Artists – Solo Flamenco
Kasandra “La China”
producer, creative director, choreographer, flamenco dancer
Kasandra is one of Canada’s leading flamenco artists well-known for her unrelenting drive to push the artistic envelope. A tirelessly ambitious artistic director and soloist, Kasandra is always hungry for new sources of inspiration and knowledge, constantly pushing her musical and choreographic mastery to its limits. She has been identified as “Vancouver’s flamenco star who has embodied flamenco with her dynamic, precise style” by Flamenco-World magazine.
A dedicated and inspiring performer, Kasandra has appeared in prestigious events with the Vancouver International Dance Festival, Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Victoria Flamenco Festival and has performed all over BC. She has performed with international flamenco dance stars including Ivan Vargas, Jose Manuel Alvarez, Emilio Ochando, Ricardo Lopez, Maria Bermudez, Manuel Gutierrez as well as renowned Canadian artists including Irish tapper, Joel Hanna, and contemporary dancer, Alvin Tolentino, focusing on duets. She has striven to work with the highest calibre of musicians including flamenco guitarists Gaspar Rodriguez, Daniel Jurado, Miguel Angel Ramos de Puerta Real, Gareth Owen and flamenco singer/palmeros Miguel Rosendo, Vicente Griego & Luis de la Tota. She continues to be inspired developing a varied repertoire with her percussionist, Davide Sampaolo. She has also worked extensively with local flamenco groups including Mozaico Flamenco, Flamenco Rosario, Alma de Espana, Flamenco Vivo among others. She can be seen regularly in Vancouver’s vibrant flamenco scene, especially the Kino Café and the Chai Lounge where flamenco continues to inspire thousands of people a week, and is happy to work with a rich community of local singers, guitarist and singers.
Known for her explosive spirit, precise rhythmic footwork, grace and personal character, Kasandra’s love of flamenco is contagious as she strives to educate new audiences and bring newcomers to the art form through her dance. Her generous spirit has nurtured dozens of seasoned and emerging dancers in the scene and has brought countless fans to the art of Flamenco.
Kasandra “La China” is director of Al Mozaico Flamenco Dance Academy with her mentor, Oscar Nieto. She is the creator and artistic director of the professional company Kasandra Flamenco, with many successful, high quality shows including “Solo Flamenco” and “Ritmo y Soniquete”. An honoured recipient of Canada Council for the Arts and British Columbia Arts Council grants, Kasandra has produced shows since 2003.
“Kasandra was a knockout. Resplendent in an orange dress with matching shoes, her hair long and curled, her performance was a triumph of character and form…a note of sunny seduction that left the audience in an uproar. Kasandra was never for a moment less than brilliantly graceful.”– Kaija Pepper, The Sun
“Kasandra was a knockout. Resplendent in an orange dress with matching shoes, her hair long and curled, her performance was a triumph of character and form…a note of sunny seduction that left the audience in an uproar. Kasandra was never for a moment less than brilliantly graceful.”– Kaija Pepper, The Sun
Josue Otero Tacoronte
flamenco guitarist (Cuba)
Josué Otero Tacoronte, is a highly acclaimed guitarist, composer and musical arranger originally from Havana, Cuba. He began his musical studies at the age of six and trained in classical piano and guitar, winning numerous national competitions. In 1997 he ventured out into playing Spanish flamenco guitar working as a composer, music director and musical arranger for the Spanish Ballet of Cuba, and Aires Flamenco Company in Havana, and also the Ballet Español Proart, Cale Bari, and Mexico Flamenco in Mexico. He has studied flamenco guitar with many maestros including Antonio Rodriguez, Pedro Sierra, Paco Jarana, Jesus Torres, José Luís Rodriguez, Eduardo Rebollar, Pedro Sanchez and Antonio Rey.
One of his most important musical achievements has been his consistent contribution on research, musical arrangements, performance and recording of the Cuban guitar repertoire that includes pieces by composers such as Leo Brouwer, Ernesto Lecuona, amongst others, crossing over into other genres such as flamenco without losing Cuban essence. He has recorded several albums including “Josué Tacoronte y Skpao”, “Mexico Flamenco “ and “Brouwer Flamenco” for which he was awarded “Best Concert Interpreter” at the International Festival CUBADISCO Awards, in May 2013. He toured all over Cuba, Spain, Argentina, USA, Switzerland, Austria, Morocco, France, Dominican Republic, Peru and Mexico. http://www.josuetacoronte.com
Jafelin Helten
flamenco singer (Venezuela)
Jafelin is one of Canada’s preeminent Flamenco and Latin singers. She has been popular in Vancouver’s flamenco scene for 20 years. In 2015, Jafelin co-produced the popular concert tour, “FlamenCubana!” where she performed with 12 great Spanish Flamenco and Cuban artists to the delight of audiences in Vancouver, Victoria and Nanaimo.
Passionate about Flamenco, Jafelin has continuously studied and collaborated with the highest caliber of Flamenco artists and aficionados from Spain and internationally to deepen her knowledge and understanding the essence of the “cante”. She has the honour of being recognized and accepted as an international flamenco cantaora in Spain, a position very difficult to attain. She has performed in Peña Canaleja with Miguel Angel Ramos from Puerto Real and tabancos in Jerez de la Frontera including El Pasaje and El Guitarrón, and in Granada, Cueva Maria La Canastera.
Jafelin is the founder and international ambassador for the worldwide flamenco website ExpoFlamenco.com which promotes the flamenco art form and connects flamenco lovers and communities around the globe. She has earned recognition in Mairena del Alcor, Spain from the Ayuntamiento de Mairena del Alcor for the work of promoting flamenco worldwide.
She can be heard on Juan de Maria’s “Mimbre” and her own albums “Tantos Caminos” and “Algo De Mi” and “Cantos y Memorias de mi Gente”, a collaboration with the unique international Cuban band, Brisas Del Palmar, recorded in Santiago de Cuba. www.jafelin.com
Davide Sampaolo
flamenco percussionist (Rome)
Originally from Rome, Davide was born into a family of musicians and studied music at the “Scuola popolare di Musica di Testaccio” and at the “TIMBA drum and percussion school” where he studied Afro-Cuban drums (Congas, Timbal, Bongò, Batà) with great maestros such as Roberto “Mamey” Evangelisti, Paulo La Rosa, Valter Paiola and Gabriele Gagliarini. He learned from prominent figures such as Reinaldo Hernandez Ramirez and Irian Lopez Rodriguez, growing his knowledge about Cuban folklore, Rumba, Son, Salsa and Latin Jazz.
He travelled to Spain regularly for many years to Sevilla, Cordoba, Granada, Malaga and Barcelona to understand the language of the Flamenco Cajon, and then moved to Madrid to learn more about modern Flamenco Cajon with the great maestros José Ruiz “Bandolero”, Rafael Jimenez “el Chispas”, José Antonio Montaña and Kike Terron.
He has performed and toured internationally, playing for great Flamenco artists from Spain and Italy including dancers Pastora Galvan, Ivan Vargas Heredia and Cristina Benitez; guitarists Anton Jimenez, Manuel Montero Miranda, Vahagni Turgutyan; singers Antonio Villar, Davide Hornillo, Coral de los Reyes, among many others. He works in the Latin and Flamenco scenes here in Vancouver and regularly with Kasandra “La China”
Kirill Deljanin
Flamenco Dancer (Emerging artist, North Vancouver)
Kirill Deljanin started Flamenco at the age of 9 at www.mozaicoflamenco.com with Oscar Nieto and shortly after started taking private lessons with Kasandra “La China”. He was intrigued by the interesting and complicated compas (time signature and rhythm) of this art form and was determined to be a great dancer. Though Flamenco, Kirill can express his personality and feelings through movement. He especially is excited to perform his Seguiriya, as this is a challenging, extremely powerful song form in Flamenco that has taken a lot of determination and hard work. Kirill has performed showcases at the International Flamenco Festival in Albuquerque, Victoria Flamenco Festival and Vancouver International Flamenco Festival. He is 16 years old, plays basketball in high school and the cello as a hobby here in North Vancouver. He is the winner of the BC Arts Council scholarship for dance.
Vicente Griego “El Cartucho”
flamenco singer (New Mexico)
Vicente Griego “El Cartucho” is from Dixon/Embudo, New Mexico. He has devoted his life to the study of cante Flamenco, the art of Flamenco singing.
In 1992, Vicente began touring the U.S.A., Canada and Latin America, with the Jose Greco II Flamenco Dance Company, where he was mentored by Caño Roto and Alfonso “Veneno” of Madrid, Spain.
He sings for Yjastros, the American Flamenco Repertoire Company out of AlbuRquerque. He tours nationally internationally year round.
Vicente Griego is currently presenting the musical group ReVoZo.
“Vicente Griego “El Cartucho” is striking for his deep, sonorous wails that seem to come from a cavern, someplace deep within his soul.” – Anna Poplawska, Chicago Artist’s News
Gareth Owen
flamenco guitarist (Victoria, Canada)
Gareth Owen, Guitarist, is a world-class Flamenco Guitarist based in Victoria, BC who has shared the stage with international flamenco artists Jesus Alvarez, Gaspar Rodriguez, Coral de los Reyes, Miguel Rosendo, Luis de la Tota, Domingo Ortega to name a few. Gareth’s solo albums include Gareth Owen Flamenco Guitar in 2008 and El Cobre with Antonio de Jerez in 2010.
He has played solo concerts at the Calgary International Flamenco Festival, in Victoria at the Alix Golden Hall and St Andrew’s Church, and in concerts presented by the Arts Council of Haida Gwaii. He has performed across Canada including University Theatre in Calgary, the Toronto & Vancouver International Flamenco Festivals. Gareth is the guitarist for Alma de Espana Company and collaborates with his mother, nationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer, Veronica Maguire, and had his beginnings with his father, renown flamenco guitarist, the late Harry Owen.
Liron Man
flamenco guitarist (Israel)
Born in Israel, Liron Man’s passion for Flamenco led him to Jerez de la Frontera and other cities in Andalucia, Spain where he lived flamenco to the fullest extent possible.
As a flamenco guitarist, Liron has shared stages and accompanied top Flamenco artists such as Dolores Agujetas, Jorge Pardo, Gema Moneo, Fraskito, La Negra, Jose de los Camarones, Bernardo Parilla, Mara Rey and more. He has toured Spain, Canada, Germany, China, and Israel.
Liron studies the basic traditional Flamenco and composes his own modern interpretation within the flamenco genre. His experience with music from various traditions around the world brings him to create new and innovative combinations.
Liron was the musical producer for Canadian flamenco dancer, Fiona Malena’s Puertas (2013). Here he created a musical fusion of Flamenco with Indian, Jewish, Moorish, and Cuban. He is currently the musical director of Mashregh , where he combined Flamenco with Classical Persian Music.