Events

June 3rd: Dance Injuries Prevention at SOS Physiotherapy Waterloo
June 23rd: KickOff at La Lola Catering
June 24th: “Flamenco as a Language” Talk & Performance at Kitchener Public Library
June 25th: An Afternoon with Juneyt: Fest social with live Nuevo Flamenco at the Huether Hotel
July 29th: Main Concert at the Kitchener Market
July 30th: Flamenco dance workshops at Neruda Arts
August 31st: Cajón clinic and Encore Concert at Long & McQuade and the Jazz Room
July 24th-29th: Taste of Flamenco

Dance Injuries Prevention Workshop

June 3rd

Where: SOS Physiotherapy Waterloo, 595 Parkside Dr Unit 5B, Waterloo, ON N2L 0C7
When: June 3rd, 10-11am.
Admission: FREE

A workshop generously offered by our sponsor, SOS Physiotherapy Waterloo. Educating attendees on common dance injuries, how to prevent injuries, how rehab can improve technique and performance, and 3 must-know Pilates exercises!

Visit their workshop page: https://sosphysiotherapy.ca/workshops/

Flamenco Fest KickOff at La Lola Catering

June 23rd

Where: La Lola Catering, 739 King St E, Cambridge (Preston)
When: June 23rd
- 6pm
- 8pm
Admission: $15 show ticket
- Contact La Lola for dinner reservations via info@lalolacatering.com or 519-504-5688

Come kick off the Fest performances with a patio performance by local flamenco artists, CalúJules and Ana Cecilia Gonçalvez, and enjoy a delicious and authentic Spanish dinner by our main caterers, at La Lola Catering. 6pm & 8pm seatings with respective shows.

Flamenco as a Language Talk & Performance

June 24th

Where: Kitchener Public Library, Central Library, Central Theatre, 85 Queen St., Kitchener
When: June 24th, 3pm-4:45pm
Admission: FREE
Please pre-register

More info and registration

Flamenco Fest returns to KPL on Saturday June 24th from 3:00PM – 4:45PM for an all age friendly presentation in our Theatre. Come learn about the wondrous improvisational language of Flamenco in a TED-ex style talk presentation led by Claudia Aguirre. The performers will provide Q&A time for the audience at the end of the Talk. Do not leave your seats! Sit back, and enjoy a Flamenco show with Julian Berg, Claudia Aguirre and guest dancer, Angela Deiseach, as newly initiated flamenco aficionados.

An afternoon with Juneyt: Fest Social

June 25th

Where: Barley Works patio (upstairs), Huether Hotel, 59 King St N, Waterloo, ON N2J 2X2
When: June 25th, 2-4pm
Admission: FREE

Kindly register so we know how large to make our reservation.

Registration has closed!

Featuring local guitar sensation, Juneyt Yetkiner. Come on out to mix and mingle with fellow flamenco enthusiasts, and with our founders/artistic directors and resident flamenco performers, Claudia and Julian, a.k.a., CalúJules. Light refreshments provided. 2-4pm. In the case of bad weather, the event will be moved inside the Huether.

Flamenco in the Market

July 29th

Where: Kitchener Market Eby Street Parking Lot, 21 Eby St N, Kitchener
When: July 29th, 7:30pm-9:30pm
- Doors open at 7pm.
- Doors open for paella diners and sponsors at 6:30pm
Admission: $30 for adults, $20 for children 12 and under, free for babes in arms
Paella: $18. Must pre-purchase by July 25th.
Snack food and drinks for purchase on the night

Get tickets

Online ticket sales end at 12:30pm. Remaining tickets will be sold at the door.

Flamenco in the Market complete with a little flamenco market and show!

Featuring internationally renowned flamenco dancer and choreographer, Nélida Tirado. Accompanied by touring artist, singer-cajón player, “Yiyi” Francisco Orozco, alongside our resident flamenco artists and Fest co-founders, Claudia Aguirre & Julian Berg. This is our Main Concert with world class guest artists, traditional flamenco dancing and music.

There will be a “flamenco mart” with flamenco shawls, castanets, hand fans, souvenirs, etc.; just like a feria in southern Spain! There will also be delicious Spanish cuisine by La Lola Catering, and a bar with non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages.

Please pre-order paella dinners, or enjoy some traditional Spanish bites that will be for sale! Date night of the year!

Workshops

July 30th

Where: Neruda Arts, 8 Spring St, St. Jacobs *Entrance at the end of the parking lot off Albert St. West
When: July 30th
- 11am-12pm: Flamenco dance sampler
  Admission: Pay what you can
- 1-2:30pm: Level 1 Flamenco Dance Workshop with Nélida Tirado
  Price: $45
- 3:30-5pm: Level 2 Flamenco Dance Workshop with Nélida Tirado
  Price: $45
Double workshop price: $80

Flamenco Dance Sampler signup

This class is pay what you can. You may do so with cash or an e-transfer after the class, or support us on ko-fi.

Levels 1 & 2 sign up

Flamenco Dance Sampler:

This is a Flamenco 101 “Sampler Workshop” led by our resident flamenco duo, dancer-singer, Claudia Aguirre, and guitarist, Julian Berg. Come join our community by learning flamenco rhythms, clapping, and basic steps. This event is pay-what-you-can. Open to the general public and to absolute beginners. Please pre-register.

We encourage participants to pay at/after the workshop and base your contribution on your experience of the workshop. We will be accepting cash and e-transfer payments. Should you feel the need to pay in advance for this, you can do so by visiting our Artistic Directors’ Ko-fi page (https://ko-fi.com/calujules) and indicating in your message there that you are pre-paying for the Flamenco Fest’s Sampler Workshop.

Level 1 & Level 2:

For flamenco students who already have some experience, join these special workshops geared to different levels, with our featured dancer, Nélida Tirado! Dancers are welcome to sign up for both workshops. Time will be allotted in between both sessions for a late lunch / social.

Content/palos TBA

Please note, when you click on the sign-up button, be sure to set the date to Sunday, July 30th on the drop down menu to access the workshop registration options.

Cajón clinic and Encore Concert at Long & McQuade and the Jazz Room

August 31st

Cajón Clinic

Where: Long & McQuade, 36 King St N, Waterloo
When: August 31st, 5:45-6:45pm (exact start time TBC)
Admission: FREE
Register in advance by emailing Graham McRae at Gmcrae@long-mcquade.com.

Encore Party: Flamenco Show at the Jazz Room

Where: Jazz Room, 59 King St N, Waterloo
When: August 31st, 7:30-9:30pm
Admission: $22
- $25 at the door

Encore Party: Get tickets

Cajón Clinic

Learn how to play flamenco rhythms on the signature flamenco drum: the cajón. During this workshop (a.k.a. musician’s clinic) basic hand techniques needed to play this instrument will be taught. The clinic will be led by our guest dancer of the evening, Carmen Romero, who is also an experienced cajón player and master of flamenco rhythms! Be sure to bring your cajón if you have one. However, if you do not have a cajón, you may borrow one from Long & McQuade, but please note that they are available on a first come first serve basis. Please register in advance by emailing the Store Manager, Graham McRae at Gmcrae@long-mcquade.com, and kindly notify him if you’ll need to borrow a cajón.

Encore Party
After the cajón clinic, join us across the street at the Jazz Room for one last summer hurrah – the Encore Party: Flamenco Show. This performance will feature nationally renowned dance artist, Carmen Romero, as the headliner flamenco dancer; Toronto-based flamenco singer, Shirley “La Pili” Pincay, on vocals, and our local flamenco duo, “CalúJules,” with guitarist, Julian Berg, and dancer-singer, Claudia Aguirre.

Taste of Flamenco

July 24th-29th

When: July 24th – 29th
Where:
- Abe Erb Waterloo, 15 King St S, Waterloo
- Babylon Sisters Wine Bar, 23 King St N, Waterloo
- Jane Bond Cafe, 5 Princess St W, Waterloo
- Eby Street Bodega, 16 Eby St N, Kitchener
- The Yeti Café, 14 Eby St N, Kitchener

Indulge in Spanish cuisine by visiting one of our partner restaurants! In celebration of flamenco, and signature food from the Iberian Peninsula, these restaurants will be making feature dishes and drinks to transport your taste buds to Spain.

Guest artists

*Note: Click an artist’s picture to read their full bio. Only the first paragraph is displayed here.

Nélida Tirado

Nélida Tirado hailed “magnificent and utterly compelling” (NY Times) began her formal training at Ballet Hispanico of New York at the age of six. Barely out of her teens, she was invited to tour the U.S. with Jose Molina Bailes Espanoles and work as a soloist in Carlota Santana’s Flamenco Vivo, soloist/ dance captain of Compania Maria Pages and Compania Antonio El Pipa, performing at prestigious flamenco festivals and television in Spain and throughout France, Italy, UK, Germany and Japan. She has performed in “Carmen” with the Metropolitan Opera of NY, World Music Institute’s “Gypsy Caravan 1”, “Noche Flamenca” and was featured flamenco star in Riverdance” on Broadway and touring companies. Ms. Tirado was recipient of the 2007 and 2010 BRIO Award for Artistic Excellence, and opened with her company Summer 2010 for Buena Vista Social Club featuring Omara Portoundo for the Celebrate Brooklyn! Festival. Some highlights include HarlemStage E-Moves, “Amores Quebrados” at the Repertorio Espanol, Valerie Gladstone’s “Dance Under the Influence” 2011 & 2012 in collaboration with the Flamenco Festival USA and collaboration with jazz great Wynton Marsalis at Harvard University and the 2016 premiere of her solo show "Dime Quien Soy" in the Flamenco Festival NY. She was the recipient of the 2017 Rosario Dawson Muse Fellow through BAAD, seen in Lin Manuel Miranda’s film adaptation of “In The Heights” and featured in Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch”. Her solo show “Dime Quien Soy” has recently expanded and presented through the CDI Dance Initiative at Hostos Center for the Arts and Culture, the Albuquerque Flamenco Festival 35 and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival “Americana to Me” Summer 2022.

Francisco Orozco “Yiyi”

Francisco Orozco “Yiyi” is from Andalusian family, born in Barcelona, and was introduced to Flamenco rhythms at the tender age of four. Yiyi was trained by Flamenco singer and father– “Joselón de Jerez” in his Spanish peña named “Peña Fosforito”. Considered a child prodigy of percussion Yiyi began his professional career at the age of twelve. By 17 years of age and one CD later, he became more involved with singing, particularly for dancers, and left Spain for Germany on a long-term contract with the company “Flamenco Rubio”. Since that time he has performed with “Compañia Flamenca Alhama” throughout Europe and Japan; with internationally known María Benitez “Teatro Flamenco” on Broadway and throughout the U.S.; Domingo Ortega in Venezuela as well “Casa Patas” in Madrid; Jose Greco II in the United States of America and Taiwan; and world-renowned guitarist Serranito . He has also performed with Nino de los Reyes, Alejandro Granados, Raquel Heredia (La Repompilla) , Jesús Carmona, María Serrano, La Tania, and Antonio Granjero. Critics, worldwide, have toted Yiyi’s performance as “fiery”, “riveting” his percussion techniques executed with “machine-gun speed” that possesses and “casts a spell”.

Carmen Romero

Carmen Romero is a leading and award-winning established flamenco dance artist whose experience in performance, education, production and adjudication, affirms her position in the national and international dance scene. She has the innate ability for improvisation in the flamenco form, pushing the edge with confidence in her craft. Known also for her choreographic story-telling style, Carmen explores relationships and concepts in a manner that invites audiences into a visceral experience created on stage. She has received a Dora Nomination in 2003 for Best Choreography. She is a recipient of the Chalmers Award for the K.M Hunter Emerging Artists Award as well as nominated for Muriel Sherrin Award for International Achievement in Dance in 2013. She coached Latin Pop star “Shakira” in her 2010 Sale el Sol world tour. In 2000 Carmen represented Canada at the 9th Annual Certamen de Coreogrfia de Danza Espanola y Flamenco in Madrid and as a soloist at the International Castanet festival in Girona, Spain in 2014.

Angela Deiseach

A dynamic and engaging performer, Angela Déiseach has been a prominent figure in the Toronto flamenco community for over 20 years. Trained in Toronto, Madrid and Seville, Angela began her performing career as a member of the acclaimed Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company, with whom she danced for many years. As an independent artist, Angela appears in venues throughout Canada and abroad. As a choreographer and performer her work has been featured in a variety of festivals and showcases, including: the New Blue ‘Festival 18’, ‘Prospects: An Evening of Dance and Discussion’, ‘Muse Arts: The happening ‘Dance Matters - Into the Fire’, and ‘Nightshift - Resonance’. Angela is also a regular guest performer with two Toronto flamenco institutions - Kiyo Asaoka’s ‘Tablao Flamenco Toronto’ and FabCollab’s ‘La Cueva’ , where she collaborates with other invited artists in cuadro-style presentations. She is delighted to take part in the Kitchener Flamenco Festival.

Shirley “La Pili” Pincay

Singer, dancer and educator Shirley La Pili is known for her earthy, warm velvet voice which offers a heartfelt delivery in flamenco. She dove into music at a young age and entered into the world of flamenco at the age of 12. Over the years she has studied with many master singers including Rocio Márquez, Anna Colom, Sandra Carrasco and dancers Mercedes Ruiz and Karen Lugo to name a few. She has performed in flamenco festivals in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal and has worked with leading flamenco companies in Toronto including Compañia Carmen Romero, Esmeralda Enrique Spanish Dance Company and Arte Flamenco. Shirley has also performed at Tiempo De Gitanos Tablao in Buenos Aires and at La Torre in El Bolsón, Patagonia. In 2021 she performed at the Fin De Verano Festival in San Diego. Shirlita is deeply involved with the Toronto flamenco community, she is one of the producers for a flamenco monthly event La Cueva and she teaches and participates in various local projects.

Ana Cecilia Gonçalves

Ana Cecilia Gonçalves (“Cecilia”) was born and bred in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where she started studying flamenco with instructor, Eliane Carvalho, at the age of 18. While at Gesto’s studio, she had the opportunity to take workshops with revered flamenco artists, such as Manuel Liñan, Carmen Telegona, Inmaculada Ortega and Domingo Ortega. Since moving to Kitchener in 2016, Cecilia has continued taking flamenco lessons with Kim Green and Claudia Aguirre. She is very involved in the KW flamenco scene, performing with Claudia and Julian (a.k.a. CalúJules) at community events, student shows, and La Lola Catering. She is a valued contributor to the Grand River Flamenco Fest, for which she has served as the graphic designer and performer. She is also a graduate of Universidade Federal Fluminense with bachelor degree in architecture and urban planning. When Cecilia is not dancing flamenco, she is likely dancing ballroom, Latin, or any other number of dance forms. A true lover of the arts, this marks Cecilia Grand River Flamenco Fest debut.

Resident performers

*Note: Click an artist’s picture to read their full bio. Only the first paragraph is displayed here.

Julian Berg

It was at Codarts Conservatory in The Netherlands where Julian refined his skills as a dance accompanist through the formal guitar accompaniment classes and through extra-curricular training. During the summers, he would seek out additional training in the heartland of flamenco, in Andalusia, Spain. Summer programs included training at the Academy of Cristina Herren, and at a summer intensive with flamenco guitarist and composer, Gerardo Nuñez, to name a few. While at Codarts, Julian was under the direction of instructors such as: world renowned guitarist, Paco Peña; dancers, Irene Álvarez and “Flamenkika;” flamenco singer, Carmen Fernandez; and flamenco guitarists, Alexander Gávilan, and Ricardo Mendeville. At Codarts, he was also given the opportunity to receive guest workshops with some of the finest flamenco artists on the international circuit, such as Diego del Morao, Chiquelo, José Manuel León, and Arcángel. Through the Conservatory training, Julian was also exposed to formal composition classes which ignited an interest studying Baroque style composition. He continues to develop his knowledge of composition and music theory through self-study and mentorship with composition instructors when possible...

Claudia ‘Calú’ Aguirre

Claudia Aguirre’s training in Spanish dance began with one of Toronto’s flamenco and Spanish dance pioneers, at Paula Moreno’s School of Spanish Dance. She later spent several happy years training as a vocalist at Carmen Romero’s School of Flamenco Dance Arts. More recently, Claudia has taken classes with Toronto’s newest flamenca on scene—Maria Serrano—and was part of the musical ensemble in her academy’s 2017 showcase of Memorias de Tablao and for the company’s Toronto-debut of Por Derecho, 2019. In the interim of these endeavours, Claudia has gone on trips to Spain where she has taken classes with master flamenco dancers and singers, including Laura Roman, Soraya Clavijo, Jesus Corbacho, and taken workshops with visiting artists in Toronto, including Carmen Ledesma, Alba Serrano, and Ali de la Tota.
Apart from training in flamenco, Claudia has practiced various dance and music genres, including jazz vocals, musical theatre, Bollywood dance, hip-hop, and bass. She holds a Certificate from the triple-threat Commercial Dance Program from George Brown College, Degrees from York University’s Department of Dance, a Graduate Diploma in Planning, and a Certificate in Commercial Jazz Studies.

Juneyt Yetkiner

Born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey, Juneyt is a self-taught musician and has been playing Flamenco & Nuevo-Flamenco Guitar for 15 years. Drawn to the passion and raw emotion of music, he has played alongside and opened for many well-known musicians such as Liona Boyd, Santana, Dobie Brothers, Alex Cuba, John McDermott and many more throughout his career.

Juneyt regularly donates his time for many charity organisations, performing over 50 charity events annually.

Juneyt has performed as a studio guitarist on more than 15 albums and numerous festivals in Europe, Asia, South & North America also opened for many world-renowned musicians such as Liona Boyd, John McDermott, Alex Cuba, Doobie Brothers, Santana and many more.
He is the Musical and Educational Director for H20 Congo Movement, President of Chris Lane Foundation for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Cancer; Juneyt regularly donates his time for many charity organisations, performing over 50 charity events annually.

Achievements:
Juneyt has been nominated & won the 2017 Toronto Independent Music Awards, & 2019 Waterloo Region Arts Awards. has been a five-time nominee for Waterloo Region Arts Awards (2008, 2010, 2012, 2014, 2019); He has composed music for two television documentaries and won 23 Diamond Readers Choice Awards (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 & 2021).

Günhan Özmen

Beginning his life of music, which he was curious about and interested in at a very young age, with the violin, Gunhan has worked in various music groups and ensembles since the age of 8. During his high school years, he met Gazi University lecturer Prof.Dr.Gülçin Yahya, who instructed him for for years on musical theory, playing the oud, and solfege. After graduating from high school, he earned entry into the Classical Turkish Music Violin Program at the Kocatepe University State Conservatory’s Turkish Art Music Department where he trained to become a connoisseur of the instrument he loved so much.
After 4 years of undergraduate education, his talents with his violin earned him recognition and renown. Later on, he had the opportunity to accompany the world-renown violin virtuoso, Göksel Baktagir, at his recital. In 2009, he completed his undergraduate education at the Gazi University‘s Conservatory, and started his Master’s in Music Education at the same institution, graduating with distinction in 2011.Alongside producing his own music, album, and event projects, Özmen continues his musical career by working with many famous and local artists.