Liset Alea

Singer, composer and guitarist Liset Alea, originally from Havana, studied jazz at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC before founding Etro Anime, her electronic jazz band. Liset is presently recording her second solo album, blending folk with pop, and touring nationally. Her music has been featured on Six Feet Under, Las Vegas and on various compilations.

An interview with Liset:

Musical background?

I studied with a well-known Cuban opera singer, America Crespo, from 9-14 years of age, then I entered New World School of the Arts and studied musical theater. During my high school years I got signed to WEA Latina in Mexico and moved into contemporary music and began writing my own songs.

When I was born my nickname was Musiquita (little music), in fact to this day my mother still calls me Musiquita. I don't know what that did for my infant brain, but it definitely paved my identity for me in some way.

I was obsessed with Cyndi Lauper, she was my hero. When I was about nine, I was often on the Spanish television show Buscando Estrellas (Star Search). I won a recording session in a studio and I chose to record "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," which when I listen to now sounds really funny to me because I still had such a strong Spanish accent.

Your music?

My responsibility to my music has always been to stretch it and extend it as far as it will go. With music, I attempt to understand the boundaries of my own self. So I call my style "cosmopolatina." The music from a Cuban girl who's traveled and tried every sonic dish on the menu.

Favorite instrument?

When I moved to New York at 19, I purchased my first guitar, a Seagull acoustic, who is sitting beside me right now. I fell in love with the fact that guitar is so percussive and melodic at the same time. I loved how small it can sound and how big it can get.

The first year I took lessons from a lady named Valerie in NYC, she played cello for the New York Symphony, and she was great! She had me playing in a few months! She built my confidence on what was at the time a very uncomfortable and painful instrument, and taught me using the master songwriters, Paul Simon, Marianne Faithfull, The Beatles, and Cat Stevens.

Early bands?

I used to be in a drum and bass collective in New York at the end of the '90s. I was the lead singer and songwriter, and that influenced me quite a lot because the band was composed of some serious jazz musicians who forced me to think beyond commercial pop music and think in a more abstract and experimental way about writing and music. This band was called Etro Anime. Later I worked with a great producer on my No Sleep album, Yoad Nevo. He told me one day I should be able to work a music program myself and make my own recordings, which changed my life.

Musical influences?

Artists that I love more than mango flan: Goldfrapp, Caetano Veloso, Serge Gainsbourg, Rufus Wainwright, Sinead O'Connor, Tom Waits, Natalie Merchant, among others. I would love to collaborate with a band called Archive; they have a very well-developed sound and are not afraid to stretch their boundaries. I would also be in music heaven if I could work with Brian Eno one day.

Are words first or music?

Honestly I believe words are first. When I was young I would sit by the radio with a notebook in my lap and write down the words to my favorite songs. I would challenge myself to complete the song as it was being sung in real time, so that next time I heard it, I could sing along with it.

I loved the way the words fell into a perfect pattern that held the music together in such a masterful way, in fact one of the artists I loved the most was Sir Mix-a-Lot. He was a bit of a comedic genius in my mind, I loved his mastery of language and humor, and the beats were fantastic. I can sing all his songs by heart, even now.

I was always a singer but it never occurred to me until I was about 15 that I could write myself, I guess I just needed a good heartbreak to get me started. I admire the work of artists whose songs can be read like poetry, such as Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Paul Simon, Cat Stevens, Suzanne Vega, and Silvio Rodriguez.

The Miami music scene?

The Miami music scene is still young, naturally, because compared to other cities such as NYC, London or even Nashville, Miami is still creating its identity, its particular sound. That said, it has already created a very strong identity with the '90s freestyle movement as well as with the Latin music scene, but I believe Miami has more to offer and it will just take time to show itself.

There are a couple of really exciting acts in town that I think are worth international attention, but Miami tends to dismiss its own hidden stars sometimes and opt for the same acts time and time again. Many amazing bands on tour skip this town to my heart's dismay.

It's mostly due to the scarcity of proper live music venues, there just aren't enough. We need more small to mid-sized venues, with good acoustics, that allow local artists to develop themselves. We have maybe two venues like this. In NYC there's a handful of cafes with live music on almost every street, on every day of the week.

The positive aspect is that as it is still a young scene, the future looks bright! So wherever you go in Miami, ask why they don't have live music! Demand quality entertainment!

Current projects?

I have a few things on the stove now. Currently I play every Wednesday at the Viceroy's Club 50 with my band. I am recording my Spanish album, independently (yay!) and the day job is to write pop songs for other artists.

My guitar and I are getting ready to start a small college tour throughout America, which I'm very excited about because I'll be able to travel to states I've never been to such as South Dakota, Minnesota, Texas, places like that, where I guess being Cuban is still kind of exotic.

I also have an electronic music side project called Honeythieves. Our recent album, We Are, was recorded in Paris. In that band we have three members, Alexkid lives in Berlin, Olivier Mateu lives in Brussels and myself in Miami. It's a very special project for me because we created it just to experiment with sounds we all love. This fall, the Honeythieves music will be featured on Entourage and 90210. The album will be released this winter in Europe.

Your recent trip to Cuba?

I just returned from my trip, I was invited by Miami-based Colombian singer Juanes to sing backup vocals with him for his Paz Sin Fronteras (Peace Without Borders) concert at Havana's Revolution Plaza, along with several other artists. I was the only Cuban-American from Miami performing in the concert, and representing the Cuban exile community that supports an exchange with Cuba. It was an incredible experience, singing in front of 1.2 million people.

Standing on that stage, I realized that a chapter was turning in the history books. I felt like I was standing in front of an electric field, the energy was awesome. As far as the eye could see, there were young people singing along to every word. And I knew I had cousins sprinkled in the audience. It was life-changing for me, I felt like my heart had been purified. After so much political turmoil leading up to this concert, here we were achieving the goal, to inspire a country and give the youth some hope that they will one day be the authors of their own destiny. Juanes is a brilliant person, with a clear mission. If we had more artists like him, who use their influence and power in a positive way, I can't imagine the progress we'd achieve!


Liset Alea and the Sexy Trio perform Wednesdays at Viceroy's Club 50, 485 Brickell Avenue, from 8-11 p.m.; http://www.myspace.com/lisetalea.

Elizabeth Sobol

IMG Artists, the premiere international performing arts management agency, serves a roster of many of the world's most distinguished performing artists. As Managing Director of IMG Artists' North and South American office, Elizabeth Sobol cultivates the careers of several of the firm's leading artists.

An interview with Elizabeth:

What led to your career in arts management?

Well--I grew up in a small Southern town where experiences and points of view were quite narrow and limited. Literature and music in many ways were my escape and my salvation--firing my imagination and igniting my curiosity.

I studied piano from a very early age, leaving home and going to a conservatory at age 14. During that time I imagined that I would be a classical musician and I followed that path until I was about 20. At which point I realized that I did not have the talent, the fortitude nor the single-minded focus that it would require to become a great pianist. And I knew that I did not want to be a mediocre pianist.

When I was a junior in college I ended up having the tremendous luck of meeting two very impressive women from New York--one a promoter and one a publicist--through whom I learned that there was such a thing as a career in classical music management.

The idea that I could spend my life working around artists, nurturing them, cultivating their careers, and living in New York was a life-changing revelation for me. I found a way to get myself to NYC and obtained an internship in a classical music management company. That move was the beginning of a long career in a field that has ended up being the perfect environment for me--combining my passion for the arts with business and management challenges.

Beginnings of IMG Artists?

I have had some incredible luck in my life. And one of the gifts of fate that I am most grateful for is having landed up in the hands of two extraordinary people--Charles Hamlen and Edna Landau--when I went to New York for my first internship in the music management business.

They were both former teachers who had left the field for artist management. They made that choice not because they thought they were going to make more money at it. No, they did it because they were both passionate about music and musicians and they felt that there was a need out there for managers who were compassionate and thoughtful and decent and excited about what they did.

So, though their agency at that time--called Hamlen Management--was about as small and insignificant as you can get (by orthodox standards), what they transmitted to me was their sheer joy in what they did and the dedication and honesty and intelligence with which they did it. That mix of qualities ultimately paid off when IMG, the global sports marketing firm, decided to get into the performing arts business and acquired Hamlen Management. By the time that happened, I had long since left my internship and had worked at several different positions, honing my skills.

But I will never forget the day Charles called me to tell me about the imminent acquisition and to ask me if I would consider coming back to the company as Director of Sales. That was 1984. The decision took all of five minutes. And I have been there ever since--moving from Director of Sales to Manager to Associate Director to Managing Director of North and South America. There is nothing that gives me more pleasure than to contemplate the astonishing trajectory of IMG Artists over the last 25 years and to know that I have been part of that.

Your contributions to the development of IMG Artists?

I know that there are a lot of people who try and keep their personal and professional lives somewhat separate. But for whatever reason, I function best when all the different facets of my life feed off of each other and fire up my imagination and my sense of possibilities.

I seem to have some deep compulsion--whether genetic or otherwise--to constantly be looking for connections between things--in particular things that appear on the face of it to be the least compatible. Finding those underlying connections is deeply gratifying to me--particularly when they can manifest themselves as artistic collaborations. I try to bring my passions, my interests, my curiosities into the workplace.

Most of the things I am proudest of having done at IMG have to do in some form or another with having connected dots. My obsession with dance and other genres of music led me to start a dance division, a jazz/world music and a Latin music division for the company at a time when we were very strictly classically-oriented. Though certainly not revolutionary, those were important steps for the long-term growth of the company.

Creating a joint venture with Gorfaine/Schwartz--the leaders in the field of representation of film score composers--again, was certainly nothing completely original, but the relationship did create a kind of collaborative energy between film music and live performance/performing arts venues that was unique.

But it is really on the producing side that I feel I have made a contribution: Bringing Latin artists together with symphony orchestras to create new works which merge genres. Producing an album bringing together the contrapuntal works of J.S. Bach with the polyrhythms of Afro-Cuban music. Putting choreographers and writers and composers and muscians and dancers together in ways that give off heat, create sparks, carve out new ways of looking at the world--these are things that I am most proud of.

The performing arts business?

The performing arts business is kind of crazy. Just think of the juxtaposition of these two terms: Performing arts (Bach, Chopin, Shakespeare, Balanchine, Cunningham, for instance)--making manifest some of the most sublime and transcendent and, dare we say, spiritual efforts of mankind--and business. How do you negotiate those two worlds? How do you make business sense of something that has no intrinsic worth in the hard world of commerce--and yet is priceless? This is something I grapple with all the time.

How do you choose artists to work with?

That's easy. I look for magic. Technique, mastery over an instrument, artistic maturity can and will develop over time, but magic is something you either have or you don't. It's not something that can be taught. I have heard artists who have stunningly superior technique and virtuosity, all the chops in the world. But they lacked magic, passion, joy. They left me cold. I am not interested in gymnastics; I am interested in seeing into the soul.

South Florida-based artists and activities?

Speaking of joy and passion, I heard Tiempo Libre (my Miami-based Cuban ensemble) about eight years ago. They sent me a demo they had produced in one of their garages. As you can imagine, the quality of the recording was not very good. But the playing! There was virtuosity in spades, but more importantly, there was an exhilaration that gave you a jolt of adrenaline and endorphins all at the same time.

In one of those fairy tale kind of stories, the day after I received the demo in the mail, I got a call from a friend of mine--the Executive Director of the Ravinia Festival, one of the most important festivals in the US--asking me if I had any ideas for a "hot young Latin band" to open for Celia Cruz. Tiempo Libre landed the gig. I went to hear them live. They were sensational. And the rest is history. I signed them to the IMG Artists list--and, eight years later, they have multiple Grammy nominations, an exclusive deal with SONY and sold out concerts around the world.

I think it is important to say in this context, though, that it is not just their extravagant talent that has made them (or any artist) successful. On top of the talent, there has to be discipline, vision, professionalism, persistence, patience, and generosity of spirit. They have all of that--in spades. People feel that. They feel the love the band brings to every aspect of what they do and they are transformed by it. That's what real artists are all about.

In Boca Raton, we have a different version of that story. There are these two amazing people, people of passion--Charles Siemon and Wendy Larsen, from the Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park--who reached out to me several years ago in the hopes that we might work together to bring more classical music to the Boca community.

To make a very long story short, three and a half years ago, together, we created out of nothing a brand new international festival--the Festival of the Arts BOCA. We have had some of the world's greatest classical musicians--Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, Renee Fleming, James Galway, Lang Lang, the Russian National Orchestra--as well as writers such as Salman Rushdie, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Edward Albee, to name just a few. Every March during the festival, I am given the gift of being able to watch music and literature literally galvanize a community--I watch people filled up, inspired and transformed by great art.

This past festival, we closed with a performance of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony--performed by the Russian National Orchestra, Master Chorale of South Florida and Itzhak Perlman conducting. You could feel an electricity coursing through the audience, a collective experience of the sublime.

Miami's music scene?

Miami definitely has a rather challenging music scene, particularly for performing artists. Tiempo Libre basically has to leave town in order to survive. Luckily for them, they are almost always on the road.

But for artists who do not have that possibility, it is very difficult to live a life as a musician. We seem to be missing here a group of club owners and promoters who are truly interested in helping support the new, the next generation of musicians--who do it for the real love of music.

At the club level, I've experienced a very disheartening mercenary, even disrespectful, kind of attitude towards musicians. At the same time, it has been incredibly heartening to see the Arsht Center blossom and grow as a cultural center. There is still lots to do and a long way to go, but the Center has certainly taken a strong position in supporting local artists as well as bringing in an extremely high level of international artists.

You really do have to do that to be a challenger on the cultural map--setting the artistic bar high--but also reaching out and lending a supportive hand to local and developing artists. I hope the day will arrive when there will be at least a handful of local venues where you can go and feel the love, knowing that you are likely to discover something fresh and new and delightful.

Current projects?

The last couple of years, I have been very busy with projects--recordings, Miami Libre (the Cuban music and dance theatrical which was produced by the Arsht Center in Summer 2008), not to mention my daily work of managing my personal clients (Itzhak Perlman, Joshua Bell, James Galway, Tiempo Libre, just to name a few)--and running the IMG Artists office (which is based in NYC, while I maintain my residence on Miami Beach).

My current dreams and work are focused very much on educational projects--developing several long-term residencies for artists in different parts of the country--trying to find points of contact between the arts, the communities, the artists, and the things that bring us together as a society. I guess that takes us back to connecting the dots...


Elizabeth Sobol; IMG Artists, http://www.imgartists.com/.

Natasha Tsakos

A Miami-based artist from Geneva, Natasha Tsakos is a director and filmmaker, actor, clown, and playwright. "UP WAKE," her one person performance piece created in 2002 and premiering in 2006, featuring her onstage persona, Zero, was originally presented at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. Now on tour, the stage show blends technology and theater, 3-D animation and diverse movement and dance. Natasha is currently directing and filming short films.

An interview with Natasha:

When did you become interested in the performing arts?

As a little girl, I remember hiding behind the couch in my living room, and diving into my collection of books, devouring one or two a day. Memorizing Cyrano de Bergerac's "Nose Tirade," hiding for days in my closet, with a little stool, a couple of flashlights and Michael Jackson. My coat hanger coming to life at night, and scaring me, so much so that I would hide a shoe bone underneath my pillow! I remember collecting costumes and wigs, and storing them in my shower, which soon became a state of the art dressing room.

I have constantly been escaping into a heightened reality.

Theatre found me ... No ... Theater kidnapped me ... really.

Training?

It was an intense four years at the New World School of the Arts. Lots of typecasting, judging, gossiping. I am not sure I ever fit ... I am not sure the teachers understood me. I was thankfully blessed with a few extraordinary ones, of course they were the craziest, or sometimes the strictest. I love that combination! It makes up for some really nutty work.

Not a big fan of "institutions" in general, especially not when it comes to education and the arts. I sincerely believe these two fields need change ... some thoughts:

Regarding schools: One day, children will build the schools of their dreams, developing craftsmanship, understanding, responsibility, and learning how to apply the disciplines of architecture, masonry, carpentry. Once built, children will then explore all ethereal studies--literature, philosophy, history. Schools will be roofless, opening a conscious awareness of the natural environment, and facilitating the study of meteorology and astronomy at night.

Regarding education: Nobody will tell you what or how to think, instead they will give you the tools to enhance and expand your mental potential. You will prove the box is round with knowledge, imagination, audacity, and with the mind of an explorer.

Training never stops, and should not be limited to sister disciplines surrounding a vocation. One should always move forward, push and challenge oneself. There are no limits to knowledge and creativity.

I'd like to get a master's in physics, and I may be 80 when I do so.

"UP WAKE," your performance piece?

"UP WAKE" began in 2002. I wanted to create a show that had the same production values as a movie, a show that would speak to anyone, regardless of age, race, gender, culture. A show that brought back the magic of being inside a theatre. The technology, the theatrics ... were just the means to manifest what I kept seeing in my head.

Who is Zero? Zero is Zero, a little hero of the 21st Century.

I do see "UP WAKE" as a residency show in cosmopolitan cities, and touring worldwide. All of it in its own time. Life often operates on a different clock than we do ...

Learning to be patient, while being persistent.

The meaning of up wake?

Up wake (verb): Reverse awareness, synthesis of being simultaneously dreaming and conscious.

So many things are upside down, when you realize they are, it all makes much more sense!

Zero's campaigns?

There are several campaigns Zero has created, the iGreen Campaign being the most active one. There is also iQuiet, iDream and others in the works. These campaigns use the Internet as a vehicle to spread the idea, as well as live performances in collaboration with important environmental organizations.

Zero recently joined forces with the ECOMB Big Sweep (Environmental Coalition of Miami Beach), basically asking Miami Beach residents to come out bright and early on a Sunday morning (can you imagine?!) and clean the beaches. By having Zero present, it certainly lightened the spirits, and brought some smiles.

It's easier to connect with an icon than it is with a person, because suddenly you are calling onto people's best qualities. A mere mortal gives people the excuse to make mistakes. Clearly nobody is perfect ... But it is the up-wakening of people's genuine goodness, and extraordinary qualities that will move, and shake this world for the better.

Zero simply stands for essential ideas.

Your creative process?

I could try to take you through it, pretend to understand it, invent a story behind it ... The truth is, at that moment, I have left the building! All I know is that it is: Sleepless, passionate, profound, chaotic, harmonious, and oh so quiet.

You're presently directing and performing in film.

Yes, I am now making short films, and loving every second of it! Thanks to the Internet, there can now be a dialogue between filmmaker and audience. I truly enjoy this medium.

I thought film would cancel a certain human warmth and connection, but my time on set with my cast and crew has been absolutely amazing. It is very important for me to have fun in the making. I like to laugh a lot ...

Your moon tour?

(Pause) I want to be the first entertainer to perform on the moon. It has always been a dream. I have actually just returned from NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, flying the Zero-G Lunar Parabolic Flight.

What was the parabolic flight like?

I was at home. It was exhilarating, demanding, challenging, exciting. Just the beginning ... Lunar gravity makes your body feel light of course ... but it's really the heart which feels light ... so light ... and every breath you take has a purpose. I'll be making a short film about my adventure.

Astroperformer (noun): The first generation of artists able to perform in outer space.

What do you have in the works?

A moon, movies, music, horses, airplanes, books, perfume, three dimensions, and more...too much to be taken seriously, you'll just have to wait and see. Stay twit!


Natasha Tsakos; http://www.natashatsakos.com/

Rosa de la Cruz

One of Miami's most prominent art collectors, Rosa de la Cruz is presently organizing the extensive de la Cruz collection to show works from her Key Biscayne home gallery in a new Design District warehouse space, which will open this December for Art Basel Miami Beach. Galleries will contain both permanent installations and rotating works. The collection, which Rosa and Carlos began in 1991, is among the top 200 private art collections in the world, featuring contemporary works by both emerging and established artists.

An interview with Rosa:

Assembling your collection?

More than assembling our collection I would say there was a moment when our house became a public art space. Many of the works that we show to our visitors are site specific installations. Artists have created the works site specific within the environment of our home.

How do you select new works?

Both Carlos and I, when we select new works, we do not do it on impulse. It is important to be aware of the artist's whole body of work before you make a decision to acquire the work. We do not acquire only one work from each artist. As you saw in our house there are rooms like the one with the paintings by Dana Schutz, where we have a large number of works of the artist.

Recent acquisitions?

In Basel this year we acquired a major sculpture by Rachel Harrison. Also recently we acquired the work of two young collaborative artists, Allora & Calzadilla. Works by Kelley Walker and Wade Guyton. Our collection is not historical and I am always traveling--it is important to be informed.

Favorite pieces in your collection?

I love all the works in our collection but Felix Gonzalez-Torres's work is very close to my heart and he has been the inspiration for understanding art in a different way.

I think of looking at art as an experience like walking on a beach or climbing a mountain. Our collection has a strong spiritual side.

The new warehouse space in the Design District?

The new space--I hope that it will be an extension to our house. It's presently under construction at 41st Street and North Miami Avenue. We will be showing works from the collection and it will also have a modest contemporary art research library which will be open to the public.

The idea of the space is that it will be a place where people can go to study art or just for pure enjoyment. Again, the whole idea behind it is to have a great experience--a happy moment in life.

I feel that we do not have a museum with a permanent collection where you can spend a day just enjoying the collection. This space will not be about shows--we have too many shows.

This is something that I have wanted to do for many years and now the dream has come true.

How could Miami be better developed as an art community?

We have to be more involved with our art schools to create a real art community. For that, we need to have more residency programs abroad and travel programs for our students. I started similar programs at the Moore Space, the alternative art venue and arts community center in the Design District, and hope to continue them in the new space.

Diana Lozano

Founder and artistic director of theatrical troupe and production company Circ X, Diana Lozano presents and performs interactive entertainment for national tours and local club and party productions. Made up of 20 conservatory-trained singers, actors, performers, and dancers, the ensemble has a repertory of over 100 hybrid productions and acts which incorporate Vegas style production numbers, clowning, street theater, cabaret, drag, fetish, mime, commedia, opera, electro, and burlesque.

An interview with Diana:

Your theater/performance background?

I have a bachelor's in musical theater from the New World School of the Arts, where I currently teach, as well as a master's from Cal Arts in performance art, design and technology. I then went on to further my studies in clowning at the Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre.

However, I have been involved in the arts ever since I was a small child. I went with my dad to one of his community theater classes when I was seven and insisted on being on stage. I knew at that moment that that is where I belonged. I continued going to the weekly classes with him and participating in the exercises.

Eventually I got cast as Helen Keller in "The Miracle Worker" directed by Mario Ernesto Sanchez. I really owe my first love of the arts to my parents who have supported me from the beginning.

Circ X beginnings?

I had just returned from clown school and was depressed because I was back running lights at a nightclub. At the end of each shift I would start what some might describe as "interpretive dance/performance art" on the dance floor. Entertained by my silly antics, Shannon Miller, the owner of club Swig Bartini, approached me about putting a show together. I jumped at the chance and solicited performers from my alma mater, New World.

How would you describe Circ X's signature interactive entertainment?

All forms of expression fascinate me. I see these different genres (burlesque, Vegas style numbers, circus acts, performance art, fetish, drag, opera) simply as tools for artists to create their work.

What is most interesting to me is when different genres and styles are fused to create new languages. My greatest influence comes from my teacher Octavio Campos who has developed what he calls Camposition Hybrid Theater Works. I could not think of a more perfect name.

How do your troupe's artists collaborate and contribute to the overall work?

Unlike other companies that simply hire interchangeable dancers and actors, I am proud to say that we function more as a collective of incredible artists. Each cast member is a visionary. Each performer in the company has his or her personal creative projects.

Through Circ X, I provide a laboratory for them to explore and risk. From character development to choreography they contribute in every conceivable fashion. As the ring master, I orchestrate the performance, draw the basic outline and then give him or her the freedom to color outside the lines.

Your performances?

Our weekly performances are as varied as the clients that book us. Most of the time we are contracted to perform interactive entertainment. By definition, we assume different characters and interact with the audience both physically and metaphysically. Our audience interactions are as diverse as the costumes we wear and each performer breathes their own life into each character.

In addition to interactive entertainment, we are also sometimes contracted to do circus acts, cabaret nights and even full-length theatrical productions. On these occasions we go through a rehearsal process, and true to our collaborative nature each performer brings their vision to the work.

Artistic accomplishments?

I am thrilled to say that we have achieved everything we have dreamed thus far, from having a nonprofit production at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts to our very own weekly cabaret show.

We have managed to do it all, even tour nationally. I would love to eventually take it to the next level, perhaps do an overseas tour. Currently, I am working on pitching a reality show based on our backstage theatrics. The hope is to get the name out there enough to be approached by bigger opportunities.

We were contacted recently via our website for a Travel Channel feature. We were extremely fortunate for the opportunity since it has resulted in tremendous exposure for us.

On a personal note, eventually I would like to produce stage theatrics for an industrial music band. Ideally, someone like Marilyn Manson, who is from my hometown in South Florida, and whose music was an influence and inspiration to me as I was growing into my craft. In fact, the first nightclub choreography I ever did was to Marilyn Manson's music.

As an imagineer, I create ...

Contradictions. The most interesting works are those that make you think and re-evaluate. There is a magnet that hangs on my dear friend and Circ X troupe member Natasha Tsakos's refrigerator door, it has three clown faces and it reads: Comforting the disturbed and disturbing the comfortable. I could not think of a more perfect manifesto.

Why do you make art?

For me ultimately, it's about connection. Art is after all a universal language. It's in that space between the spectator and the piece that magic happens, love happens. I wish I could live there forever.

I have tried many things in my life; however, nothing compares to the high I get from being on stage. It's like a drug. I stress myself out for weeks, months, rehearsing and creating, all for that next time I can be there in that space where I connect, if even for just a moment.

Without it, I go through withdrawals, I get depressed and I can't even imagine a life devoid of it. Life is not perfect. But with art, at least there is an effort. To make you think, to disturb you, to allow you the opportunity to see things differently. Ask why. Art, true art, isn't always pretty, but it's pure.

My greatest inspiration is my teacher, colleague and dearest friend Octavio Campos. He is the reason why I chose this path. It is he who compared our craft to that of a surgeon. In order to heal you, a surgeon needs to make an incision. It may hurt, but it is necessary in order to fix what is ailing you. Similarly, on a metaphysical level, artists do the same.


Diana Lozano; Circ X, http://www.circx.com/.

Michelle Bernstein

With two Miami-based restaurants, Michy's in Upper East Side and Sra. Martinez in the Design District, and MB in Cancun, chef Michelle Bernstein is in the midst of opening a new place, Michelle Bernstein at the Omphoy Ocean Resort in Palm Beach. The 2008 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: South, Michelle recently established the South Florida chapter of Common Threads, a national nonprofit cooking and nutrition program for underserved children.

An interview with Michelle:

Your specialty?

My food is a true mix of cultures, flavors and ethnicities. Not only is my background a mixed bag of Latin, Jewish, Italian, and Eastern European ... growing up in South Florida, I can't help but add flavors of Central America and the Caribbean into some of my dishes. So, I guess I would say that I have no specialty.

I was trained in classical French cookery but also my palate was trained by a Jewish Argentine mother. I love cooking fish, but I can't help knowing how to grill a good steak. Now, I also use vegetables and fruits indigenous to South Florida. I love the idea of cooking for everyone, carnivores and vegans alike.

Culinary influences?

I guess you could say that these influences, Latin upbringing, Jewish roots, French training, just combined themselves. I keep them subdued though. In other words, I don't think my food is fusion. I think you find a lot of my background in my menus, not on one dish.

On my menus today, you might find Malaysian-style fish curry with green mangoes and hearts of palm stew (I worked in Malaysia for a while) or croquetas filled with jamon serrano and melting gorgonzola dolce, fig marmalade for dipping. So from Asia to Spain in one trip not one bite!!

Business origins?

When we set out to open Michy's, my husband and I were on a plane coming back from I don't know where, trying to figure out what to do with ourselves. We were planning a beautiful restaurant on the water in Miami, when we found out the space we thought we had secured was not. So, we had to find jobs, quick. Instead of looking elsewhere, we decided to open a place for us to hang our hats.

We bought a house in Belle Meade, found a small space in walking distance from our new home, we were married a couple of months before by the way! On the flight, we were talking concepts, which we really don't so much believe in. We just wanted to open a homey restaurant for our locals, people like us that would love to walk to a good restaurant. My husband said he thought it would be cool to have small and big portions, which later became half and full.

We figured it would be a simple place, my sister could design it and we could be a laid-back couple feeding the hood, boy were we wrong. It was crazy!! People still drive from Palm Beach to have a taste; I hope it's a good one.

As for Sra. Martinez, that space was actually what I envisioned Michy's to be a few years ago. I tried getting that space before the Design District had become so popular, but I couldn't afford the rent offered to me, so I kept dreaming. A couple of years later, six months ago in fact, the space was offered to us again, but this time as a partnership with the man that previously leased the space to a restaurant that didn't quite make it.

I had a sous chef that was a wonderful talent; it was her time to become a chef, so we figured ... here we go again! David and I have been traveling to Spain to eat for years, it's our favorite. We love tapas, eating bites of food, conversing over good Spanish wine, so that was it. A tapas restaurant in the now bustling but still very "local" Design District. The tapas have now taken a bit of a Latin turn, as my palate is just that ... more Latin. So far, so good.

Signature dishes?

All of my food is comfort food. There is nothing too complicated on any of our menus, even if its foie gras, its over a cherry German-style pancake with savory maple syrup.

Some of my favorites are not my signature dishes. My favorites are the croquetas, now done in two fillings, so creamy and so darn labor-intensive but addictive. A crowd favorite at Michy's is the white gazpacho, pureed Spanish almonds, cucumbers, grapes, sherry. People always think there is cream in it, but not a drop of dairy is added, it's actually vegan.

Another favorite of mine is the patatas bravas at Sra. Martinez. Very classic Spanish tapa, changed into Latin. Crispy potato skins are filled with Huancaina sauce ... a spicy, yummy Peruvian sauce. Another nightmare to prepare as we use tiny, tiny creamer potatoes that get roasted and scooped out. We serve 4 per order, so we have to roast and scoop about 100 tiny potatoes a day, we're talking espresso spoon small. My staff hates me for that one.

Ingredients and flavors?

I love that we don't cook one ingredient most often. Our menus at both Michy's and Sra. Martinez change constantly. We use as many local ingredients as possible, that is how we begin coming up with dishes. If there isn't much available, for example in the summer when it's much too hot and there's too much rain to grow, we look to other cities and their goodies.

I don't know if you can call my ingredient combinations unique, but I do have fun. I just make the best of each ingredient. Give them personality but always keeping their flavor profiles, no matter what country's flavors we are inspired to give those ingredients.

Food and wine pairings?

The whole yellowtail snapper at Michy's with a Riesling Auslese Leiwener Laurentiuslay, by Carl Loewen, Mosel 2006. The sweetness and slight acidity is delicious with the spiciness of the curry sauce.

Fried chicken at Michy's with a Rose, by Muga, Rioja 2008. I can't think of anything better than eating fried chicken in the hot Miami summer with a refreshing rose, resembles a picnic.

Shrimp tiradito at Sra. Martinez with an Albarino, by Do Ferreiro, Rias Baixas 2006. Because of the proximity to the coastline, the wine shows mineralities and a certain saltiness with seafood. The crisp of the wine and acidity goes great with the Peruvian chili in the dish.

Gigante beans with duck sausage and port wine redux at Sra. Martinez with a Mencia, Vina Caneiro, by D. Ventura, Ribeira Sacra 2007. Has a good amount of ripe fruit, yet earthiness to hold up to the sausage and port wine. An Old World wine with some New World character.

Common Threads?

Common Threads is a foundation started by Art Smith in Chicago, he is a chef and incredibly generous individual. CT teaches children the importance of nutrition, physical wellness, cultural diversity, and socialization skills through cooking.

It's such a simple process but the outcome is unbelievable. We take a culture, country, nationality and teach them food from there each week. Then we all eat together and read and speak about the similarities and delicious differences about that country.

I was asked to partake in a benefit in Chicago, and what's not to love! I had to bring it home with me.

Cooking in Miami?

The Miami dining scene is only getting better. It has been sort of slow developing but what a difference a few years makes.

Not only do we still have the amazing talents of our own chefs like Allen Susser, Mark Militello, Cindy Hutson, and Tim Andreola but we now have accomplished chefs that have recently arrived like Scott Conant, John Critchley at Area 31 and Alfred Portale.

We have delicious, small local restaurants like Hy Vong, La Camaronera and Garcia's. I just wish we had more of these gems. More really good hole in the walls, great Chinese food, Thai food, and Mexican grub. These are the restaurants that truly make a city a city.

Michelle's Watermelon Greek Salad

4 cups diced 1/2-inch seedless watermelon or regular, seeded watermelon (about one quarter of a medium)
2 large beefsteak tomatoes, cut into 8 wedges each
2 cups 1/4-inch diagonal slices peeled English (seedless hothouse) cucumbers
1 cup crumbled feta cheese, preferably French (about 4 ounces)
1 cup pitted Nicoise olives
2 tablespoons fresh dill leaves

Put the watermelon, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, olives, and dill in a large bowl. Drizzle with half the vinaigrette and toss gently, taking care not to break up the fruit and vegetables. Add more dressing if desired and toss again.

Red Wine Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon za'atar (optional; can be found at Middle Eastern markets)
1/2 cup olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Put the vinegar, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and za'atar, if using, in a small bowl. Whisk in the olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 4-6


Michelle Bernstein; http://www.chefmichellebernstein.com/.

Silvia Karman Cubina

Executive director and chief curator of the Bass Museum of Art in Miami Beach, Silvia Karman Cubina promotes ideas, art and dialogue through exhibition, educational and community programming. Appointed last October, Silvia previously directed the Moore Space, an experimental art site in Miami's Design District, and has served as an independent curator since 1997.

An interview with Silvia:

Your interest and career in art?

The very first art experience I can remember was in third grade when each of us in class had to do a report on an aspect of Puerto Rican culture (I grew up in PR) and I chose Puerto Rican painters and presented a very, very long report. The teacher loved it, but my friends kid me even today that the presentation went on for three days.

On a more serious note, I realized I was headed towards a career in art when in college I began taking art history courses while doing an internship at a nonprofit arts organization in Boston.

In the '80s, curatorial studies were not common, maybe even non-existent, so I became a curator without really knowing I was a curator, just by working with artists. One could say artists taught me how to be a curator. It took me many shows before I realized I was a curator and a few years until I called myself a curator.

Your work at the Bass Museum?

My work so far at the Bass Museum is an expanded version of what I was doing in my previous position as director/curator of the Moore Space in the Design District. Although my management style has not changed much, a big difference is having more staff to develop programs more thoroughly and being able to disengage a little from details and focus on planning, curatorial vision and institutional development.

I read a great quote the other day by Gustav Mahler: "Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." The Bass Museum is fortunate to have a collection of outstanding Renaissance and Baroque works of art and one of my goals is to energize the scholarship, enhance accessibility and, together with the board, gather the kind of people around this museum that would make it a creative, interesting and fun meeting place.

Plans regarding programming?

The exhibition program under my directorship began with The Endless Renaissance, an exhibition drawing parallels between art from the past and contemporary art.

Throughout the next three years, there will be a series of exhibitions thematically exploring dialogues between the Bass Museum collection and contemporary art under the subtitle All Art is Contemporary. Examples of topics in the near future are rituals and altarpieces.

Another very exciting project is the creation of the Egyptian Gallery. The Bass Museum owns an Egyptian sarcophagus and as of next spring we will have the only Egyptian sarcophagus on permanent view in Florida...and of course, there will always be a lot of contemporary art!

A special emphasis will be made to significantly enhance educational programming. For example, the Bass Museum has entered into a partnership with Stanford University's d.school in developing educational programs focused on creative thinking skills. Idea @ thebass is an in-school program using art as a catalyst to teach K-3 curriculum. It will begin at six public schools in September 2009. We have monthly family fun days, the amBASSadors, whicch is our teen council, docents, internships, lectures, concerts, and other special events.

These programs are important as they are tailored to different age and interest groups and are designed to make the Bass a more flexible place for community building and "museuming" in general. The Bass strives for people developing a lifelong relationship to art.

Museum projects?

Projects outside the museum: Bass will partner with Sleepless Night to present Night Shift, nine outdoor installations opening on November 7, 2009. Sleepless Night will feature indoor and outdoor installations and performances at locations across the city for a 13-hour night.

Most challenging art project?

The most difficult project I have personally worked on was as curator and project director for Pepon Osorio: Door to Door at Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan, a four-museum collaborative multi-site exhibition project with complicated large-scale installations and teams of about 10 people installing at each museum. A shared catalogue, invitation, press materials, educational activities, and a simultaneous opening. Needless to say, that keeping everyone on track, let alone happy, was a challenge.

Boundaries of art institutions--to what extent can there be a connection between art and daily life?

I would like to take the boundary line and push it really hard towards daily life and see how far we can go. As long as the collection is well taken care of, scholarship is impeccable and the mission is served, I think there is great leeway in this area and I think now is the time to rethink the role of museums in our community.

Role of the curator?

The role of the curator is to present, interpret, facilitate, mediate (but not too much), but most importantly, to make the experience of viewing an exhibition engaging, even fun. I think exhibitions should also provoke, delight, challenge, and sometimes infuriate, if necessary.

The curator and the space are less important than the art. The curator's responsibility I think is to know when to stand back and let the art do its job.

What is the current show about, The Endless Renaissance?

To explain The Endless Renaissance, I will describe the back wall of the exhibition, my favorite part, where Steve Holmes, the curator, presents a salon-style hanging of a collection of six Pieter Hugo photographs of African men and their hyenas juxtaposed to the Bass Museum's Hyacinthe Rigaud and John Hoppner French and British portrait paintings.

Despite the extreme cultural, media and aesthetic differences between the works, their placement underscores shared notions of heroism, pride and class as well as their formal qualities defined as traditional portraiture.


On view through October 4, The Endless Renaissance, Bass Museum of Art; http://www.bassmuseum.org/.

Rosa Mercedes

Originally from Barcelona, dancer and choreographer Rosa Mercedes has been featured as a principal dancer and soloist in flamenco, classical Spanish dance, escuela bolera, and folklore dance productions throughout Europe, Canada, the United States, and South America. Her choreography, most recently created for Florida Grand Opera's "La Traviata," combines diverse styles of dance, from historic, court and Spanish dance to ballet, jazz and modern dance. As artistic director of Duende Ballet Espanol, her dance company founded in 2002, Rosa preserves Spain's traditional dance styles and choreographs for new contemporary works.

An interview with Rosa:

Dance training?

I began studying dance in classical ballet at the age of five in Barcelona. After a few years, I began studying Russian ballet. When I was ten, I saw a performance of flamenco on TV, and decided to study Spanish dance at one of the only schools in Barcelona at the time, which was Escuela de Danza Rosita Segovia.

At that school, it was required that everyone continue with their classical ballet training in addition to the Spanish dance training. Rosita Segovia, who later became one of my mentors, ran the school. She was a major star in Spanish dance and was prima ballerina with the Spanish dancer Antonio.

Rosita taught me much more than technique. She was always emphasizing the importance of the artistry and the feeling behind the dance. This has stayed with me throughout my life and shapes much of what I do even today.

There, I studied all the forms of Spanish dance (classical Spanish dance, folklore, escuela bolera, and flamenco), as well as other styles, including historic, jazz and modern dance.

My training took me to many different dance schools throughout Spain, as well as to New York, where I studied at the renowned Alvin Ailey Dance School, Martha Graham School, Melissa Hayden School, Luigi Dance Center, and the David Howard School. Although my professional career as a dancer is in Spanish dance, many people aren't aware of my studies in all of these other styles and the impact that they have had on my dancing, and later, on my choreography.

There are differences in the variety of dance forms that make up Spanish dance.

Classical Spanish dance is a style that involves longer lines in the body as compared to the broken lines in flamenco and does not allow improvisation in the way flamenco does. Another trademark of classical Spanish dance is its use of castanets. It is normally danced to classical piano, guitar or orchestral music--specifically the master composers from Spain, including Falla, Albeniz and Turina. Later, through the fusion of styles of music, new opportunities have arisen to dance classical Spanish dance to non-Spanish composers in innovative ways.

Escuela bolera is a style of dance from Spain from the 18th and 19th centuries. It came from a fusion of European court dances mixed with the street dances from Spain at that time. It is a very difficult style, danced in soft shoe with castanets. One needs a very strong base in ballet and in castanets to dance this style. It has its own unique qualities and vocabulary of movement that have been preserved over time. Very few people understand it and can dance it well these days.

Originally, escuela bolera used more simplistic castanet work, but over the years, the castanet playing has become more and more intricate and musically challenging to where the castanet has really become a virtuoso instrument. I started to study this style in Barcelona with Rosita Segovia and later in Madrid with Aurora Pons, one of the former directors of the National Ballet of Spain and also a great expert in the Pericet style.

Folklore dance in Spain is made up of all of its regional dances, and we have one of the richest varieties in the world with hundreds of different dances. These were the dances that everyday people would do in work and to celebrate life. The dances would celebrate weddings, festivities, the harvest, etc...Each region has very different dance movement and costumes because the weather and type of work they would do is so different. They each use different instruments, which give each region its own musical sound.

One of the folklore dance styles I studied in depth is a Basque dance that happens to be the oldest of the regional dances and has similarities to Irish dancing, with very little movement in the upper body and most of the work done with the legs. Classical ballet actually uses steps from this early dance style.

Another of the styles I studied extensively is the folklore dance from Aragon, one of the most difficult that exists. It requires an incredible amount of stamina and strength, and like classical Spanish dance and escuela bolera, it is also danced with castanets. But these are different castanets than are used in the other styles and they are worn and played with an entirely different technique. I also studied folklore from Galicia, Castilla and Catalunya, among others.

Flamenco is the most well-known internationally of the styles of Spanish dance, often mistreated and misrepresented for the very reason of its wide appeal. It has gone through many changes and transformations over the years. It is danced to singing and guitar, although over the years, it has become the custom to use more and more instruments, but the most important remains the guitar and the singing. There is a great Arabic influence in the singing.

It is a very passionate dance that gives you lots of room for improvisation and requires you to infuse your personality in your dancing, expressing great emotion. The line, as opposed to the other styles, is very angular and broken. For the female dancer, one of the distinctive elements is the movement of the arms, and even more so, the hands. They can be breathtakingly beautiful, and in my case, have become one of the qualities I have been noted for throughout my career. There is a great amount of footwork involved and you need to learn to dance to an incredible number of different and complex rhythms. I studied flamenco with many of Spain's great masters in different schools in Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla.

This is all so very close to my heart and I could easily keep going on in further detail, but we can save that for another time.

You studied with some of Spain's most influential dance masters.

While still a teenager, I made the decision to move to Madrid without my family, in order to pursue my career. Madrid was the dance epicenter of Spain and I knew I needed to be there. I studied mainly at Amor de Dios, which is the most famous school for professional dancers in Spain.

Every great master I studied with there left his or her mark on me. Merche Esmeralda had a huge impact on me. She showed me that there could most definitely be elegance in flamenco and made me understand how incredibly important the singing is to flamenco. I also believe much of the beautiful arm and handwork I possess today came from my studies with her. Her arms are absolutely exquisite. She would also reiterate exactly what I heard in my studies with Rosita Segovia, which was that technique is important, but dance steps without feeling or emotion are meaningless.

Another important teacher for me was Ciro. Like Rosita, his influence on my choreography skills would later show. I picked up musicality from him, as well as fluidity in my flamenco.

Absolutely every one of the greats that I studied with made an impact on me, including Maria Magdalena, La Tati, Jose Granero, Guito, Jose Antonio and Victoria Eugenia (former directors of Ballet Nacional de Espana), Paco Romero, Pedro Azorin, Carmela Greco, and La China.

There were others, but these are the ones that shaped me the most. In other schools in Madrid, I studied ballet with Rosa Naranjo and Victor Ullate, folkore Gallego with Juanjo Linares, and I continued my studies in modern dance, jazz and period dances.

How would you describe the visual aspect of classical Spanish dance, its energy?

Classical Spanish dance has much passion and strength combined with a gorgeous flow. Its energy is elegant, refined and powerful.

As an art, what does Spanish dance demand from its performers?

Spanish dance requires its performers to dance with unbridled passion and free-flowing energy. In flamenco, whether it's the joy that must be expressed when dancing alegrias, for example, or the deep pain that must be expressed when dancing seguirilla, the spirit of the dancer is a crucial part of the dance. And that is the same in classical Spanish dance, such as in a work by Albeniz. The dancer must paint with emotion and style. I also think it is vitally important for the performer to understand Spain's deep cultural roots and identify to really grasp the flavor of its dances. I would say--to dance...don't think, FEEL!!!!!!

Your performance and choreography for Florida Grand Opera?

I began with Florida Grand Opera in 1992 as a principal dancer in "La Traviata," with choreography by Rosita Segovia. Since then, I have danced and choreographed in some 20 productions with the company. One of the great things about choreographing in opera is the wide variety of dance styles it allows for--from ballet, modern dance and Spanish dance to folk dances and court dances.

I was so happy to have been asked to choreograph the new FGO production of "Aida," the show that inaugurated the Sanford and Delores Ziff Ballet Opera House at the newly built Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Miami. The dancing in that show is so important and it was a beautiful production. Most recently, I choreographed and danced as principal dancer in my fourth production of "La Traviata" with Florida Grand Opera, also an original production.

Dance and choreography with other opera companies?

My styles of dancing and choreography have proven to work very well in opera. They are emotive, sensual and large in their energy and opera has become a very natural fit and a wonderful home for me.

I am so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with so many great opera companies--the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Opera di Roma in Italy, Dallas Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Florentine Opera, Tulsa Opera, Baltimore Opera, and many others.

Of course, the work in the big houses is truly fantastic, with what they are able to do with sets, costumes and number of dancers. But sometimes there are special moments when working in some of the regional houses, when I can work with a really special up-and-coming talent, and help to shape them in their journey to find their complete potential as an artist.

You've worked with many renowned artists.

I have such fond memories of my work with incredible artists like the late Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Renata Scotto, Denyce Graves, and Agnes Baltsa. There is a vibrant energy that follows them wherever they go, whether it is onstage or off, but what they create onstage is truly special.

I found them all so generous, sharing and vulnerable in their artistry. I think vulnerability on the stage is so important. It allows an audience to really fall in love with a performer. All of these great artists have a way of lifting others around them to greater heights than they ever thought they could go to. I really consider myself blessed to have shared wonderful moments in rehearsals, backstage and onstage with these incredible people.

Touring performances?

I've spent most of my professional life touring. Back when I was touring, Spanish dance companies used to do much longer tours than they do now. I was actually on the road most of the year dancing as a principal dancer and soloist, and for some of the companies, I was also rehearsal director and occasionally created choreography for them.

I got to see such wonderful places and got to perform in some of the most beautiful theaters throughout Europe, the United States, South America, Central America, and Canada. I learned so much about myself during those years--as both an artist and a person. The demands of performing extended tours forces you to dig really deep, as far as stamina and as far as creating spontaneous moments that move audiences, even though you have performed them sometimes over 100 times.

There were some special works that come to mind. One was "Garden of Names" that I performed with Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre. It was an emotionally very powerful piece and it stays with me even today. I also have fond memories of dancing with the renowned flamenco stars Mario Maya and Jose Greco with Maria Benitez Teatro Flamenco. Those performances were exhilarating.

I had the incredible opportunity to have Rosita Segovia choreograph "El Amor Brujo" and "El Sombrero de Tres Picos" for me, works she was very well-known for through her performances in them as prima ballerina in the dance company of the Spanish dancer Antonio. These are iconic works in the world of Spanish dance, and her performances of them were momentous. As you can imagine, working on these roles with her was very special and very challenging.

Your work with the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts?

Teaching has always been a very important part of my life. I've been doing it for over 25 years and I find it incredibly rewarding. I was delighted when the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts approached me about being a panelist and master teacher for their Young Arts Program. The NFAA works very hard to find the cream of the crop of talented young artists across the country and I am so happy to continue to have the chance to teach and hopefully inspire these young dancers year after year. It's a really wonderful program.

What have you accomplished through your repertory company, Duende Ballet Espanol?

Having a repertory company had always been a dream of mine. Since much of the latter part of my career has brought me here to the U.S., I decided to create a not-for-profit Spanish dance company here--Duende Ballet Espanol. I am passionate about ALL of the styles of Spanish dance, not only flamenco, and so it is very important to me that all of the styles be present in the repertoire of the company.

The difficulty with that is finding dancers in the U.S. who have enough training to perform all of the styles of Spanish dance on a very high level. In Spain, that wouldn't be so difficult, but here in the U.S., I have found it very challenging. It is something I am working hard towards and will continue to do so until my vision for the company becomes a reality.

To date, we have a repertoire of over 15 original pieces that include my choreography, as well as the choreography of other choreographers from Spain, in styles that range from the very traditional to the more contemporary Spanish dance.

While flamenco enjoys popularity here in the U.S., it is mostly being used for restaurants and parties. Spanish dance as a whole has not been represented very strongly here at all, except when a company like the National Ballet of Spain comes through on tour, for example.

Spanish dance and flamenco in Spain are being danced on an incredibly high level of technique and artistry and therefore have much more depth to them as vehicles for great drama and art. My hope is that, as a Spanish dance repertory company, we can elevate the quality of Spanish dance as an art form here in the U.S., and as a result, build audiences for it through productions that show it proudly for the sensual, exciting and aesthetically beautiful art form that it is.


Rosa Mercedes; http://www.rosamercedes.com/.