguez.

GALA Theatre has become Mr. Aparicio’s base for presenting his eclectic company and for premiering his newest works. Heis also the resident coordinator and a featured performer of the Theatre’s annual Fuego Flamenco Festival.

Since 2008 Mr. Aparico is a member of the faculty at the Washington School of Ballet. In May 2013 he performed as a guest artist in The Washington Ballet's production of Hemingway: The Sun Also Rises at the Kennedy Center inWashington DC.

2015 marked Mr. Aparicio's international debut as a director, when he presented his work Íntimo at the Teatro Nacional Rubén Darío in Managua, Nicaragua

Olivia Chacón

Olivia Chacón is a flamenco dancer, choreographer, and instructor with a powerful dance style and dynamic approach to teaching students. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Olivia has danced flamenco for over fifteen years, and has spent five years studying flamenco and performing in Sevilla and Madrid, Spain with some of the world's best flamenco artists. She spent two years touring internationally throughout Spain, Mexico, and Cyprus with the Cristóbal Reyes Compañia de Flamenco, and also performed as a soloist in flamenco clubs in Spain and Germany. Olivia aims to keep the dance form alive in this country by performing frequently throughout Texas and the region, and teaching flamenco to a new generation of dancers at her studio, Flamencura Music and Dance, founded in Austin in 2010. Olivia is founder and Artistic Director of A’lante Flamenco, a performing company twice named “Austin’s Best Dance Ensemble” by the Austin Critics’ Table.

Fanny Ara

Fanny Ara began her dance studies at age three, studying ballet and Contemporary dance at the Irene Popard School in St. Jean de Luz in the French Basque Country. As a child, she studied Spanish classical dance with Catalina Gommes, Isabel Quintero, and Antonio Najarro.  After earning a BA in Literature with a specialty in Music from The Bayonne School of Art, Ms. Ara relocated to Spain, where she studied flamenco with Juana Amaya, El Torombo, Manolo Soler, and Hiniesta Cortés. Ms. Ara was soon featured in flamenco tablaos in Spain and was accepted into the prestigious Academy of Mario Maya.

Ms. Ara resides in the San Francisco Bay.  She is a company member of Caminos Flamencos and has been a featured artists in a variety of flamenco festivals, including the Australia Festival de Guitarra. Ms. Ara has toured in Canada, Mexico, Columbia, Dubai, Seychelles, Israel and throughout Europe. Her most notable performances include her work with the grand pianist Diego Amador for the Eva Longoria Foundation in Paris, with the world-renown Antonio Carmona at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles (2013), and at the Davis Symphony Hall, accompanied by the renowned pianists Marielle and Katia Labeque. Ms. Ara self-produced a number of critically acclaimed shows since 2007. She continues to be an internationally sought-after choreographer and instructor of flamenco, with students and fans across the globe. Most recently, Fanny was the principal dancer at the Washington Opera’s season of Carmen and competed this spring in the NBC "World Of Dance" TV show produced by Jennifer Lopez. 

Defne Enç - Assistant Director

Defne has performed throughout the U.S., Mexico, and Spain, working with companies including Estuaria Cía Flamenca, Compañía Pepa Molina, Paco Mora Ballet Flamenco Español, Flamenco Aparicio Dance Company, Bailes Ferrer, Caminos Flamencos, La Tania Baile Flamenco, and Flamenco Vivo under the direction of Rafaela Carrasco.  She has been invited to participate in numerous dance festivals as both a dancer and as a choreographer, including Dance Under The Stars Choreography Festival in Palm Desert, CA, Certámen Coreográfico DanSalt in Girona, Certámen Coreográfico de Danza Español y Flamenco in Madrid, Fuego Flamenco Festival in Washington, D.C., Flamenco in the Sun in Miami,and the ODC Pilot Program for contemporary choreographers in San Francisco. 

Her award-winning dance film “Time, Again”, co-directed with filmmaker Alonso J. Luján, screened at numerous film festivals throughout Canada, Brazil, Poland and the U.S. 

She began her dance trainging with ballet at the age of 5 in Los Angeles.  She later studied contemporary dance at Lines Ballet School and ODC in San Francisco, and at Dance New Amsterdam in New York City.  Her flamenco studies also began in San Francisco, with Yaelisa.  In 2005 she moved to Spain where, while working as a dancer, choreographer and teacher, she continued her education with the top dancers in the field including Marco Flores, Concha Jareño, Manuel Liñan, Yolanda Heredia, David Paniagua, and Alfonso Llosa. She has worked closely alongside Rafaela Carrasco and Belen Maya as repetidora for numerous workshops in the Festival Flamenco de Jerez as well as in other venues.

Defne is a highly regarded dance teacher and has taught throughout the U.S., Mexico and Europe, including at Lines Ballet School in San Francisco, University of California in Berkeley, Fazil's Dance Studio in New York, and Flamenco in The Redwoods.  She now lives in Austin, TX, and is currently teaching at Austin Flamenco Academy and at Ballet Austin, and recently competed in the first season of the NBC "World Of Dance" TV show produced by Jennifer Lopez.

Genevieve Obregón

Genevieve Obregón was born and raised in San Antonio, TX where she began dancing ballet folklorico and flamenco at age 6. Later in youth, she joined Danza Hispana Infantil under Huamantzin Lopez and Chiqui Linares who instilled a strong technique and respectful dance etiquette.

In HS, Genevieve was accepted into San Antonio’s Fandango Dance Troupe and began performing in ensemble stage productions. During college she took a hiatus from flamenco and joined the Ballet Folklorico Mexicano de Georgetown University bringing the culture of Mexico to her fellow student body.  

Upon graduation, in the nation’s Capitol, she joined the Maru Montero Dance Company with whom she promoted the joy and beauty of Latin culture and held the National Cinco de Mayo Festival. She later moved to Dubai with Laura Ortiz and los Quetzales to bring Mexican dance and music to the UAE’s Global Village.  

For the ensuing years, she danced on and off in San Antonio with Raíces de Arte Español and even traveled to Madrid to study with La Truco at Amor de Dios, but ultimately took a lengthy break from dance to complete her doctoral degree in physical therapy.

Genevieve resumed her flamenco training in 2015 upon moving to Austin, TX where she has studied with talented women including: Defne Enc, Genoveva Guinn, Illeana Gomez, and Olivia Chacón. She has been lucky to live in an area rich with opportunities in flamenco and has taken workshops with such famed artists as Juan Paredes, Maise Marquez, Águeda Saavedra, Maria Moreno, Lucia Campillo, Jose Maya, Miguel Vargas, Manuela Barrios, and Adrian Santana

Drea Pacot

Drea Pacot’s career in flamenco began in her twenties. Before discovering the art of flamenco she dedicated her dance to modern and contemporary dance while she attend UC Davis earning her bachelor’s in Design. There she danced and choreographed with the student companies at UCDavis. Originally, from California Drea studied in the heavily immersed Bay Area with instructors such as  Yaelisa, director of Caminos Flamencos and La Tania. She also studied at Amor de Dios in Madrid, Spain. 

Before moving to Austin, Drea was the artistic director of Flamenco del Oro in Northern California. She received a grant from the Sacramento Metropolitan Arts Council to showcase her students in 20007. Deciding to move on from flamenco as a career she went back to school to study Chinese Medicine and study in Austin. Here in Austin she has danced with Pilar Andujar and performs with Geneiveve Guinn and Austin Flamenco Academy.

Diego "El Negro" Alvarez - Precussion

Diego "El Negro" Alvarez master cajón player born in Venezuela. He lived 16 years in Spain where he developed his career alongside the most prestigious flamenco dance companies such as Joaquin Cortez, Antonio Canales, Sara Baras, Nuevo Ballet Español and Paco Peña among others. With more than 12 nominations to the Latin Grammys, winner of a Latin Grammy in 2010 for best Rock album of the year for "Sera" by La Vida Boheme. Promoting El Cajon as a universal instrument, showing its main roots the Peruvian and the flamenco. Now lives in Los Angeles California, where he continues working with different musical projects between flamenco and jazz.

Celia Corrales - Cante

Celia Corrales was born in El Puerto de Santa Maria Cadiz, on the Southeast coast of Andalucía. She grew up in a Flamenco family, and spent many late nights watching singers and dancers throughout her youth. She was singing flamenco as soon as she was able to talk, and never stopped. She met the love of her life, a US Navy sailor, and they were wed. Two years later, they moved to the US, where she soon found other Spanish natives and began singing here. After 10 years in Tucson, Arizona, they moved to Austin, where she continues her passion for traditional Spanish music. She is a member of A’lante Flamenco, collaborates with the Austin Flamenco Academy, and also works with Flamenco groups in San Antonio and Houston.

José Manuel Tejeda - Guitar

José Manuel Tejeda graduated from The University of Arts (ISA) in his native Cuba in 2007 with emphasis on classical guitar, guitar instruction and professional solo guitar performer. After thirteen years of classical guitar training with Master Guitarist: Bernardo Hidalgo, Rolando Morales, Alejandro Coira, Francisco Rodríguez (Pancho) and Martin Pedreira, He began to focus on flamenco and took master classes with Spanish guitarists Alfredo Lagos, Andres Martinez, Paco Cruz, Pascual de Lorca and others, and collaborated with flamenco companies such as Melisma, Ecos and Alma Flamenca. His passion for all types of music brought on studies in jazz, Brazilian, Argentinian, Mexican, sephardic as well as a multitude of other Latin styles. While in Cuba, he had the opportunity to record with famous musicians such as Lucia Huergo, Liuba María Hevia, Orlando Valle “Maraca”, Dayani Lozano and many more. José moved to the United States five years ago and is currently member of the world music band "ATASH" and "A'LANTE FLAMENCO" Company. He is also working as a guitar teacher, solo and duo performer, and collaborator with different Music Bands and flamenco companies based in and out of his hometown of Austin, TX.