CarOlé Flamenco

CarOlé Flamenco is a fifth-generation mixed-race Afro-Latina flamenco and Spanish dancer of Gitana, Spanish, and Mexican heritage. A union actor, stand-up comedian, singer, choreographer, published author, and Master of Fine Arts candidate, she is the director and principal artist of CarOlé Flamenco's Compañía FSDT, the oldest flamenco and Spanish dance theatre company in the Americas. A professional since fourteen, working in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and beyond, her credits include a principal role in the feature film Meisner, directed by Jim Parrack; and voice and percussion recordings for Lucasfilm. At The San Francisco Dungeon (Merlin Entertainments), she was a lead actor, playing all the roles. In concert, she partnered with Antonio Vargas, a principal actor in the film Strictly Ballroom, and appeared as a soloist alongside him. She has also performed as a soloist and choreographed with symphonies and operas, including Shanghai Opera. As a stand-up, she has played the Punch Line Comedy Club and Caroline's in New York. Highlights: "Top Flamenco Dancer in America" (So You Think You Can Dance); Isadora Duncan Dance Award nominee; selected dancer, Battle of the Dance; hand-selected by Jennifer Lopez for ¡Qué Viva! The Chosen. She is currently creating her one-person show. Her work takes on oppression and reaches toward liberation: survivance, preservation, evolution. caroleflamenco.com

"You are a powerful performer. You have control of the dance, yet you allow the dance to have some give at the right moments. Along with a select few, you are definitely the top Flamenco dancer in America." — Nigel Lythgoe, So You Think You Can Dance

"She relies on her signature animated and physical style using her lithe dancer's body." — Janice De Jesus, Concord Transcript

"Flamenco star, Ms. CarOlé Flamenco, is living the dream. She brings the soul of Spain to San Francisco." — Sunset Magazine