Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater celebrates 50th Anniversary Season

When Dame Libby Komaiko fell in love with Spanish dance, she went all in. Born in Chicago and raised in Evanston, Illinois, Komaiko started her dance training at 9 years old with Elisa Stigler at the Chicago Musical College of Roosevelt University. As a teen, she studied jazz, modern and musical theater with Gus Giordano, a legendary American jazz dancer and choreographer.

During the 1975-1976 academic year, Komaiko and a group of seven students were given funding from Northeastern and Que Ondee Sola (the oldest Latiné student-run newspaper in the country) to train with renowned Spanish dancers José Greco and Nana Lorca for four weeks at the Boston Conservatory of Music. Upon her return to Chicago, Komaiko founded Ensemble Español (known today as Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater). This year, the company celebrates a remarkable milestone: its 50th anniversary.

Dame Libby Komaiko

“I think part of what makes Ensemble Español and Spanish dance so special is to know and see how art crosses all boundaries,” said Jorgé Perez, who began working with Komaiko in 1984 as a student aid while studying at Northeastern. “I mean, here is a Spanish dance company presenting dances of Spain, founded by a Russian, Lithuanian, Jewish teenage girl from Evanston, Illinois, who received a scholarship from Jose Greco — a Spanish-Italian immigrant raised in Brooklyn, New York. That’s what makes the Ensemble. From its roots to its base, legacy and home base, we just all connect from all walks of life through art.”

Though Pérez had been accepted into a few colleges and universities, it was the welcoming nature of the faculty at Northeastern, and in particular the support he received from Proyecto Pa’Lante, that solidified his choice to attend the University.

“They were just so encouraging,” Pérez said. “There were extracurricular study programs and Proyecto Pa’Lante would give us certificates and awards to encourage us as we progressed. They really followed you, guided you. Those recruitment moments are so important. It makes a difference to have a welcoming, human contact.”

Komaiko, who became a Northeastern Professor Emerita and was the first U.S. citizen to be awarded Spain’s Ribbon of the Dame by King Juan Carlos I, died in 2019 at the age of 69. Prior to her passing, she prepared Pérez (B.A. ’89 Speech) and Irma Suárez Ruiz (B.A. ’83 Spanish) to keep the company running as Executive Director and Artistic Director, respectively. Suárez Ruiz began training with Komaiko (B.A. ’77 University Without Walls) in 1979.

“I graduated from Senn High School in 1978,” Suárez Ruiz said. “That summer I attended a concert with my father at Northeastern Illinois University, where I was going to go to college. That’s when I was introduced to Ensemble Español for the first time. The company was composed of five dancers, Libby, one guitarist and one singer, and that was it! I got hooked! I was at the edge of my seat and by the end of the concert I had it stuck in my head that I needed to be an Ensemble Español dancer.”

Yet, Suárez Ruiz didn’t meet Komaiko until her younger sisters were taking Saturday dance classes at the University.

“I wanted to come to the studio, just to peek through the window, to see them dance,” said Suárez Ruiz, who became part of the company in 1980. She continued, “I’ve lived at Northeastern ever since.”

Suárez Ruiz (left), Komaiko (center), Pérez (right)

As Suárez Ruiz and Pérez danced together, they also watched the ensemble grow into a company of 40 dancers, singers, musicians and administrative staff; performing over 150 original full-length choreographies, touring seven countries and presenting more than 4,000 concerts across the globe. Ensemble Español’s youth company, for students ages 10-17, serves as a pathway to the adult company. Now in its 40th year, it was also founded by Komaiko and former Ensemble Español Board Member and Fine Arts Coordinator Lillian Heminover at the Funston Elementary School in Humboldt Park.

“We’ve gone to Poland, spent two weeks in China, and some of our dancers were studying at Northeastern at the time,” Pérez said. “So, there we were, performing and then on the bus or on the plane they were doing their work, which was just so beautiful because that’s a big part of this company too — education. If you’re part of the company, we want you to succeed, in academics and everything else, because we’ve been there too.”

Additionally, the company has welcomed more than 90 guest artists from Spain, Latin America and other parts of the U.S., who — along with Ensemble Español’s alumni, teachers, choreographers, students, donors, staff, sponsors and volunteers — have contributed to its growth and success.

“During this golden anniversary celebration, we want to express our gratitude to all the individuals who have contributed to the Ensemble over the past 50 years,” Pérez said. “Without them, we would not be celebrating this historic milestone.”

Northeastern President Emerita Salme Harju Steinberg, Ph.D., is serving as Ensemble’s 50th Anniversary Celebration Committee Chair.

“I had the privilege to know and work with Ensemble founder Dame Libby Komaiko for several decades throughout my time at NEIU,” Dr. Steinberg said. “ I learned so much from her about the art form that the Ensemble so exquisitely continues to present thanks to the leadership of Jorge Pérez and Irma Ruiz.” She continued, “I envision the 50th anniversary as a powerful ‘Olé’ into the future, as well as gratitude for all that the Ensemble and its leadership has accomplished.  The 50th anniversary is an excellent opportunity to create new friends and networks for the Ensemble, raise money, and dream about what the next half-century might look like for the Ensemble.”

Suárez Ruiz's daughter and granddaughter in "Madrileño.”

Like Komaiko, who made her debut at Northeastern in 1974 in a performance with her mother, Pérez and Suárez Ruiz have seen generations of families grow with and follow the Ensemble. From company dancers to community members and Northeastern students, people who have experienced the company have come back and brought their children to take classes or train. Suárez experienced that with her own family — first with her daughters, then her granddaughter. At eight weeks old, her granddaughter is the youngest performer in the company’s history. She appeared in “Madrileño,” a number choreographed by Suárez Ruiz, in which her mother pushed her in a buggy, stopped, lifted her up (to a grand applause), then put her back in the buggy. While they were worried the baby might cry, she never did. Suárez Ruiz called her granddaughter “a natural artist.” In contrast, the company also has a decades-long patron, former Spanish dancer Norma Papini, who is 106 years old and also trained with José Greco and Nana Lorca.

Suárez Ruiz and Pérez proudly keep Komaiko’s legacy shining brightly. The Ensemble Español has a rich history with a slew of accolades — including letters of appreciation from former Mayor of Chicago Richard M. Daley and President Barack Obama. Yet, they have also grown into well-established artists in their own rights.

In 2024 and 2026, Pérez was recognized in Newcity’s Players 50: The Institutions, noting the Ensemble Español as one of the top companies that enrich the Chicago performing arts scene. Gov. JB Pritzker proclaimed Oct. 9, 2025, Jorge Pérez Day in Illinois for his work and cultural ambassadorship with the company. On that same day, Pérez received the 2026 Beatrice Spachner award from the Auditorium Theatre for his outstanding contributions to the arts and community leadership. Earlier this month, Suárez Ruiz received a Woman Extraordinaire Award from the International Women Associates for her efforts to advance the welfare of women and children around the world, and inspiring others to do the same.

“Because I started wanting just to be a dancer, never in a million years would I have thought that I would get to where I’m at, almost 47 years later, as Artistic Director,” Suárez Ruiz said. “That was never a thought. All I wanted to do was dance, wear the beautiful costumes, learn this, learn that, be highlighted, dance with the other dancers and have fun.”

Pérez and Mayor Brandon Johnson (center) with friends and donors to Ensemble Español Lane Alexander (left) and Michael Forster (right) during a 2026 Black History Month event at the Chicago Cultural Center.  

While they both recognize that they will, eventually, have to pass their roles on, they are also excited for what the future holds.

“Even though we love it, we are thinking about the next generation of leaders,” Pérez said. “We want it to continue to grow. We were homegrown, but we know the next Executive Director or Artistic Director probably wouldn’t have been training with the company since they were teenagers. We’re working on a succession plan and splitting up our hats.”

The hope is that, eventually, the company will be able to have a core group of dancers that can perform longer tours and sustain themselves as full-time dancers along with artistic leadership. To that end, Ensemble Español recently hired Albert. as their new local, national and international agent.

What do they say to anyone who hasn’t yet experienced Spanish dance or, more specifically, Ensemble Español for themselves?

“Ensemble Español is the most beautiful Spanish dance company ever,” Suárez Ruiz said. “Come visit us in our studios, see what we’re all about, see what we do, see how we work. We’ll open up our closets so you can see the amount of costumes. We have over 2,000 costumes honoring our 157 dances in the company’s repertoire. If that doesn’t work, come see our performances. Come take a community class. You don’t have to be a dancer. You don’t have to be Spanish. Before you know it, you’ll be signed up for the next one. We have a home at Northeastern and we’re grateful for that.”

Ensemble Español offers classes for children as young as 4 years old and adults, as well as an After School Matters program. Tickets are now on sale for the 50th Anniversary Celebration performances: a community recital on April 26 on Northeastern’s Main Campus, a benefit honoring our future leaders and youth company at Grace Place on May 14 and a one-night only full company concert with guest artists and musicians from Spain at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts on June 13. Please visit the Ensemble Español website for more details and updates. 

Top photo: Six Ensemble Español dancers (three in red flamenco gowns, three in dark suits) in dance poses against a black background. Photo by Joel Maisonet.