Clara Ramona

Clara Ramona is Filipina flamenco artist who has professionally gained recognition for her mastery of this complex art form. Born and raised in the Philippines, Clara pursued her professional ballet training in Boston before eventually joining the Ramon de los Reyes Spanish Dance Theater as principal dancer and choreographer. There she showcased her artistic genius with a widely applauded rendition of the Carmina Burana, that had repeated runs in top-notch theaters in the Americas and Europe long after its debut. Despite being a foreign artist, she established herself in Madrid, the mecca of flamenco, founding her own dance company, Ballet Español de Clara Ramona, through which she has staged productions that were critically acclaimed the world over and collaborated with flamenco artists of stature such as La Tati, Tomas de Madrid, and Antonio Alonso for over twenty years.

Beyond the traditional frontiers of flamenco, Clara paved the way for its blossoming in Asia, conducting workshops in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Japan, including a China tour of the legendary Carmen with her company. Barely a year after her first workshop in the Philippines in late 2004, she decided to return to her roots. Since then, she has performed as a guest in Repertory’s musical Man of La Mancha (December 2005) and staged authentic flamenco shows such as Flamenco Amor (February 2006), ¡Ay Que Jaleo! (October 2006-HongKong, November 2006-Manila), and Flamenco Intimo (February 2007) together with budding talents she has discovered in her classes, to the acclaim of Manila’s discerning crowd. The latest production, Flamenco Intimo, likewise featured Madrid-based guest artists, Isaac and Nino de los Reyes, Clara’s sons.

More than a performer, Clara’s greater mission is nurturing future world-class talents, previously as a faculty member of the Boston Conservatory of Music and Dance, her alma mater, and the Walnut Hill School of Performing Arts, in addition to leading seminars at the Harvard University Dance Program, Boston University School of Fine Arts, and Bates College Dance Festival. Today, she dedicates her time as director of the recently launched Clara Ramona Centro de Danza Flamenca, honing students into flamenco dancers capable of commanding global recognition.

1990s

In 1991, she brought “Carmina Burana” to the Teatro Alcala Palace of Madrid using Spanish dancers in her company and for the next year through 1992, it toured all the great theatres of Spain and South America concluding with a three month run at the Teatro Calderon of Madrid. Given the success of “Carmina Burana” with audiences and critics she decided to establish herself in Madrid and create her own company, the Ballet Español de Clara Ramona. She debuted her new company during the dance festival of the Centro Cultural de la Villa with her work, “Doña Gracia Beatriz de Luna” to the music of Eduardo Lalo and the "Rite of Spring" of Stravinsky. It was here that she was joined in her role as prima ballerina by guest artist Miguel Angel Espino, formerly of the Ballet Nacional de España, and with whom she worked for the next two years and also appeared with her in her “Carmina Burana” which showed at the Symphony Space in New York. It was also in this era that she presented her choreography at a competition at the Teatro Albeniz. Here she performed “Los Desamparados” to the music of Miles Davis where her son, Nino de los Reyes made his debut at the mere age of five. Together with Tomas of Madrid, she danced at the famous tablao of Madrid known as Café de Chinitas where a little later she also danced with here other son, Isaac de los Reyes.

In 1995, she appeared with Antonio Alonso, who was the first dancer with the Ballet Nacional de España, in “Solos”, set to baroque chamber music and popular flamenco program, which met with popular acclaim. In 1996 her work, “Carmina Burana” continued to meet with an enthusiastic response from audiences and critics as she appeared with Alonso as her first dancer with the special collaboration of Manuel Reyes at the Cuartel del Conde Duque theatre. It was also in this year that she created the performance, “Flamenco in Concert” at the Emerson Majestic Theatre of Boston where she danced with her husband, Ramon de los Reyes and her sons, Isaac and Nino de los Reyes, and with special guest artist, Antonio Alonso and accompanied by the singer Chalequito.

In 1997, she opened in the castizo neighborhood of Madrid, the Clara Ramona Dance Studio, where she continued her work. As guest artist with the Royal Caribbean Cruises, she presented the culture and dance of Spain, offering her classical repertory for more than three years. In the same period, she taught classes as a flamenco artist in the Pan Asian Folk Dance Festival in Taiwan.

In 1998, she danced to English poetry by Tree Elven called “Poemotion”, a work in experimental theatre where poetry was interpreted in contemporary Spanish dance and performed at The Actor's Center in London and at the Auditorio del Colegio de Medicos in Madrid. She was a guest teacher in the Harvard University Dance Program. Later she was retained as assistant director for “Campanas Flamencas” a production directed by Francisco Sanchez in which the performers were artists of stature such as La Tati, Milagros Mengibar, Joaquin Grilo, Isaac and Nino de los Reyes, etc. and played for five weeks in a row at the Sadler's Wells Theatre of London. In the following year it played at the Sydney Opera House for the Sydney Festival filling the theatre each day. This was also when she appeared with her son, Isaac, on a Spanish television program called “Algo Mas que Flamenco,” (something more than Flamenco) which focused on the flamenco greats of Spain.

In 1999, she produced and directed the production, “Flamenco Esencia”, together with her sons Isaac and Nino and performed it in its first form in the Thessaloniky Auditorium in Greece and later in its full form in the Sala Caracol in Madrid. It would be with this title of “Flamenco Esencia” that this family would be united each time they performed. So in 2000, together with Ramon de los Reyes they performed in a tour of the Auditorio del Colegio de Medicos de Madrid and the Diamond Head Theatre in Hawaii, EEUU etc. With this production they brought people to their feet in standing ovations and were swept away by critical acclaim.

2000's

In March 2000, Clara Ramona was able to bring to the stage her production “Yo La Reina, Doña Juana” set to Mozart´s Requiem as an adaptation in Spanish dance of the life of Joanna of Castile, know as the Juana the madwoman. This was danced in the Teatro Jacinto Benavente de Galapagar in Madrid.

In 2001, she decided to create a production, which she directed and produced at the Teatro Triangulo in Madrid, a Flamenco series called “Flamenco al Fresco”, in which she gave opportunities to promising upcoming young artists and dedicated one night to pay homage to the great guitarist Antonio Pucherete. She also appeared this year as a guest artist in the production “España Baila” (Spain Dances), in the Teatro Calderon of Madrid. At the end of the year, she toured with her company the major cities of China with an elaborate production of "Carmen".

In the year 2002, she was invited to perform as guest artist with the Ahmet Luleci Ensemble performing for the Turkish Embassy in Washington. She performed together with her sons Isaac and Nino de los Reyes in the prestigious “tablao” Casa Patas in Madrid. Directing her 2nd Ciclo Flamenco at the Teatro Triàngulo, “Al Flamenco, Palo”, she dedicated a night to Japanese artists, a night paying homage to Arturo Pavòn. She participated as a teacher and guest artist for the Bates Dance Festival. Again she brought her Spanish Ballet “Carmen”, a company of 25 artists, including Isaac and Nino de los Reyes as guest artists, and she completed a tour of China’s largest cities.

Already in 2003, because of her great success with Carmen, she produced her “Suite Clásica”, returned to China in the Beijing Exhibition Theatre as a guest artist to celebrate the Chinese New Year companied by all her company as well as artists such as Isaac and Nino de los Reyes and Miguel Angel Espino. She continued the tour to Hong Kong, Singapore, Tokyo, Osaka, Hiroshima, etc which she conducted workshops and master classes. In November her company collaborated with the opera “Le Domino Noir” in the Teatro La Fenice in Venice. In December she performed in Madrid's famous Casa Patas in collaboration with Lole Montoya and Primitivo Lasa.

In 2004 she had already finished her first tour in the USA, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore performing and giving workshops. Barely a year after her workshop in the Philippines, Clara decided to return and settle in her roots. She opened Instituto Cervantes’ ¡Fiesta 2005! Spanish month celebration together with her sons Isaac and Nino de los Reyes and performed as a guest artist in Repertory’s musical, Man of La Mancha in December.

In February 2006, she presented Flamenco Amor, her first flamenco showcase in Manila with her Filipino students. By October 2006, she brought her budding Philippine flamenco dance company, Clara Ramona and Co… to Hong Kong to perform with her in ¡Ay Que Jaleo!, a production she brought back to Manila in November and December of the same year. In between her performances, she juggled giving workshops in Hong Kong and holding regular classes in the Philippines.

Clara kicked off 2007 with the launch of her dance studio, Clara Ramona Centro de Danza Flamenca, in January and another show in February with her Philippine dance company, Flamenco Intimo, which featured her sons Isaac and Nino de los Reyes as guest artists.

References