User:Richard Tonkin/sandbox

Carolina Lugo (Artistic & Musical Director, Choreographer and Principal Dancer) has a rich history of performing and is one of the foremost experts in Classical Spanish dance in California. Ms. Lugo is a master and virtuoso of the castanets, an integral part of Spanish dance. Her music video of “Leyenda” is shown on the nationally broadcast show “Classical Arts Showcase”. She has toured nationally and internationally with such notable companies as the Lola Montes Spanish Dance Company, Luisa Triana Flamenco Dance Company, Jose Greco, Bailes Flamencos and with many leading flamenco artists from Spain. She has been featured as a guest artist with the Los Angeles Opera, Los Angeles Symphony at the Hollywood Bowl and the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

Ms .Lugo is a national and international performer and choreographer having created over thirty-five new works for her company over the last eighteen years. She has collaborated with multiple symphonies in Northern California, Nevada and internationally in China to choreograph and perform full length Flamenco Ballet’s. She has been featured as a guest artist along with her Company with the California Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Reno Philharmonic, Mendocino World Music Festival, Peninsula Symphony, Diablo Symphony, Camellia Symphony and the Hangzhou Symphony in China giving encore performances of her critically acclaimed choreographic works of Carmen excerpts from the musical score of Zoro, the Three Cornered Hat, La Vida Bréve, Boléro, Carmen and El Amor Brujo to sell-out audiences. Carolina and Company have toured Northern California, the West Coast, Nevada and Asia over the last eighteen years. Ms. Lugo and Company have been featured artists in Tony La Russa’s “Stars to the Rescue” Benefit Concerts from 1999- 2001. She was a guest flamenco adjudicator for Old Spanish Days in Santa Barbara, CA. in 2012. Carolina has been awarded with multiple Creative Works Grants from the Diablo Regional Arts Association since1999 for her innovative fusion of flamenco with Brazilian Samba, 2000 for her fusion of flamenco and Argentine Tango dance, song and music, 2001 for her fusion of Ravel’s Bolero with Flamenco dance, song and music and 2002 for her fusion of Flamenco, Middle Eastern and Classical music, song and dance using the music of Isaac Albeniz, Leyenda. Ms. Lugo has been honored with Creative Works Grants from the Zellerbach Family Foundation since 2001 thru the present. Her artistic training in Flamenco has come from many of the great Master Artists from Spain including José Cansino, Jose Galvan, Teo Morca, Cruz  Luna, Manolo Betanzos, Concha Vargas, Antonio Vargas, Concha Vargas, Pepa Montes and was a protégé of Luisa Antonio Triana. She continues to choreograph, develop and train dancers for her company and continually takes master classes from flamenco artists in Spain. Ms. Lugo established an annual Artists in Residence Program for her company and academy students in 1998, bringing master artists from Spain to conduct classes and workshops during the spring and summer. These annual workshops are open to the Northern California Flamenco Community of students and professionals. Carolina is a sought after master teacher in Flamenco & Spanish dance performing and teaching workshops in the United States and Asia.