PUERTO FLAMENCO – SPAIN
Francesca "La Chica" GrimaFor the past seven years Francesca has been the lead dancer and choreographer in the flamenco company Puerto Flamenco touring extensively and performing in prestigious festivals such as Womad in Adelaide and New Zealand, The Pittsburgh Arts Centre in the USA, Sziget Festival in Budapest and the Södra Teatern in Stockholm.
Francesca began her professional career as a flamenco dancer in Seville in the tablaoao Las Brujas and later at the reputable tablao of Curro Velez “El Arenal” performing for 2 years alongside renowned artists such as Carmen Montoya, Loli Flores and El Jarillo She later performed in companies and flamenco productions such as “Quienes Somos” alongside Rosario “La Tremendita”, and Amador Rojas, alongside Carmelilla Montoya and Quisko de Alcalá as well as in the principal role of Carmen Amaya in Juan Vergillos’ production “La Fuente de Carmen Amaya” which took place in Ubeda, Jaen in February 2007. As part of the Biennial de Seville 2006, she participated in “Un Homenaje a La Sevillana” in the theatres of Alcalá de Guadaira and Dos Hermanas.
Francesca runs her own flamenco studio in Seville Spain where she gives courses
in flamenco dance technique and bata de cola and has given Workshops in Prague, Malta, Holland, Pittsburg USA, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane and Byron Bay, Riga and Tallinn.
Andrej Vujicic
Born in Belgrade 1971, Andrej initiates his international career as a percussionist in 1999 in Sydney, Australia, performing at the Royal Opera House with “Rajastan, the journey continues”. He moves to Sevilla in the year 2000, where he now resides.
After receiving tuition from Paco de Lucia’s sextet member Manolo Soler, he starts working and collaborating with a wide array of Flamenco artists some including such big names as Lole Montoya, Manuel Molina, Familia Montoya, Carmelilla Montoya, Carmen Montoya and La negra, Alba Molina, Maria Serrano, Juan Jose Amador, Enrique El Extremeño, Lalo Tejada, Eduardo Trasierra, “La Tremendita”, Ana Salazar, Encarnita Anillo, and Amador Rojas among others.
Puerto Flamenco is a company which he runs together with his wife Francesca "La Chica", and which features Seville’s foremost, award-winning young artists and participants at the most important flamenco festivals in Spain (Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla, Festival de Jerez, La Union, La Perla de Cadiz, Festival de Ubrique). With Amador Rojas, Jesus Herrera, Eduardo Trassiera, the production has been reaping international prominence with absolute sell-out and repeat performances at some of Europe’s most prominent and largest music festivals, Sziget Festival Budapest, Khamoro International Roma Festival in Prague, Tilburg International Gypsy Festival, Holland, Menandria Festival in Athens, Iagori Gypsy Festival in Oslo, Spancirfest Croatia, and Belgrade’s Festival of Dom Omladine.
Jose Carillo, "Fyfty" a unique flamenco guitarist from Triana reputed for his dynamic street style and "soniquete" – a flamenco swing in his original compositions. Fyty has toured the world performing at absolute top venues in New York, Tokio , Paris, London, Rome, etc., for the past 20 years collaborating with Internationally renowned Maria Pajes.
Fyty is joined by Ismael Fernandez, an amazing singer from the legendary Fernandez flamenco family (Esperanza Fernandez, Curro Fernandez, Paco Fernandez, etc). He has been been working together with Fyty in the Maria Pajes company for a decade thrilling audiences with his inimitable husky gitano voice. We are also bringing Inma "La Carbonera" who stole the hearts of the crowd in Iagori 2009, and "El Oruco" a fantastic young dancer who has been working with the Farruco family and has incredible gypsy style of dance, impressive footwork and more so, the unique authentic gypsy flamenco ‘soniquette’(swing).
RAYA & COMPANY
Raya
Was engaged in the Theatre Romen while it was on tour in the Soviet Union in the late 50′s. She moved to Moscow and eventually become one of the main actors in the theater. In 1967 she moved to Norway and it was the beginning of her international career. She has recorded many albums and toured with great success in Europe, America and Asia. With its position as one of the most influential Roman artists Raya involved in Human Rights and the Rome rettighetter. For her work she has been elected to Parliament in the International Romani Union.
Nikak & Aleco Ivanovitch
Nikak Ivanovitch is Natasha’s son, he was born in Oslo.Han started playing guitar at 13.Since 1985 he has performed with a wide range of musicians from around the world and in styles as diverse as Gypsy Jazz and Moroccan Gnaw. He has also been on many tours with the great artist Raya, who is none other than her grandmother. On her album”Progija”han played and recorded guitar and piano, and in 1999 he produced the album”Pash Iagori”.
Aleco Ivanovitch is also Natasha’s son, he was born in Oslo. In the age of 9 years, he began his musical career as a singer on his father’s (Petro Ivanovich) albumet”Romano Drom.” After many years out of the country, came Aleco back to Oslo in 1991 where he began singing and playing guitar as part of his grandmother’s group Raya. Together they toured Europe, representing his native Norway, and was met with great success throughout the European continent and as far as India and Pakistan.
Natasha
Natasha is Raya’s daughter. She debut as 7 old at the Romen Theater in Moscow. Natasha has been dancing for over 50 years and has developed his own style and mix of masculine and feminine dance.
She have represented Norway in various festivals around the world with her mother and sons and also choreographed the Gypsy part of Madonna’s last show Sticky & Sweet Tour.
STEVAN FAMILIC
Stevan is born in 1993 in Novi Sad to the family of musiciens. He started to learn the tamburica from the age of eight, he’s teacher was his grandfather who was one of the most famous tamburica basprim.
He has participated in various competitions in Serbia with great success and it is the first time that he plays abroad.