57th Home Season
Transitar por un Mundo sin Tiempo
Passage through a Timeless World
Saturday, May 13th 8:00pm (approx 75 mins)
Herbst Theater
Guest artist from Spain, Adrian Santana (Flamenco Dancer) makes his San Francisco Bay Area debut with Theatre Flamenco!!
Transitar por un Mundo sin Tiempo/ “Passage through a timeless world”
San Francisco, CA… Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco, the Bay Area’s oldest flamenco dance company (having been founded in 1966), brings audiences an explosive music and dance experience in its 57th home season production, Transitar por un Mundo sin Tiempo (Passage through a Timeless World).
In the company’s joyous return after three years of the pandemic, Artistic Director, Carola Zertuche, fuses flamenco with live electronic music, violin, and electric guitar. World-renowned Spanish guitarist, Juani De La Isla, will lead the musical journey. De La Isla is a highly respected flamenco guitarist from the island of San Fernando near the port city of Cádiz, in Andalusia in southwestern Spain. Renowned Spanish musician Diego Amador, Hijo will be bringing his vocal and piano stylings to the ensemble. Amador hails from a long line of Gypsy flamenco artists who have expanded their reach into rock, jazz, and other forms of world music, launching the world-famous flamenco band Pata Negra. Adrian Santana, a flamenco dancer from Malaga, will join Zertuche on stage. This will be Santana’s debut with the company and his first time performing in San Francisco. Santana comes from a family of flamenco artists, including his uncle, Pepito Vargas, a well-known dancer who passed down his knowledge to his nephew. Making his debut with the company is California-based electronic musician, Pascual Martinez. Come travel the world through Transitar por un Mundo sin Tiempo!
This show is inspired by a trip Zertuche took to Jordan in 2021, during a time of many Covid restrictions. She says “visiting the Wadi Rum Desert, especially, was one of the most incredible experiences of my life: peaceful energy surrounded me like an inexplicable force. I felt the sensation —with the light, the endless red sand, the stars clear in the night sky — that time had ceased to exist, that everything was perfect, that anything could happen. Flamenco, to me, also has that inexplicable energy, and I’d like the audience to feel those same emotions, even if just for the hour and 15 minutes of the show.”
Cast
Adrian Santana - Flamenco Dancer direct (Spain)
Diego Amador Hijo - Flamenco Singer & Pianist (Spain)
Juani de la Isla - Flamenco Guitarist (Spain)
Marina Elana - Flamenco Dancer
Mario Silva - Trumpet Player
Pascual Martinez - Electronic Musician
Roberto Aguilar - Electric Guitarist
Ysabella Yturralde - Flamenco Dancer
Carola Zertuche - Artistic Director & Dancer
Thank you for the great article, Andrew Gilbert & SFClassicalVoice!
Special Workshops with Diego Amador Hijo & Adrian Santana & Juani de la Isla
Carola Zertuche
CAROLA ZERTUCHE (Artistic Director, Choreographer, Dancer), born in Torreon, Mexico, has collaborated with international and local artists in productions paying homage to traditional styles of flamenco since assuming the artistic directorship of the company in 2008. She has toured Mexico, USA, South America, Canada, and the Middle East, dancing with various flamenco companies, and performed at New York's Joyce Theater and Jacob's Pillow in Massachusetts. Zertuche has collaborated on projects with flamenco dancers such as Andres Marin, Carmen Ledesma, Pastora Galvan, Adela Campallo, Jesus Carmona, Nino de los Reyes among others. In 2017, she made her San Francisco Opera debut as the choreographer for La Traviata. Her later production Soul y Alma, a sold out Performance at the Herbst Theatre, was named “one of the best performances of 2020” by Bay Area dance critic, Rita Felciano.
Juani de la Isla
JUANI DE LA ISLA (Musical Director, Composer, Guitarist) aka Juan Francisco Gonzalez Caballero is a highly respected and world-renowned flamenco guitarist from the island of San Fernando near the port city of Cádiz in southern Spain. He began his musical
education studying with the great flamenco singer Rafael Romero and has been a student of the celebrated flamenco guitarist Manolo Sanlúcar. Juani de la Isla has also been trained in the gypsy flamenco style of Morón – a small pueblo in the heart of Andalucia’s flamenco country. Throughout his illustrious career, he has accompanied some of the finest flamenco artists of this century: singers Jose Mercé, Chato de la Isla, Juan Villar, Rancapino, Pansequito and Aguilar de Vejer; and dancers Javier Barón, Sara Baras, and Manuela Carrasco. He has composed music for the flamenco dance company of Cristina Hoyos and for over a decade has been the Musical Director for the popular flamenco singer El Barrio. Juani de la Isla’s recording career includes participation on more than 100 albums with some of Spain’s finest flamenco artists including Jose Mercé, Joaquin Sabína, Paco Ortega, El Barrio, and David de María. In 2015, he released his first solo CD Libertad en Mis Manos.
Adrian Santana
ADRIAN SANTANA (Guest Artist; Flamenco Dancer from Malaga, Spain) began his training at the age of 9 with his uncle, Pepito Vargas, the great dancer from Malaga and continued his studies at the Professional Dance Conservatory in Malaga. Santana has formed part of dance companies such as Manuel Liñán, Carlos Saura, Aida Gómez, and Rocío Molina and has shared the stage with artists such as Pastora Galván, Nani Paños, Rafael Estévez, Javier Latorre, and Lola Greco among others.
In 2010 Santana received the second prize of the XIX Certamen de Coreografía de Danza España y Flamenco of Madrid with his piece Siempre Me Pasa Lo Mismo. His second solo work premiered in Granada at the Corral del Carbón in 2014, and in 2015 he presented the same show at the IV Bienal de Flamenco de Málaga. In 2017 he represented at the Albuquerque Flamenco Festival as well as traveled to Toronto to the Aga Museum. In 2018, he presented at the 22nd Festival de Jerez in the Sala Compañia, receiving great reception from the public and press. Also that year, he was awarded 2nd Prize Desplante in the international contest Cante de Las Minas de la Unión.
Santana’s latest production Las 4 Esquinas del Perchel premiered within the framework of the VI Bienal de Arte Flamenco de Málaga at the closing gala of the festival at the Teatro Cervantes, having great success. The dancer from Malaga has also performed in festivals such as the Bienal de Sevilla, London Flamenco Festival, New York Flamenco Festival, Japan and the Acropolis of Greece among many others. He has also performed in productions by artists such as Granero and Antonio Canales. As a teacher, Santana has traveled to several continents giving courses in the USA, New Mexico, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Israel, Russia, and Italy. In Spain he has worked at different conservatories and schools as a guest teacher.
Diego Amador Hijo
DIEGO AMADOR, HIJO (Flamenco Singer, Guitarist) was born in Seville into a family considered Flamenco royalty. His father is the celebrated Flamenco pianist Diego Amador and his uncles, Rafael and Raimundo Amador, were the founders of the popular Flamenco band Pata Negra. From a very young age, he began performing and touring with some of Spain’s top Flamenco artists, including Remedios Amaya, La Susi, Lole Montoya, Farruquito, and Joaquin Cortes. He is also an accomplished Flamenco percussionist and released his first album Presente en el Tiempo, in 2021.
Mario Silva
MARIO SILVA was born and raised in the Mission District of San Francisco to parents from Diriamba, Nicaragua, Silva composed the album to be a rich sonata, or musical journey that reflects the influences that conceived his artistic persona; a dynamic product of the Americas.
Compositionally Silva fuses Afro-Cuban ritual drumming, Funk, EDM, Dixieland, Jazz, instrumental Pop and other styles, while paying homage to the tradition of trumpet players and composers that came before him. The final product is a modern take on traditional Latin Jazz styles that offers a fresh sound and clean product for a broad audience. As a multi-faceted musician who has been playing for 21-years, Silva’s distinct style has landed him recognition and respect within the global music community, earning him a certificate Grammy for his performance with Morgan Heritage on “Strictly Roots,” a record that was awarded best album of the year in 2015.
Aside from this and his own musical project, Silva has played with other notable acts including the Bay Area Afro-Cuban All Stars, Bang Data, Grammy nominated group from Nicaragua La Cuneta Son Machin, Rupa and the April Fishes, and virtuosic Cuban piano player Chuchito Valdes, whom has been featured throughout his debut solo album.
On the heels of earning a Masters in Jazz Performance, Silva delivers a musical project that celebrates the raw and intricate elements of his studies,practice,culture and spirituality grounded in the original sound of the San Francisco Bay Area.
Marina Elana
MARINA ELANA began training at a young age in Spanish classical dance and flamenco with Adela Clara who is the founder of Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco. In Spain, she studied in Sevilla and Madrid with artists such as Yolanda Heredia, Belen Maya, Isabel Bayon and Soledad Barrio. Marina has performed with companies across the United States including Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco, Maria Benitez’s Teatro Flamenco in Santa Fe and Caminos Flamencos. Marina has been a company member of Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca since 2012. She has toured both nationally and internationally with the company, sharing the stage with figures such as Juan Ogalla, Alejandro Granados and Soledad Barrio.
She graduated from Stanford University with a degree in Film and Media Studies specializing in “Avant-Garde Aesthetics and Performance.”
Roberto Aguilar
ROBERTO AGUILAR studied classical guitar at City College of San Francisco. His interest in Flamenco began in 1996, studying with guitarists Jorge Liceaga and Manolo Fernandez. After a few years of playing for dancers he began taking dance lessons with Carola Zertuche. He has spent time in Madrid and Seville studying guitar with El Entri, Jesus Torres, Juan Antonio Suarez ‘Cano’ and dance with Maria Magdalena, Antonio Reyes, Manuel Betanzos, Alicia Marquez and Ramon Martinez.
He began his professional career at ‘La Bodega’, one of the first flamenco venues in San Francisco where he was a featured artist for many years. He was invited to participate in the International Culture and Tourism Festival in Beijing, China. Roberto has performed with Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco for several years and is regularly selected to take part in the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival. He performed with the Juan Siddi Flamenco Theater Company in the 7th Annual International Cultural Festival in Doha, Qatar.
Pascual Martinez
Ysabella Yturralde
YSABELLA YTURRALDE began her flamenco journey at the young age of five with Linda Vega Dance Studio in Santa Barbara. Ysabella has enjoyed learning from flamenco artists, María Bermúdez, Linda Vega, and Manuel Gutierrez for the past 14 years. In addition to performing with the company at María Bermúdez Flamenco Performing Arts in Santa Barbara, she also loves her job as a flamenco dance instructor for the younger dancers.
In 2022 she was awarded with a scholarship from the Tourist Office of Spain to attend Festival de Jerez in Jerez de la Frontera and take workshops from her inspirations: María Moreno, La Lupi, Mercedes Ruiz, Alfonso Losa, and Macarena López. She is currently finishing up her first year as an undergraduate student at UC Berkeley and commutes to San Francisco to learn from Carola Zertuche at Theatre Flamenco.
