Artistic Director, Director, Choreographer, Principal Dancer, Clara Ramona Centro de Danza Flamenca, Hong Kong

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Clara Ramona is a master choreographer, dancer and teacher of Spanish dance  and flamenco and mother of Isaac and Nino de los Reyes. Clara's work combines a profound respect for flamenco tradition with a liberal and accommodating attitude towards modernism and an openess to fusion. Her work has gained recognition for its energy and originality. 

 

Clara pursued her professional ballet training at the Boston Conservatory, where she obtained a BFA in dance.  She then became the principal dancer and choreographer of the Ramon De Los Reyes Spanish Dance Theater, where she created her much heralded Carmina Burana, which had repeated runs in top-notch theaters in the Americas and Europe long after its debut. She furthered her studies of  Spanish classical dance and flamenco with masters such as Manolo  Vargas and Antonio de Cordoba in Mexico and in Spain with Ciro, La Tati, Jose Granero, and Tomas de Madrid among others.
 

Despite being a “foreign” artist, for over 15 years she established herself in Madrid, the mecca of flamenco, founding her own dance company, Ballet Español de Clara Ramona, through which she has staged productions of critical acclaim the world over, gaining international recognition for her innovative choreographies of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring and Miles Davis’ Solea as well as the more traditional, Amor Brujo, Sombrero de Tres Picos and many more. She has also collaborated with flamenco artists of stature such as La Tati, Tomas de Madrid, Miguel Angel and Antonio Alonso for over twenty years.

 

Clara founded her company in the Philipines, and paved the way for flamenco's blossoming in Asia. She has conducted workshops in Australia, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam, Japan , and toured China with her production of Carmen 

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Clara's style  is noted for the fusion of jazz, classical and contemporary dance with flamenco.  Always in search of innovation in her craft, she came across the art of Belly Dancing and trained with renowned teachers from Spain, Egypt, Portugal, France and the U.S.  Clara then melded Flamenco with Belly Dancing to develop yet a unique and captivating fusion she calls “Andaluzi”.  In Recently, she has expanded her choeographic range by staging a Bollywood suite, much to the delight of Manila and Hong Kong’s Indian communities.

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Clara’s greater mission is nurturing future world-class talents, previously as a faculty member of the Boston Conservatory, her alma mater, and the Walnut Hill School for the Performing Arts. She has also led seminars at the Harvard University Dance Program, Boston University School of Fine Arts, and Bates College Dance Festival. Today, she dedicates her time as director of the Clara Ramona Centro de Danza Flamenca, honing students into flamenco dancers capable of commanding global recognition.

 

Clara was the choreographer and lead actress in a movie entitled In Nomine Matris, a film about the journey and struggles of a Flamenco Filipiniana dance company. She makes her acting debut in this movie as she plays the part of Mercedes Lagdameo. The movie is presented by the Embajada de España en Manila (Spanish Embassy in Manila).

 

She is now based in Hong Kong but spends much time travelling to Manila and Beijing. She conducts frequent workshops and makes it a priority to continually advance the training of the students she leaves behind in those places.