Edwin Aparicio (director/choreographer/principal dancer)

Edwin Aparicio is an internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer who has shared the stage with such renowned artists as Carmela Greco, Omayra Amaya, Chuscales and Anna Martínez, among others. He studied flamenco in Spain with "La Tati" and Tomás de Madrid, and in 2001 made his flamenco debut at Casa Patas in Madrid. In Washington, DC, he performed with the Washington Opera at the Kennedy Center in El Gato Montés (1997) and Don Giovanni (2003).  Mr. Aparicio toured the United States with Reynaldo Rincón's Romería Flamenca, was the featured artist in 2002 and 2005 at the Chicago Flamenco Festival, and appeared at the 2004 and 2005 Flamenco in the Sun Annual Festival in Miami with Belén Maya, Pastora Galván, and José Luis Rodríguez.  In 2005, he also performed with Jóvenes Flamenco as a soloist and a company member at the Centro Cultural de San Blas in Madrid, Spain. Aparicio was the choreographer for Yerma by Federico García Lorca, GALA's premiere production in its new theater in 2005. For the past four years, Aparicio has been the coordinator and a featured performer for Fuego Flamenco Festival. Aparicio is on the faculty of The Washington School of Ballet.

Antonio Jimenez, Antonio "El Porras" (guest artist, cante)

Antonio began his professional career at the age of fifteen at the renowned tablao Café de Chinitas in Madrid.  He has worked at several world-famous tablaos, such as Torrebermejas, Corral de la Morería, and Casa Patas, among others.  He has performed around the world, in Mexico, United States, Europe, Japan, Australia, and China, working with the best flamenco artists and companies, such as El Güito, Manolete, Manuela Carrasco, Sara Baras, among others.

Basilio Garcia Clavero (guest artist, guitar)

Born in Madrid to a family of artists and writers, Basilio García Clavero began playing guitar in the classrooms of renowned Amor de Dios teachers such as Josele, María Magdalena, La Tati, Cristóbal Reyes, Ciro, La China, Manolete, et al.  His first tour of Europe was with Nuria Castejón and Pepe Luis Carmona (singer) across France, then with Leo Alonso, and on to Mexico with his dancer wife, Lola Mayo.  He worked for 4 years with Cristóbal Reyes’ company in the famous tablao Zambra, sharing the stage with well-known artists such as Antonio Canales, Joaquín Cortés, Juana Amaya, Adrián Galia, Parrita, Amina, and Joaquin Grilo.  

Basilio has toured and performed worldwide, and with Manolete, he has performed in some of the most prestigious theaters around the world, including: The Real, New Apollo, Lope de Vega (Madrid), Villa Marta, Isabel la Católica, Lope de Vega (Sevilla), and Queen Elizabeth (London).  He has also performed throughout the US as part of the Flamenco USA festival alongside artists such as Manuela Carrasco, Farruquito, Juana Amaya, and Antonio Canales.   

Basilio is also known for his work as a composer, and has composed original music for various productions, including music for the play Lorca directed by Cristina Rota and for Amargo and Poeta en Nueva York by Rafael Amargo’s company.  Some of his other works include: La casa de Bernarda Alba (La Tati), Madre (La Tati), Mi Camino (Manolete), Destemplao (María Juncal) and Ana Frank y su encierro (Maria Juncal).  He composed the music for María Juncal’s award-winning performance of farruca at the prestigious Certamen de Cordoba competition.   

Earlier in 2008, Basilio won the award for original music at the XV Certamen de Musica y Coreografia de Madrid, and received the “Desplante” award at the La Union en Murcia with honorable mentions.  Basilio has also participated in DVD productions of Furia Amaya and Varón de Dolores, directed by Juan Andrés Maya. 

Richard Marlow (guitar)

As a young child, Ricardo (Richard) Marlow was introduced to the guitar by his father, the eminent classical guitarist John E. Marlow. He went on to receive a degree from the James Madison School of Music (James Madison University) in 1997. Mr. Marlow subsequently took up the flamenco guitar and studied with master, Gerardo Núñez, in Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain. He has performed with the “Danza del Río Flamenco Company”, with Ana Martínez and Paco de Málaga, Anna Menendez, and since 1997, with the “Arte Flamenco” Dance Company.

Mr. Marlow fulfilled an essential role in Edwin Aparicio’s productions of “Bailes Inéditos”, “Encuentros” and “Íntimo”, where he shared stages with Jesús Montoya, Alfonso Cid, Roberto Castellón, “La Truco”, and Carmela Greco. In 2005, Mr. Marlow performed at the 20th Mayor’s Art’s Awards at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall and Manuel de Falla’s El Amor Brujo, with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra at Strathmore in Rockville and at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore. Mr. Marlow regularly performs at theaters, museums and flamenco venues in the Washington, DC and Baltimore metropolitan areas.

Behzad Habibzai (percussion/guitar)

Mr. Habibzai was born in 1983 in Hamburg, Germany.  His family originates from Kabul, Afghanistan.  Originally a drummer, classically trained percussionist, and self-taught composer, Mr. Habibzai began playing flamenco guitar at the age of 14.  He began playing the cajon four years later.  Mr. Habibzai has performed in numerous shows with some of the best artists in the United States and abroad, such shows include Edwin Aparicio’s Camino al/Flamenco and Selected Works, Anna Menendez’ Pastora: Pena Flamenca I & II, Bailes Ineditos (Aparicio/Menendez), and recently with the Philadelphia-based company Pasion y Arte (Elba Hevia y Vaca).  Mr. Habibzai has given numerous workshops and lectures at universities such as The Peabody Conservatory and George Mason University, as well as festivals such as the Mid-Atlantic Guitar Festival. Behzad maintains a busy schedule performing regularly at various venues in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, while teaching flamenco guitar, flamenco percussion, and drums at the Guitar Gallery in Washington, D.C.  Behzad can be heard playing cajon and percussion on Don Soledad’s debut album Camino de Seda.

"La Genoveva" (principal dancer / assistant director)

After receiving basic training in flamenco dance in Austin, Genevieve Guinn, “Genoveva”, went on to study extensively in Spain with several internationally acclaimed masters, including José Maya, El Torombo, Cristóbal Reyes and Farruquito. While in Spain, she worked with several flamenco dance companies such as “Compañía María Juncal”, Cristóbal Reyes’s “Las Cosas del Flamenco”, and “Gitana Cortés Company” of Joaquín Cortés.  She has also performed in a number of world-class tablaos in Spain and Mexico, and was invited to impart classes and to participate in prestigious conferences around the world, including in the International Dance Conference in Taiwan in 2004. In the United States, she has shared the stage with such internationally celebrated artists as Chuscales, Pedro Cortés, “La Truco”, and Jesús Montoya. 

“Genoveva” has been based in Washington DC since 2006, where she imparts flamenco classes and performs regularly. Since re-establishing in the United States, she has been performing under the direction of Edwin Aparicio in the productions Al Andalús (commissioned by the Creative Alliance of Baltimore), Camino / al flamenco (Washington DC), and the nationally acclaimed work Entresueño (Washington DC, Chicago, Pittsburg PA, New York City). Since 2007 she has worked as Mr. Aparicio’s Assistant Artistic Director for the productions Flamenco: Sol y Luna (Portland OR) and Edwin Aparicio: Selected Works (Washington DC, Baltimore MD). 

In 2008 “Genoveva” appeared in the music video by Nyee Moses and was the guest artist in the Forever Flamenco series under the direction of Timo Núñez in Los Angeles CA. Most recently, she was the choreographer for the GALA Hispanic Theatre’s highly praised production of García Lorca’s Bodas de Sangre, directed by the acclaimed Hugo Medrano. 

Defne Enç Lujan (guest artist, dance)

Defne Enç Lujan began her dance studies in classical ballet at the age of 5 and was soon thereafter performing in theaters throughout Southern California.  Her career as a professional flamenco dancer began in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1995, and she has since then worked both as a company member and as a soloist with many flamenco companies throughout the United States and abroad.  She currently resides in Madrid though she travels extensively throughout Europe and the United States in her work as a dancer, choreographer and teacher.  At present she is working on an innovative contemporary choreography project, parts of which have already been performed in San Francisco, Istanbul, Madrid, and Girona, where she was a finalist in the prestigious Dansalt Choreography Competition. 

Anna Menendez, originally from Baltimore, Maryland is a flamenco dancer based in Washington, D.C.  She has danced on many local and national stages.  Anna has appeared in Edwin Aparicio’s productions of “Bailes Ineditos”, “Encuentros”, “Camino al Flamenco”, “Entresueños” and “Intimo” with Carmela Greco.  Anna has performed in over 50 children’s concerts with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO).  In 2003, ’04 and ’05 the BSO contracted her to perform in their prime time “Symphony with a Twist” series.  In 2003 and 2004 she performend with renowned classical guitarist Manuel Barrueco and in ’05 choreographed Falla’s “El Amor Brujo” which she presented with a company of dancers with the BSO for sold out performances at the Strathmore nd the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.  Most recently Anna appeared in “Espejos” which was presented at the Jack Morton Auditorium of the George Washington University and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture of Spain.  In “Espejos” she collaborated with Spanish tenor Israel Lozano and guitarist Salva de Maria of “Noche Flamenca”. 

Anna is a 200 recipient of the Artistic Fellowship award from the D.C. Council for the Arts and Humanities for excellence in Flamenco dance.  Anna currently teaches at the American Dance Institue in Rockville, Maryland.

Kyoko Terada (dance / assistant director)

Kyoko Terada began her flamenco studies in Washington, DC with Edwin Aparicio and Anna Menendez, and continued her training in Miami with Estrella Morena and Damaris Ferrer.  In 2003, she was invited to join Bailes Ferrer, which offered opportunities to perform original works by Belén Maya, Andrés Marín, Israel Galván, Pastora Galván, and Omayra Amaya.  She has performed in South Florida’s most prestigious theaters, sharing the stage with internationally renowned artists such as Manolete and José Luis Rodríguez.  While in Miami, Kyoko also danced at many of the tablaos, and was faculty member of Arts Ballet Florida, where she taught flamenco to students of all ages.   

In 2007/8, she toured throughout Europe and the Caribbean as a guest artist on the Royal Caribbean and Cunard cruise ships.  For the past 7 years, Kyoko has attended the Festival de Jerez in Spain where she has studied intensively with Rafaela Carrasco, Mercedes Ruiz and Domingo Ortega.  Most recently, she has moved back to the DC area and has joined Edwin Aparicio Flamenco Company.  

Sarah Hart (dance)

Sarah Louisa Hart began to study Flamenco in 2002 and has studied with Anna Menendez, Edwin Aparicio and Genevieve Guinn. Sarah has done workshops in Washington, DC with Carmela Greco, Nelida Tirado and Defne Enc Lujan, and in Spain with Manuel Linan and “La Chiqui” de Jerez. Sarah has performed in Anna Menendez’s company, Pastora Flamenco Ensemble in Peña Flamenca I & II and with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. She has appeared at other venues including American University’s Greenburg Theatre and the Atlas Theatre and in area tablaos. This is Sarah’s fourth production with Edwin Aparicio. 

Lisa Scott has been dancing flamenco since 2000. She began her studies locally with Ziva Cohen and continued her studies with Edwin Aparicio, Anna Menendez, and Genevieve Guinn. Lisa has performed professionally in Edwin Aparicio & Anna Menendez's collaborative work, Bailes Ineditos; in Edwin Aparicio's Encuentros featuring "La Truco"; and in the Pastora Flamenco Dance Ensemble's performance of Peña Flamenca and their performance of Manuel de Falla's Ritual Firedance with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, both under the direction of Anna Menendez. Lisa's passion for flamenco has also led her to travel annually to Spain. For the past 7 years she has studied intensively in Jerez de la Frontera with some of today's most celebrated dancers, including Rafaela Carrasco and Mercedes Ruiz. 

Dana Shoenberg has been dancing flamenco in the Washington area since 1995.  She has performed at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Organization of American States, the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Gala Hispanic Theatre, and other theatres, museums, embassies, and performance spaces in the region.  She has danced with the Washington Opera (Le Cid and Dona Francisquita) and with flamenco performing groups including the Edwin Aparicio Dance Company, Ana Martinez dancers, Arte Flamenco with Natalia Monteleon, and Ziva’s Spanish Dance Ensemble, and was a guest artist with Pastora, directed by Anna Menendez.  She has studied in Spain and the U.S. with artists including La Tati, Carmela Greco, Juana Amaya, Omayra Amaya, Gloria de Jerez and many others.

Flor began her studies in 1990 in Argentina and spent the following nine years traveling frequently to Spain to study in Madrid, Jerez and Seville with some of Spain’s most prominent teachers and performers.

In Argentina, Flor danced at several important tablaos of Buenos Aires and formed the group Siñela Jucal. In 2001, Flor moved to New York to continue her performing career with artists such as Chuscales, La Conja, Andrea del Conte and others in galas and on the stages of venues such as Mesón Flamenco, Tapería Madrid, Don Luca and Ñ Tapas Bar. She has performed with Los Canasteros, the well-known gypsy family group led by La Repompa.

Flor went on tour with the Compañia Flamenca de la Misión, traveling as a soloist to Idaho, California and Oregon. She also participated in the Fiesta Flamenco and Festival Latino in Boston with the group Jaleo.  Flor has produced several flamenco productions, including Rojo Flamenco, which was presented in Nuyorican Poets Cafe.

In 2006 Flor performed in the well-known and respected tablao "Las Carboneras". In 2007 she performed in "La Lupe" and other Flamenco venues in Madrid. Since 2007, she resides, teaches and performs in Washington D.C.

Yolit Yospe-Kachlon started dancing ballet, modern, jazz and folk dancing in her native Israel for 9 years before she was introduced to the art of flamenco and classical Spanish dance. Yolit has been dancing flamenco for over 12 years, starting in Israel with teachers such as Carmel Natan-Shelly, Silvia Duran, Timo Lozano and more.  Since arriving to the US in 2004, she has studied with world renowned dancers such as Eli "La Truco", Manuel Liñan, Marcos Flores, Monica Fernandez, Manolo Marin and more.  She has performed with Ziva’s Spanish Dance Ensemble. Yolit has been dancing and performing with the Flamenco Aparicio Company and doing freelance flamenco work throughout the Washington, DC area.