SUSANA
ELENA
Susana Elena is a solo Spanish classical and flamenco dancer who
performs to recorded music. The show is multicultural and
educational, with an emphasis on fun and entertainment for the
entire family. She has studied flamenco dance in
Sevilla, Spain with Concha Vargas and in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain
with Irene Carrasco and Juan Antonio Tejero. Additionally, she
has taken workshops with Angelita Gomez, also from Jerez, and Luis
Pena, from Sevilla.
In Los Angeles she studies classical Spanish dance with Albertossy
Espinoza, Spanish dance and castanets with Inesita, and flamenco with
Linda Andrade.
CERTIFICATION
Susana is the recipient of a certificate of completion from the Los
Angeles County Arts Commission that qualifies her to teach/perform
standards-based dance education in the classroom. She and
guitarist Almer Imamovic, collaborating as “Ecos de
España”, are listed on L.A. County’s “Arts For
All” program directory of artists qualified to work in the
schools.
PERFORMANCES
Susana performs
throughout Southern California at a variety
of venues that include restaurants, theaters, arts and multicultural
festivals, women’s and fraternal clubs, private
parties, schools, and libraries (adult & children's shows).
CHILDREN’S SHOWS
For the last several years Susana has created and implemented a fun,
informative program for children as young as five years at schools and
libraries (see School Programs). The program
consists of three to four dances, brief explanations of them, and
various ways the audiences can participate. Each choreography
tells a simple story through emotion, rhythm, and dance
technique. Different props are employed; a Cordobese hat, a
Spanish fan, a
bullfighter’s cape, a manton (Spanish shawl) and
castanets. At show’s end children are invited on stage
to
join in a simple rumba flamenca, danced with scarves. If time
permits afterward, an introductory castanet lesson is available,
and children are encouraged to try out the various props.
ALTERNATE PROGRAM FOR ADULT AND
CHILDREN’S SHOWS
This program adds a superb solo classical
Spanish guitarist, who presents a selection of timeless compositions
created for the Spanish guitar. Even young children are
spellbound by Isaac Albeniz’s
mesmerizing composition “Asturias,” as well as the
opportunity
to observe a guitarist’s mastery of his technique up close.
Experience two intrinsically Spanish art forms in one show!
MUSINGS
Dance is said to be the most ephemeral of the arts, here and gone again
moments later. But endure it does in memory and
psyche, another
body, a different costume, a new stage, studio, or
street corner. I remember the soulful ballet dancer,
Jorge Donn, who gave life and breadth to the world's great stages.
In Utrera, July 08, grandmother and flamenco singer “La
Negra,” along with her guitarist rocked, then transcended
the
stage. The youngest De Los Reyes
daughter, perhaps seven
years old, danced with uncanny instinctual, emotional purity
during her 45 seconds on a portable street corner stage in
Sevilla. The
compassionate, dedicated teachers profiled in "Dance Teacher Magazine"
bring a smile and a tear. Middle Eastern dancer Lee Ali's
brilliant choreographic portrayal of
Moroccan women unveil their playfulness, humor, humility, and
sensuality. Who was that 13 year old jazz dancer at the 2003
Orange
County Fair who danced with unbridled joy on the Heritage Stage?
And so it continues... The beauty, joy, poetry, and
passion of these and all dancers is my inspiration. My hope is to
communicate this to all audiences for whom I am privileged to dance.
.