A Fantasic Night of Flamenco with Joelle Gonçalves, Kerensa DeMars,Clara Rodriguez and Esteban Bello Friday 7/22/16 Potluck 7-8 PM So (Please bring food and Drink) Performance 8-10PM Art House Gallery & Cultural Center 2905 Shattuck Ave. Berkeley CA 94705 [hidden] ALL AGES Wheelchair Accessable $10-$20. Donation Please Support The Arts Clara Rodriguez Clara Rodriguez is Artistic Director of Oakland-based AguaClara Flamenco, and is recognized as one of the leading flamenco performers in the region, bringing a lifetime of immersion in the art form to her craft. She has been a featured soloist in productions throughout the United States, performing in the flamenco tablaos of Granada, Spain, and was invited to perform at the Jaipur Palace of India. She has performed at the Paramount Theatre of Oakland, San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, War Memorial Opera House, Palace of Fine Arts, Greek Theatre of Los Angeles, Segerstrom Concert Hall, and numerous other venues around the country. AguaClara Flamenco recently presented a new work, Diálogos at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco produced by the Azahar Dance Foundation. As an active member of the local flamenco scene, Clara performs regularly at venues such as Thirsty Bear, The Sound Room, Rhythmix Cultural Work and Yoshi’s. As a flamenco vocalist with a degree in Ethnomusicology from UCLA, training in Orff Schulwerk method and 15 years of study as a classical pianist, Clara is a sought after instructor who utilizes her experience as a music teacher in the dance studio. Joelle Gonçalves Joelle Gonçalves began her flamenco dance journey with a local school in Santa Rosa, CA. and quickly developed as a promising dancer while she was taking classes and earning her degree in Art History. In 2003 she traveled to Sevilla, Spain, to study with Jose Galvan and has returned to Spain several times since then to study with world famous artists such as Manuel Betanzos, Paky del Rio, and Pilar Ortega. She has also studied at The Institute for Spanish Arts in Santa Fe, New Mexico, with visiting Spanish artists such as Antonio Granjeros and Angel Munoz, among others. As a professional dancer and director of Sol Flamenco, she has received awards from the Sonoma Arts Council and in 2009 she received a personal letter from Cirque du Soleil talent scout, Guilio Scatola, requesting her audition (after seeing her perform at the San Francisco Palace of Fine Arts) for the production of Ka. Most recently she performed at the Yerbabuena Center for the Arts in San Francisco at an awards ceremony sponsored by KQED honoring important members of the Latino community. During this time she was also featured in a commercial honoring the life of Betty Rodriguez, sponsored by KQED and Union Bank. Kerensa DeMars Kerensa DeMars is a San Francisco based Flamenco dancer, choreographer and instructor. Known for her unique synthesis of Flamenco and Middle Eastern dance she has performed internationally at venues including London's Royal Festival Hall, the Teatro Calderón of Madrid, the Tivoli Theater in Barcelona and San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts. She has directed theatrical productions of Flamenco and Middle Eastern dance in the US and abroad including Zahara, a collaboration of Flamenco and Moroccan artists which premiered at the Cowell Theater. She was recently nominated to serve on the Isadora Duncan Dance Awards Committee and directs San Francisco's weekly ‘Flamenco Room’ show, now in its thirteenth consecutive year. Kerensa is the artistic director of the San Francisco Flamenco Dance Company which will present the premiere of 'Mares' at the Brava Theater (SF) September 17-18, 2016. ESTEBAN BELLO Reviews – North American Newspapers "The most expressive classical guitarist I have ever heard." --Carlos Montoya "Strikingly pure, eminently musical, well-rounded virtuosity." --New York Times "Magnificent! Utterly enchanting! A master performer!" -- Anchorage Daily Times "A superb recitalist whos playing showed extreme sensitivity to the poetic aspects of music." --Buffalo Evening News "Extraordinary technique!. . .plays with great sensitivity and insight." --Springfield News "A performer of musical sensitivity and great expressive power." -- New Haven Register "Surprising subtleties of coloring and a rhythmic sense that must be heard to be appreciated. This varied program proved the masterful articulation and exquisite attention to phrasing Esteban Bello possesses." --the Viriginia Pilot "A truly remarkable guitarist." --Montreal Star "Bello made the complicated Bach Chaconne almost sound easy." --Philadelphia Inquirer "Esteban Bello played the Rodrigo Concierto de Aranjuez magnificently! Remarkable technique and beautiful articulation." --Anchorage Daily News More Info below.