ÓSCAR VALERO

Óscar Valero began studying classical Spanish and flamenco dance as a child in his native Valencia, Spain. By seventeen years of age, he was dancing professionally with the dance company Ballet Español de Martín Vargas. He was selected as first dancer, in 1996, for the production of Flamenco Fantasy, which had its 1 1⁄2 year run in the Parque España, Japan. He returned home thereafter to become first dancer of the Ballet Flamenco del Benidorm Palace, headed by Emilio Hernández. Later he relocated to Madrid, where he continued his flamenco dance studies with some of Spain's preeminent artists: Antonio Canales, La China, Manuel Soler, Domingo Ortega, Belén Fernández, Manuel Reyes, Manolo Marín, María Pagés, Manolete, and Alejandro Granados, among others.

During the years 1998 through 2000, Óscar was positioned as soloist dancer with the company of Antonio Canales and was the featured artist in the company's productions of Gitano, Torero, Bengues, Raíz A Cuerda and Tacón. Contemporarily, he was also engaged with the dance company of María Pagés and performed in its productions of La Tirana, Flamenco Republic, and El Perro Andaluz.

Óscar has participated in the most famous flamenco festivals in Spain: Festival de Jerez, Festival de Cantes de las Minas (La Union), and La Bienal de Sevilla and has appeared with Antonio Canales in the international festivals of Lyon (France), Bogotá (Colombia), Tel Aviv (Israel), Spoleto (Italia), and Tokyo (Japan). He accompanied María Pagés in the festivals of Boston and New York City, which featured such artists as Farruquito, Carmen Linares, and Manolo Sanlúcar, and was filmed for Spanish television with Sara Baras and José Mercé by TVE1's Los Premios de la Música (Spain's version of MTV). He also appeared in a made-for-television film about the life of Cristina Hoyos entitled Despacito y a Compás.

In 2004, Óscar was invited to New York to perform as soloist dancer with Andrea del Conte's Danza España for its twenty-fifth anniversary production at the Thalia Theater. In 2005, he participated, by special invitation, in the Flamenco Festival of Chicago.

In addition to dancing and choreographing, Óscar is a professional cajonist and singer who has shared the stage with Manuel Soler, El Pirania, Ramon Porrina, and Lucki Losada. An instructor during his spare time, he teaches workshops in dance and percussion throughout Europe, Japan and the United States.

Óscar inaugurated the Flamenco Festival in Valencia (2006), sharing the stage at El Palau De La Musica with Tomatito and Eva La Yerba Buena, and most recently performed at  the Chicago Flamenco Festival 2007.

Currently living between the United States and Spain, Óscar has created a flamenco dance company in New York. He presented his re-creation of Fuerza at the renowned Baryshnikov Arts Center and more recently presented El Swing del Flamenco to a sold-out audience at the JCC Arts Center.

He was a soloist in the opera Carmen in Chautauqua last summer as well as a dancer for the same opera in The Metropolitan Opera in New York.