LAURA MONTES 

Laura Montes began studying dance in New York City at the age of six.  Her studies continue here and in Spain.  She has taken classes both in New York and in Spain from Andrea Del Conte, Maria Magdalena, El Guito, La Repompa de Malaga, Raquel Heredia, La Meira, Israel Galvan, Isabel Bayon and Rafaela Carrasco.  Most recently she has been studying with El Farruquito and his mother, La Farruca in Sevilla, Spain.   She dances with the Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Company, Andrea Del Conte Danza España, and the Philadelphia based Pasion Y Arte Flamenco Company.  She has performed at Symphony Space, the Lincoln Center Clarke Studio Theater, the Thalia Spanish Theater, the Joyce Theater and the Fountain Theater in Hollywood, CA.  In the spring of 1998, Ms. Montes performed at the annual Flamenco Festival in Albuquerque, NM with the Carlota Santana Spanish Dance Company.  She also dances in the productions of La Traviata and Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center.  Laura Montes can be seen dancing in various “tablaos” in the New York City area where she resides.  

LIA OCHOA

 A New York city based flamenco dancer, Lia dances regularly as a soloist in  tablaos in the tri-state area, such as Alegrias, Xunta, Ñ, Flor de Sol, and  Cavo.  Since 2005, she has been a dancer with Flamenco Vivo Carlota  Santana touring and performing throughout the US, including the Joyce  Theater in NYC.  Lia is also a company dancer with Omayra Amaya’s  Flamenco Dance Company, and Oscar Valero’s Fuerza.  Before moving to  New York, she developed, directed, and danced in Paragon Theatre  Company’s yearly fundraising show “The Soul of Flamenco” in Denver  Colorado, as well as assistant directed the show “Don Juan Flamenco”,  starring Rafael Campallo and presented in the 2004 Bienal de Flamenco in  Seville, Spain.  Lia trained at the Cristina Heeren Flamenco Foundation with Milagros Menjibar, Rafael and Adela Campallo, Manolo Soler, and Javier Baron, as well as with Pilar Ortega, among others.  In January 2009, you will see her dancing in the movie Pink Panther 2 with Steve Martin.

Since her arrival to New York City in January, 2006, Rebeca has been performing on the New York City Flamenco circuit at tablaos such as Ñ, La Nacional, Xunta, Suba, Meson Asturias, and Marbella.  She has also been performing and doing Arts Education in conjunction with Carlota Santana’s company “Flamenco Vivo.”

Previous to her time in New York, Rebeca spent numerous years living between Spain and the U.S., performing, teaching, and conducting workshops in both places. As a solo artist in Spain, she worked at various tablaos, including Al Andalus, El Teatrillo, El Juglar, and Las Carboneras, one of the leading tablaos in Madrid.  She also worked closely with Flamenco Troupe “La Yedra,” with whom she has appeared in a variety of theaters and tablaos throughout the Madrid area, including La Plaza de las Artes, Teatro Francisco Rabal (Pinto), and Teatro F. Garcia Lorca (Parla).  In the Fall of 2004, Rebeca and “La Yedra” also did a tour of Upstate New York.

In the U.S., Rebeca has been an adjunct faculty member for the University of Rochester’s Program of Movement and Dance, instructing Flamenco, and continues her work as a contracted artist for Young Audiences of Rochester, performing and teaching the art and culture of Flamenco to children of all ages.   

Rebeca has trained at the internationally renowned Flamenco Academy “Amor de Dios” in Madrid, studying under such figures as Rafaela Carrasco, La China, Manuel Liñan, María Magdalena, La Tacha, and Manuel Reyes.  Prior to Madrid, she studied in Granada, at Carmen de las Cuevas and at the Escuela de Danza Española with Maite Galán.