Ensemble Español, in residence at Northeastern Illinois University, will host “Flamenco Passion” as part of the company’s 47th American Spanish Dance & Music Festival.
Performances will take place June 16-18 at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, Illinois. Tickets are $25-$55. Use discount code NEIU to receive $10 off tickets.
The festival, which takes place June 16-24, will be held on the University’s Main Campus and will consist of 44 non-credit classes in the Escuela Bolera, Folklore and Flamenco styles including Flamenco guitar, song and percussion. Courses will be offered for beginners, intermediate and advanced levels. This year’s star lineup of instructors include: Ensemble Español Artistic Director Irma Suarez Ruiz, guest artists Raquel Gomez, Isaac Tovar, Irene “La Chiqui” Lozano, Jose Moreno and Paco Fonta.
Ensemble Español was founded in 1976 by Northeastern alumna Dame Libby Komaiko (1949-2019). The company is the premiere Spanish dance company and center in the U.S. with a professional and unique residency at Northeastern. Under Artistic Director Irma Suárez Ruiz and Executive and Associate Artistic Director Jorge Perez, the Ensemble continues its mission of preservation, presentation and promotion of Spanish dance and culture and identifies its influence on Latin American art and dance in both traditional and contemporary formats. They forge ahead as the leaders in Spanish dance and culture with a commitment to our communities, via performances, education, school residencies, academic university programs, festivals and tours locally, nationally and internationally. Ensemble Español remains committed to its roots in education and mission of educational, artistic, and social development. The company’s incredibly rich history includes serving more than 30,000 students annually, training over 90 company dancers and 160 Youth Company dancers from ages 12 to 18, hosting more than 90 international guest artists and musicians from Spain and the Americas, awarding over 2,600 scholarships to talented aspiring dancers, musicians and educators, and tours and residencies of the U.S. and abroad including Hawaii, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Poland, Australia, Canada, China and Spain.
Top photo: Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater in “Pasion Oculta (Hidden Passion),” choreographed by Artistic Director Irma Suárez Ruiz. Photo by Dean Paul.
