ABOUT CLARITA
CLARITA FILGUEIRAS Artistic Director, Choreographer and Dancer Clarita Filgueiras – Flamenco Puro Dance CompanyBackgroundClarita Filgueiras – Artistic Director, Choreographer and Dancer - has spent a lifetime in Flamenco dance. Clarita descends from a long line of Flamenco artists. Her father, Julio Filgueiras Dominguez was an aficionado-Flamenco singer and her grandmother, Clara Dominguez Reyes, was a professional Flamenco cantaora or singer.
Ms. Filgueiras has established herself as one of the top Flamenco dancers in the United States and is highly-respected among her peers both in the United States and in Spain. Clarita has dedicated most of her life to Flamenco dance and has performed in Miami for over 20 years individually and as guest artist for other local dance companies. Clarita has studied bata de cola “long train dress” with the Master of bata de cola, Milagros Mengibar in Sevilla, Spain and has become a highly regarded exponent of this unique art form. She is the only dancer in Miami to use the bata de cola and has been sought after for performances with the bata de cola. Clarita is current with the state of Flamenco and is most aware of the latest trends; making her performance traditional yet modern and relevant.
In 1993 and 1994, Clarita toured on various occasions with the Gypsy Kings as soloist performer. From 1997 to 2005, Clarita was invited to join the Carlota Santana-Flamenco Vivo Dance Company based in New York and Madrid. Clarita traveled many times to Madrid, Spain and throughout the United States to scores of prestigious theaters as lead dancer of Carlota Santana – Flamenco Vivo Dance Company. Among the many theaters in which she has performed, Clarita performed yearly at the Joyce Theater in New York for week long engagements. She has worked with Spain’s top artists such as: Antonio Granjero, Manolete, Miguel Angel Rojas and Carols Rodriguez of Nuevo Flamenco Dance Company, La Repompa de Malaga, La Tasha of Arrieritos Dance Company, Canizares, Chuscales, Manolo Liñan, and Andres Marin of Jovenes Flamenco Dance Company among others.
Clarita pursued a successful career as a Flamenco soloist touring throughout Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Honduras, Nicaragua, Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia, Costa Rica, and throughout the United States performing in mainstream theaters. Her training and experience includes many forms of Flamenco dance and theater, and she has created over 100 original works for many companies; trained many of the professional, working dancers in Broward and Dade County; and has been invited for numerous guest appearances, residencies, and commissions throughout the US. Clarita generally “sells-out” her performances and self-produced shows.
In 1997, Ms. Filgueiras formed Clarita Filgueiras - Flamenco Puro Dance Company. She currently directs her own company inviting master guest artists from Spain. She also offers workshops given by these top artists and collaborates with their choreography. She has created over 20 major works for other dance companies and for her own company that she has self-produced and presented in Miami to sold-out audiences in venues such as the Colony and Byron Carlyle Theaters. Ms. Filgueiras has also produced numerous workshops with guest artists such as Timo Lozano, Antonio Granjero, Calvin Hazen, Francisco Orozco, Fermin Calvo de Mora, Cristian Puig, Romulo Bernal, Rajesh Bhandari, and Sayed Talut.
In 2010, Ms. Filgueiras choreographed the dancers as well as performined as lead dancer for the Florida Grand Opera’s production of Carmen. She also taught Flamenco as adjunct professor at the University of Miami.
Ms. Filgueiras also co-produced her show Gypsy Journey, a six-part informative series on Flamenco for Public Television on Cable Tap. Clarita Filguieras also teaches children and adults at her own school in Coral Gables. She is active in the community by giving lecture/demonstrations to public schools and at public libraries. She has been invited as guest artist to teach at workshops throughout the United States for other dance companies. She is currently touring Florida with her dance company with guest artists from Spain and performed at the Willow Theater in Boca Raton and in Central Florida Community College in Ocala, Florida.
Flamenco Puro Dance Company has also demonstrated strong commercial success with performances for: FedEx, Paloma Picasso, Olive Growers of Andalucia, Tiffany’s and numerous corporate and private clients.
Dance Education
Ms. Filgueiras was one of 30 students worldwide to be accepted into Eva La Yerbabuena’s workshop in Seville, Spain in 2009. During the same time, Filgueiras studied with contemporary/flamenco artist, Andres Marin and Andre Peña. In 2007, Ms. Filgueiras took a workshop in Sevilla with Pastora Galvan. In 2003, she studied in Madrid with Belen Maya. In 2000, she studied in New York with Antonio Granjero. In 1999, she studied for three months in Sevilla with a grant from Florida Department of State. She took an intensive course with Milagros Mengibar specializing in the “bata de cola” long train dress, Farruquito (Gypsy Style Traditional Flamenco), and El Torombo (Traditional Flamenco). In 1985 – 1989, she lived in Madrid, Spain studying different styles of Flamenco with La Tati, Carmela Greco, Carmen Cortes, Azorin, Cristobal Reyes, Manolete and Paco Romero. In 1968-1978, she trained in Classical Spanish and Regional Dance in Miami, Florida.