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At the age of 4 Yaelisa danced on the stage of the famous Casa Madrid, and flamenco and its culture were a part of her life because of her mother, the renowned Isa Mura. She has performed with many of Spain’s finest artists, including Alejandro Granados, Antonio “El Pipa,” Manuel and Antonio Malena, Domingo Ortega, Enrique “El Extremeno,” Yeye de Cádiz, Mateo Soleá, El Junco, Juan Ogalla, Geronimo, Felipe Maya and others. Since 1986, Yaelisa has spent extensive periods of time living and performing in Spain, presenting her choreography there and in the U.S. Her choreographies have been commissioned by several modern dance companies, including John Malashock & Company, Rose Polsky and Collage Dance Theatre. In 1995, she was one of 11 choreographers in Spain invited to present her choreography at the prestigious Certámen de Coreografía in Madrid, and the only American choreographer chosen among them. In 1996, she returned to the U.S. where she continues to choreograph, develop and train dancers for her company. Internationally recognized as a master teacher, Yaelisa has developed a teaching style that emphasizes cultural understanding and knowledge of the cante. Her unique improvisational knowledge and history lend an authority to her workshops and classes, and many of her students and dancers have gone on to study and perform in Spain and the U.S.
She is the recipient of an Emmy Award for Choreography in 1993 for the PBS program, "Desde Cádiz a Sevilla," and a Choreography Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 1996. In 1998 Yaelisa was commissioned to choreograph and perform in the San Jose Repertory Theater's production of "Twelfth Night," with original music by Musical Director Jason McGuire and Company members. Entering its sixth successful year, she continues to present her work and those of emerging artists each month at the ODC Cafe Flamenco Series at the ODC Theater. The Company has received two major grants from the SF Arts Commission, and continues to be one of the most prolific performing arts groups in the Bay Area. In 2005, Yaelisa and her company were honored to receive an Isadora Duncan Dance Award in for excellence in the category of “Best Company Performance.”
Yaelisa is also the founder and Artistic Director of The New World Flamenco Festival, presented each year at the Irvine Barclay Theater in Irvine, California. In three years, this Festival has become the second largest and most comprehensive flamenco festival in North America, offering master classes, workshops, educational activities in conjunction with performances from visiting Spanish companies, as well as Yaelisa Caminos Flamencos.
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