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Artistic Direction / Choreography / Dress Design / Planning : Mizuho Sato
Invited Artists
Cante & Baile : Clare Rodriguez
Guitar : Jesse Torre
Dance : Mizuho Sato & Company
Musicians' Biography
Clare Rodriguez
Clara Rodriguez is artistic director and founder of AguaClara Flamenco, based in Oakland, CA. She has been training and working professionally in the flamenco world for nearly 30 years, and has since been a featured soloist in productions throughout the United States, Spain, Portugal and India.
At an early age in her native Santa Barbara, California, she began training with Roberto Amaral, Linda Vega and Kathy Cota in Flamenco and Spanish Classical dance, attending workshops with visiting artists from Spain including Eva La Yerbabuena, Belen Maya, Domingo Ortega and Andres Marin.
After completing her B.A. in Ethnomusicology at UCLA, Clara began working in the local tablaos or flamenco dance venues in Los Angeles. During this period she performed with Soniquete Flamenco directed by Jose Tanaka, España Clásica directed by Roberto Amaral, and was featured soloist in multiple “Forever Flamenco” productions at the Fountain Theatre. In the Los Angeles area she has performed at the Greek Theater, Kodak Theater, Segerstrom Hall, Irvine Barclay and Alex Theater. In 2005 she joined guitarist Benise as a flamenco soloist in a PBS Special and twenty-city US tour “Nights of Fire". She was invited to India along with the company to perform at Jaipur Palace. In 2007 she was featured in the music video Boy with a Coin by artist Iron and Wine.
During the three years she resided in southern Spain, Clara performed regularly at such venues as Tablao Albayzin, Venta el Gallo, Eshavira, and Zoraya de los Jardines in Granada alongside such noted artists as Rafalín Habichuela, Emilio Maya, Ana Calí and Juan Angel Tirado amongst others. She has studied extensively in Sevilla, Granada and Madrid with master teachers Juana Amaya, Concha Vargas, Andrés Marín, Isabel Bayón, Andres Peña, Úrsula Lopez, Ana Calí, Patricia Guerrero and a host of others. During this time she also studied flamenco singing with Inés Bacán of Lebrija.
In 2010 she relocated to the San Francisco Bay Area and established the company AguaClara Flamenco in 2011. The company presented “Somos Tierra: A Flamenco Landscape” in 2012 and "Diálogos" in 2015 at the Cowell Theater in San Francisco, produced by the Azahar Dance Foundation. In 2016 the company presented “Martinete” at the San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, and was commissioned by the festival in 2018 to present a piece in the 40th anniversary performance at the War Memorial Opera House. AguaClara Flamenco has presented in the 2016-2018 San Francisco International Arts Festival. The company holds a monthly performance cycle at the beloved local jazz club The Sound Room in downtown Oakland.
In addition to her company, Rodriguez is frequently featured as soloist with the leading flamenco companies of the region including Yaelisa Caminos Flamencos, La Tania Baile Flamenco, and Theatre Flamenco. She performs regularly on the local flamenco circuit, with appearances at Thirsty Bear, The Sound Room, Yoshi’s, Rhythmix Cultural Works, The New Parish, La Peña Cultural Center, Ashkenaz and others. She has appeared on the stages of San Francisco’s Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, War Memorial Opera House, Palace of Fine Arts, deYoung Museum, and the Paramount Theatre of Oakland. She performed as vocalist in the production of Yatra with the legendary Chitresh Das and Antonio Hidalgo of Flamenco Vivo Carlota Santana. As a company member of Caminos Flamencos “Nuevas Tendencias”, the group was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award for “Best Company” in 2015. In February 2019 she was featured flamenco vocalist and dancer in Adam del Monte's flamenco opera Llantos 1492 premiering in the Desert Song Festival in Tucson, AZ.
In 2018 she became Adjunct Faculty at UC Berkeley teaching flamenco dance. She currently holds regular dance classes in Oakland and also offers workshops outside the Bay Area. She has been working for the past 3 years with the flamenco guitar program at Central High School in Fresno, CA. A lifelong musician in addition to her dance career, Clara is a classically trained pianist and holds a Bachelor of Arts from UCLA in Ethnomusicology.
Jesse Torre
Guitar, Music Theory
Jesse Torre began studying guitar at the age of ten, and in his studies has developed an unwitting passion for playing and teaching. Bay Area native Jesse has studied with classical guitarist Angel Miguel Lejarza Leo, flamenco guitar virtuoso Jason Mcguire, and has worked under the mindful instruction of classical guitarist Nicholas Goluses at the Eastman School of Music, University of Rochester, New York. There Jesse completed his Bachelors in Music (Classical Performance) with distinction, and was honored with a Performer’s Certificate, demonstrating excellence in guitar performance. During his undergraduate studies, Jesse performed in masterclasses led by the prestigious GFA winner, Tengyue Zhang, and Bach expert, Paul Galbraith. His time at Eastman has given him a strong background in music theory; he is an advocate for the written and aural analysis of music, and stresses the importance of composition and instrumental exploration. As a performer and teacher, Jesse specializes in flamenco and classical guitar, though he offers instruction in a variety of genres including: folk, blues, fingerstyle, pop, rock and rumba, to name a few. As a theory educator, Jesse covers theoretical concepts dating as far back as the Baroque, and addresses concepts of harmony and improvisation that overlap with aspects of jazz and contemporary music. Lessons are tailored to meet each individual student’s needs, interests, and various learning styles in order to ensure enthusiasm and musical growth. His patience and humor make learning fun.
Making of ¡FLAMENKING!
We are flamenc@s, we are diverse, we are evolving, and WE ARE READY!
¡FLAMENKING! is our passion, our voice, our expression of life lead by Flamenco which is from Andalucia, Spain, with a twist of wherever we're from. We met in the US through the study of this artform, which we love to showcase the world that we are here and feeling all the emotions around us such as sadness, frustration, anger, despair, solitude, breakthrough, joy, happiness, and beyond. You must see the power of sharing all of them together to embrace life through Flamenco!
Mizuho Sato Flamenco Company is a brand new flamenco company based in San Francisco which includes so many immigrant dancers and musicians from all over the world which makes us very unique. Artistic director Mizuho Sato was born in Japan, trained as a classic ballet dancer since the age of 3, switched her career to flamenco at 18 while she was studying her major of Sociology in Sophia University in Japan. Mizuho is an award winner of Japanese Flamenco Association and Spanish Ambassador at the age of 20. Then she moved her base to Los Angeles in 2003. Since then she was featured in movies like "Puss in Boots" by Dreamworks, Los Angeles Flamenco documentary "KUMPANIA" by Katina Dunn, and has been teaching and performing at so many flamenco venues and festivals inside and outside of California. She was producing her student shows and workshops of Spanish artists every year in LA for a decade.
Mizuho relocated to the Bay Area in 2015 due to her husband's job. She was suffering under her husband's alcoholism and verbal abuse, so she decided to leave him in 2018. Then he passed away in March 2022. During this hard time, Flamenco was her savior of life. Flamenco kept her motivated and healed her constantly. Throughout this tough time, she was still teaching kids and adults and continued performing nonstop.
After COVID lockdown and frustrating zoom lessons, it took us over a year to prepare for this recital. It is very emotional that we're finally here to present the world how strong and resilient we are, and how much joy, laughter, dedication and love we create when we're together.
Flamenco is alive in Bay Area, and we're a brand new flamenco company in San Francisco directed by Mizuho Sato who is now more determined and on fire than ever to serve the community. She went through lots of tough time and now she knows that it works to heal people tremendously by the power of healing that Flamenco has, Flamencura. Now she wants to spread the magic to the audience and the community of Bay Area.
Come witness and be a part of this huge celebration of life!
Let's get ¡FLAMENKING!
1/28/23 Mizuho Sato
*There will be wine tasting, pop up Flamenco shop, and showcasing Mizuho Sato aka ZMIIIMZ 's first art installation and secret auctions.
¡FLAMENKING! Vol.1 Tshirt coming soon
Available to purchase in mid February! Come back soon!
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