Today we’d like to introduce you to Katerina Tomás.
Katerina, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I’ve been dancing since childhood and started out with ballet and tap like most children do. I was fortunate enough to study with legends in the field of dance, particularly in modern dance. I was in a Children’s Dance Theater group in those early years. I also studied ballet and jazz in my teenage years and 20s into my early 30s.
Throughout my life, I’ve danced and created dances, also studying dance, choreography, dance history and dance ethnology in college at San Francisco Stage and at UCLA. In the 1980s, I was a member of the Lucas Hoving Dance Company in San Francisco. It was a time throughout the states when modern dance was the premiere and sought after by artists and their audiences. Our mentor retired after 6 years from this big company and I found time to create my own works, presenting these in festivals and in my own shows.
As our big company was collapsing, a new dance interest came my way, flamenco. When her classes were in session all we could hear were dancers stamping, clapping, singing to exotic and gorgeous guitars. I made a major switch in my career and joined Rosa Montoya’s flamenco dance class and I’ve performed, taught and choreographed flamenco dances for myself, soloists and groups since that time, so long ago!
Flamenco is powerful, passionate, light and dark and supremely challenging to even understand. It provides the basis for my current choreographic works, which combine flamenco with modern/contemporary dance, ballet, some jazz and classical Spanish dance. These new works tell stories and they are all very theatrical, This triptych includes much of Federico García Lorca’s poetry and songs, and Manuel de Falla’s iconic ballet El Amor Brujo. The new work, Toque Jondo (Deeply Touched) includes: Nana del Caballo Grande (Lullaby of the Big Horse), a song of Lorca’s from the play Bodas de Sangre (Blood Wedding); Romance Sonambulo (Sleepwalker’s Ballad) one of Lora’s Rural Ballads and Cantan Los Fuegos (The Fires Sing), a modern/urban version of code Falla’s ballet, El Amor Brujo.
The new work reveals who we are as Mojácar Flamenco. Even now when I create solo flamenco dance and
a material in classes for my students, everything looks more modern and contemporary!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road continues. My lifelong study of dance has been wonderful, revealing, incredible, amidst numerous classes, rehearsals, injuries, lack of funds and work, struggling and surviving through college and university and more.
The beauty of dance and it’s creation always wins the day. Once one event, performance or big show is over, I’m already creating the next work. I rely on all of the good and bad experiences that pull me forward to next and the next piece of art. My partner and husband, Stephen Dick is a brilliant guitarist and composer and working together has been the most help and inspiration throughout the lifelong process.
Please tell us about Mojácar Flamenco Contemporary Music and Dance.
I am the artistic director of Mojácar Flamenco and the Maestra of Studio Flamenco. Mojácar is our performing arts organization, a Studio Flamenco is our teaching entity. I specialize in flamenco dance, and also in modern/contemporary dance that fits well with flamenco and Spanish dance. Our companies are known in the L.A. Communities for Spanish, modern works with a theatrical edge. This is our best, newest pride!
If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would make sure to keep dancing, as there were times when I had to step back a bit for external work to pay the bills and other issues that appeared over the years that pulled me away from my own work. I’m happy to say that all I do at this point is flamenco art, modern/contemporary work, classes that have to do with the work and flamenco. I also write and I have written essays and reviewed other works pertaining to dance and flamenco.
Pricing:
- Private classes: $60 single class; $200 for 4 classes; $300 for 8 classes
- Group classes: $20 per class; $65 for 4 classes; $115 for 8 classes
Contact Info:
- Address: Mojácar and Studio Flamenco
721 Mound Avenue
South Pasadena, CA. 91030 - Website: www.mojacarflamenco.com, www.studioflamenco.com
- Phone: 626-403-7489
- Email: katerinatomas@sbcglobal.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/katerinasflamencolandia/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/katerina.tomas
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/Katerinafuerza
Image Credit:
Efrain Valenzuela
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