AUGUST 23-25, 2024
Siempre Flamenco's Festival de Cante Miami 2024
CARNIVAL STUDIO THEATER
Siempre Flamenco and the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County present
Siempre Flamenco's 18th annual Festival de Cante Flamenco Miami
Featuring
Guest Singers
Macarena de Jerez
Ismael Fernández
Jose Morenito
Guest Dancer
Jose Jimenez
Sonia Olla
Guest Guitarists
Jose Cortes
Siempre Flamenco Artistic Director and Dancer
Celia Fonta
Siempre Flamenco Musical Director and Guitarist
Paco Fonta
Lighting Design
Richard Rodriguez
Program order
Martinete: Jose Jimenez and singers
Baile: Celia Fonta / Alegrias
Cante: Jose Morenito
Baile: Sonia Olla / Taranto
Intermission
Guitara: Jose Cortes Panzekito
Cante: Ismael Fernández
Cante: Macarena de Jerez
Fin de Fiesta: Full Cast
About Siempre Flamenco
Siempre Flamenco, Inc. was founded in 2002 by Celia and Paco Fonta as a not-for-profit corporation with the purpose of promoting awareness and preservation of the art and traditions of Flamenco. With yearlong programs fit for diverse audiences and performances at libraries, schools, Hispanic heritage festivals, street fairs and concert halls throughout Florida, Siempre Flamenco does its utmost to enrich the cultural community through flamenco. In March 2006, Siempre Flamenco produced the first Festival of Cante Flamenco in Miami to celebrate the cultural heritage of flamenco song and dance. Cante flamenco is seldom heard outside Andalusia. This traditional festival is one way to help preserve, maintain and pass down to future generations this beautiful art form. This year marks the 18th edition of this festival, which has gained international recognition as the only one of its kind in the United States. It is the goal of Siempre Flamenco to continue quality programming throughout all Florida and the United States with cultural and educational programs aimed at promoting and preserving the art and tradition of flamenco music and dance.
For more information about Siempre Flamenco, please visit siempreflamenco.com. If you have enjoyed this performance, please consider supporting Siempre Flamenco, Inc. with a tax-deductible donation at PayPal:fontaflamenco@gmail.com.
This program is made possible in part by the Arsht Center and with the support of the Miami-Dade County Tourist Development Council, the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs, the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners.
Performers
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Celia Fonta
Artistic director and dancer
Artist Bio
Celia Fonta
Celia Fonta
Celia Fonta is a native of Chicago, where she studied flamenco guitar before beginning her career in dance. She began her studies of flamenco, Spanish classical and folkloric dance in Madrid at the world-famous dance studio Amor de Dios. Fonta is a recipient of the prestigious Florida Folk Heritage award. She has been a recipient of the Florida Folk Life Apprenticeship Program as Master Artist, and has received an Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the State of Florida. Fonta has been a guest artist and teacher in flamenco workshops and concerts all over Florida and the United States. She was adjunct instructor of Spanish dance at Florida International University for five years. Currently, Fonta teaches private lessons by appointment.
As artistic director of Siempre Flamenco, Fonta has produced and choreographed the Festival of Flamenco Song for the past 18 years, as well as numerous traditional and experimental shows. Notable fusion shows include Mojito Andaluz, a fusion of flamenco and Afro-Cuban music and dance; Flamenco Sephardit, a program exploring the connections between Ladino and flamenco; Beats and Compas, an experimental hip-hop and flamenco dance concert; and the highly successful FlamenJazz Jam. Traditional shows include Mirada Flamenca, Furia de Color Flamenco and Viñetas de Verano.
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Musical director and guitarist
Paco Fonta
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Macarena de Jerez
Guest singer
Artist Bio
Macarena de Jerez
Macarena de Jerez
Macarena de Jerez is pure Gypsy, and her singing style is steeped in the heritage of her ancestors. She was born and raised in Jerez de la Frontera, the birthplace of flamenco. De Jerez is a master of the most genuine palos of flamenco, and her electrifying stage presence has made her a highly sought-after performer at flamenco festivals worldwide.
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Jose Campos
Guest singer
Artist Bio
Jose Campos
Jose Campos
Jose Campos “Morenito Hijo,” son of Morenito de Illora, is a young singer from Cadiz who recently toured the United States singing alongside the son of great flamenco guitarist Tomatito. In 2019, Campos won first place at the Alcobendas New Talent Cante competition.
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Jose Cortes
Guest guitarist
Artist Bio
Jose Cortes
Jose Cortes
Jose Cortes “Panzekito” comes from a legendary flamenco dynasty. He is the son of late, great flamenco singer José Cortés “Pansequito del Puerto.” He is internationally regarded as one of the foremost flamenco guitarists working today. His expertise, knowledge and generosity make him an extremely sought-after guitarist for flamenco dance companies worldwide.
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Jose Jimenez
Guest dancer
Artist Bio
Jose Jimenez
Jose Jimenez
Jose Jimenez “El Bocadillo” is the son of the Madrid-based flamenco singer of the same name. Having grown up listening to flamenco, he realized that his calling was in dance. Flamenco critic Manuel Bohorquez recently said of Jiménez after attending a performance of his: “José El Bocadillo, son of the singer with the same nickname, was a true discovery, a dancer of surprising strength and flamenco flair.”
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Ismael Fernández
Guest Singer
Artist Bio
Ismael Fernández
Ismael Fernández
Described by The Washington Post as the “most charismatic performer” and a “connection to the Gypsy source,” Ismael Fernández was born in Seville of Gypsy descent and grew up performing at flamenco festivals throughout the world with his internationally renowned family, La Familia Fernández. His career began in Spain’s premier flamenco tablaos, including El Cordobes in Barcelona and La Carboneria in Seville, and other famous flamenco cuevas of Granada. In 2004, Fernández won the National Contest of Cordoba, singing for the famed dancer Soraya Clavijo and was a finalist in the Festival de Cante de la Union. He regularly joins his family to perform in the celebrated Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla. Throughout his career, Fernández has worked with flamenco legends such as Antonio Canales, Farruquito, Marina Heredia, El Torombo, the prestigious orchestra director Gustavo Dudamel and Rafaela Carrasco. For several years, Fernández has been a featured company member of internationally acclaimed dancer Maria Pages, performing at The Joyce Theater (New York), Sadler Wells Theatre (London), Esplanade Theatre (Singapore), Orchard Hall and Bunka Mura (Japan), Teatro La Zarzuela (Madrid), Teatro Real (Madrid) and the Gran Teatre del Liceu (Barcelona). He currently resides in New York, where he moved in 2014 with the flamenco dancer Sonia Olla, his partner on and off the stage.
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Sonia Olla
Guest dancer
Artist Bio
Sonia Olla
Sonia Olla
Hailed by The New York Times as “a furnace of earthy sensuality,” flamenco choreographer and dancer Sonia Olla is originally from Barcelona, where she earned her degree at the Instituto de Teatro y Danza. She now resides in New York, where she has established the Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernandez flamenco company with her husband. Olla and Fernández’s work has been seen at Joe’s Pub in New York, Carnegie Hall and the Lincoln Center. She is a recipient of the CDI: CUNY Dance Residency and a teaching artist at Berklee College of Music. She has toured as company member and soloist with flamenco greats such as Antonio Canales, Eva la Yerbabuena, Rafaela Carrasco, Merche Esmeralda, María Pagés and La Farruca.