Mojacar Dancers

Mojacar Musicians

Mojácar Dancers

YVETTE GARCIA "LA SOLE"

Yvette Garcia "La Sole" was born in Rota and grew up in Sanlúcar de Barrameda in Southern Spain. She moved to California in 1985, but returns several times each year to study flamenco and perform in different cities of Andalucía.

She studied flamenco with Jose Antonio, Carmen Cortes, Ana Maria Buenos, Rafaela Carrasco, Eva " La Yerbabuena", Juana Amaya, Cristobal Reyes, Maria "Cha-Cha" Bermúdez and Andres Marin. Her performances in Spain include Noches de Bajo-Guia, Teatro Municipal, Palacio de la Infanta and La Merced Auditorium in Sanlúcar with Carmen Cortes and Gerardo Nuñez, La Feria de Cádiz and "Andalucia Hoy" for Canal Sur Television.

Her performances in southern California include appearances on Univision Television, the Ritmo Latino Music Awards, N.O.H.O Theater & Arts Festival, Santa Barbara "Old Spanish Days", the tablaos El Cid, Café de Sevilla-Carlsbad & San Diego, Café-Med, Spain Restaurant and Coppacabana.

La Sole teaches Flamenco and Belly Dance at Cal-Poly University, and in March 2002 opened her own Performing Arts Studio, the "International Arts Academy", teaching flamenco & other world dances. She established a performance group "A Nuestro Aire" and a children's dance company that performs throughout Southern California at various events and festivals.  

Flamenco and Classical Spanish dancer Catalina Rodriguez has studied with renowned artists in the field, including in the Los Angeles area with Roberto Amaral, Liliana de Leon-Torsiello, Yolanda Arroyo, Cecilia Romero, Linda Vega, and Kathy Cota. She has participated in flamenco workshops in Santa Barbara, California with Eva "La Yerbabuena," Belen Maya, La Tania, and Maria "La Cha Cha" Bermúdez. She studied flamenco in Spain with Juana Amaya, Israel Galvan, Alicia and Rocio Marquez, Adela Campallo, Ursula Lopez, Matilde Corral, Paco Romero, and Ana Maria Lopez. Catalina has performed in concert at the Fountain Theatre, with both Mojácar Flamenco and Roberto Amaral at the Madrid Theatre, at The Electric Lodge of Venice Beach, and at Pasadena City College. She has been a featured soloist at numerous southern California flamenco tablaos, including Alegría Restaurant, Habana, Tapas of Newport Beach, and Sangria Restaurant.

Micaela Castellanos has studied ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern dance, and Latin ballroom, but none have intrigued, or been as challenging as flamenco. Since her first Flamenco class at UCLA four years ago, Wendy embarked on a journey in pursuit of becoming a true Flamenca.

She studied flamenco with Liliana De Leon-Torsiello at UCLA, and joined the DeLi Ritmo Flamenco Dance Company, performing regularly with Flamenco guitarist Rafael Aragon. In 2004, former members of DeLi Ritmo formed Almardiente Flamenco, an ensemble comprised of young artists, of which Wendy is a very dedicated member. She has studied with Katerina Tomás, and is a member of the Arte Flamenco Dance Theater, under the direction of Clarita Corona, whom she continues to study and perform with.

Wendy has performed Flamenco at various venues throughout southern California, including at UCLA's Royce Hall, Anaheim Sports Arena, Sexson Auditorium, Electric Lodge Theater, Fowler Museum, Museum of Latin American Art, Jubilatte Coffee House, Sabor y Cultura Café, Dave & Busters, Tapas, La Luna Negra, The Conga Room, Mama Juanas Latin Lounge, Santino’s, Olé Café, as well as at elementary schools through the Orange County Commission for the Performing Arts. In addition to performing, Wendy also teaches children’s Flamenco and Jazz/Hip-Hop at Caballero Dance Studio in Atwater Village, and she choreographs for and coordinates Quinceañeras and Weddings through the Los Angeles company, "Sueños De Quinceañera."

Misuda Cohen began her dance training at the age of 5 in Los Angeles California. She has trained exstensively in many dance forms, including Classical Ballet, Flamenco, Modern, Jazz, Salsa and Samba. Misuda's training took her from the west coast to the east coast to study dance and perform at The American Ballet Theatre School in New York City. She was the recipient of The Bob Fosse Scholarship for Dance while still in school, which is where she fell in love with Flamenco.

She studied flamenco with Roberto Amaral, and withLiliana de Leon Torsiello while attending UCLA. She became a member of de Leon Torseillo's company, DeLi Ritmo Flamenco Dance Company. Misuda has also studied and performed with many great flamenco artists, including Rafael Aragon, Gabriela Garza, Antonio Pipa and Katerina Tomas. She is currently a member of Almaardiente Flamenco Dance Company. This is debut performance with Mojácar Flamenco.

Misuda has performed at various locations in the United States and abroad, including in Los Angeles, New York City, Milwaukee and in Tel Aviv, Israel. Locally, Misuda has also performed at theatres and flamenco tablaos, including UCLA Royce Hall, The Electric Lodge, UCLA Fowler Museum of Intercultural Art, Tapas in Newport Beach, La Luna Negra in Pasadena and Mama Juana's in studio city.

Dancer and actress Alexandra Rozo has been featured in numerous television programs and special, including the Latin Billboard Awards, The Today Show, the Ellen DeGeneres shows and American Idol with Shakira, and in Pepito’s Story, produced by Debbie Allen.

She studied Spanish dance and flamenco with the Pepe Bronce Dance Company, at the New World School of the Arts in Florida with Tina Santos, and at the Conchita Espinosa Conservatory with Rosa Mercedes.

Elena María de Los Angeles discovered flamenco in 1990 and continues exploring the art form. She has studied with masters in Spain and Southern California, including María Bermudez, Ciro, Linda Vega, and Yolanda Arroyo. She began dancing professionally in 1993 at venues throughout Southern California, and she performs with Mojácar Flamenco in their yearly concerts.

Elena currently lives on Catalina Island with her beloved husband and 2 lovely daughters where she continues training and teaching flamenco dance, as well as tending their flamenco dance import business, "FlamencoShoes.com".

Mojácar Musicians

Johnny Sandoval, a native of Miami, Arizona was introduced to music by his familly who migrated to the USA from Almeria, Spain. Having a cousin who danced flamenco with Charro, and uncle's maintaining a Swing/Mambo/Rumba band, Sandoval began playing at a very young age. He started playing bongos, and continued to hone his skills as a multi-talented percussionist.

His performance credits include La Tania de Espania, Sister Sledge, Arturo Sandoval, Bloodstone, Joe Bataan, Heatwave, Oneway, Greg Adams, and many others. Sandoval can also be heard on movie soundtracks such as Mel Gibson's, "Ransom", and Brad Pitts, "The Devils Own", as well as the internationally popular television show "Sabado Gigante".  

Bassist Paulo Gustavo began his career in his native Brazil where he began his formal music studies at the prestigious Musiarte in Rio De Janeiro. After moving to Los Angeles to further his career, he studied at the Los Angeles Music Academy (LAMA). He also studied privately with numerous leading bassists including Ed Lucie of the Buddy Rich Orchestra. He now works at LAMA as an ensemble player. He also teaches at the Pima Music School.

Recently, Paulo won the award for Best Bass Solo in the Dream Theater Songwriting Contest.

Paulo has toured the U.S. with numerous Latin Bands and has played with a diverse range of first rank artists including Airto Moreira, Peter Eskine, Jimmy Z and Steve Porcaro. He currently performs with Jackie DeShannon, Jacob Armen, the Brazil Brasil Show Band and is currently recording with Thorstein Kober.  

Cantaor Vytas Barauskas has been long involved in various genres of pop, folk ethnic music and theatre, and had a long career in various capacities with the Renaissance Faires in California. As a singer/songwriter living in the SF Bay Area, he earned accolades from San Francisco Examiner jazz critic Philip Ellwood.

Having lit the fire of flamenco, he has studied cante in Jerez de la Frontera with Aroa Sanchez, Jaime Villar, the Agujetas clan, in the US with Jesus Montoya, Katarina Tomas, Christo Cortes, Pilar Moreno, Marisol Fuentes. To better understand the whole of the art, he has studied guitar with El Carbonero in Jerez, Eduardo Rebollar of Sevilla, Gabriel Reyna and Jake Mossman, and has taken baile with Laila del Monte, Esther Ponce, and Roberto Amaral.

He also sings tenor in the Valley Philharmonic Choir, and loves ethnic musics like Sufi singing, Greek Rembetika, and choral polyphony (Lithuanian and Balkan)