Artist Bios

Manuel Gutierrez

Manuel Gutierrez Cabello is a flamenco dancer, choreographer and instructor from Córdoba, Spain. From a young age he had shown a talent for dance, winning his first flamenco award at just 8 years old. He began to develop his unique style under the direction of Lita Peiro, José Galván and later with Joaquin Grilo and Javier Latorre.

By age twenty, Gutierrez began producing works and dancing across Europe with legendary artists including Duquende, Chicuelo, Juan Carmona and Chispa Negra. He also began to collaborate with top French choreographers Redha, Marjorie Ascione, and Gerome Zerbie. In 2008, Manuel was invited to choreograph the production “Flamenco Flamen’ka” which sold out the Lyric Theatre in London and and ran for five years in Great Britain and France. Guiterrez’s fame as a choreographer and producer was growing. The Telegraph in London called his work “Fiery.” Danse Magazine nicknamed him, “The Young Flamenco Prince.” Figarro Newspaper raved “The dance is strong, voluptuous, and spectacular... a profound type of Flamenco and incredibly explosive.”

Since 2011, Manuel has contributed his time as Artistic Director for Global Gift Foundation for the charitable initiative “The Global Gift Gala" which works alongside actress, producer and philanthropist Eva Longoria as Honorary Chair in benefit of Eva Longoria Foundation, Ricky Martin Foundation, Global Gift Foundation and many more. Manuel continues to work alongside Longoria and has produced charitable events in Los Angeles, London, Paris, Cannes, Mexico and Dubai.

José Cortés ‘El Muleto’

José Cortés Fernández was born in the South of France into a flamenco singer's gypsy family from Almería. At the age of ten, José began his first artistic steps in Jerez de la Frontera where he won the "premio del joven aficionado del cante flamenco," award accompanied on guitar by Terremoto hijo. He was immersed in the world of flamenco where he came into contact with singers of the stature of Camarón de la Isla, Terremoto, Pansequito, Moraito Chico and Tomatito from whom he learned. Over the years he has shared the stage with renowned artists such as Belen Lopez, Alfonso Losa, Juan Ogalla, Mara Martinez, Andrés Peña, Pilar Ortega, David Paniagua,,Nino de los Reyes, Jesus Carmona, Isaac de los Reyes, Belen Maya, Maria Juncal, Domingo Ortega, Concha Jareño, rapico  and many others..

José has had the honor to perform with Antonio Carmona from the group "Ketama" at the Nokia Theater for Eva Longoria's Foundation, with the San Francisco Opera in "Giselle" and with the Aspen Ballet.

With a very personal voice and a vast range, he always looks for new aspects of traditional styles. A talented traditional artist, José Cortés Fernández takes authentic flamenco into new territories by working alongside other genres.

Kerensa DeMars

Kerensa DeMars is a dancer and choreographer, and the director of Studio K Flamenco. She lived in Spain from 1997-2004 where she trained intensively in flamenco dance with Spain’s foremost artists. She has performed internationally at venues including London's Royal Festival Hall, the Teatro Calderón of Madrid, the Tivoli Theater in Barcelona and San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts. Kerensa has toured with major flamenco companies in the US and is the founding director of the San Francisco Flamenco Dance Company. Prior to relocating to Milwaukee in 2019, Kerensa served as Artistic Director of the Flamenco Room, San Francisco’s longest running weekly flamenco show, for fifteen years.

Kerensa has received major choreography commissions from the San Francisco Arts Commission, the Azahar Dance Foundation, the Teatro Pradillo and Theatre Bay Area for her work.

She has directed over a dozen full length Flamenco productions (including three works for children) and presented her work in Madrid, San Francisco, Chicago, Barcelona, Los Angeles and Paris. She is the creator and Artistic Director of the Flamenco Nutcracker, now in its fifth consecutive year.

Diego Alvarez ‘El Negro’

Diego "El Negro" Alvarez, born in Venezuela, is a master cajón player. He lived 16 years in Spain where he developed his career alongside the most prestigious flamenco dance companies such as those of Joaquin Cortez, Antonio Canales, Sara Baras, Nuevo Ballet Español and Paco Peña among others. He has more than 12 Latin Grammy nominations and is a winner of a Latin Grammy in 2010 for best rock album of the year for "Sera" by La Vida Boheme. He is committed to promoting the cajón with its Peruvian roots as a universal instrument. He now lives in Los Angeles where he continues working on different musical projects between flamenco and jazz.

Andres Vadin

Born in Cuba, Andres Vadin’s talent spans many different genres while highlighting the flamenco guitar as a universal instrument with no boundaries — a breathtaking fusion of traditional and contemporary interpretations, often infused with Cuban, Arabic, and jazz influences. Vadin graduated from the Guillermo Tomas and Almadeo Roldan Conservatory of Music in Habana. He began studying music at the age of 10 and won first prize in the Almadeo Roldan music competition at the age of 12. Vadin has played for some of the most talented flamenco artists known today, including Antonio Carmona, José Antonio Rodríguez, and Maria Juncal. He has also collaborated on Latin Grammy-nominated albums twice — in 2005 with Aceituna sin Hueso on the album Cuba Le Canta A Serrat and in 2017 with Oskar Cartaya on the album Bajo Mundo. He has toured throughout the world performing with Concha Buika, Jorge Pardo, Yasmin Levy, Faramarz Aslani, Wadih Al Safi, Billy Cobhan, Navajita Platea, and in festivals such as WOMAD, Glastonbury, Montreal International Jazz Music Festival, and at rock legend Steve Vai’s Big Mama Jama Jam-a-thon among others. His work as a session musician includes the movie soundtracks for “Whale of a Tale” and “Bel Canto.” 

Vadin also performs regularly with his project Andres Vadin Trio. 

Vadin is supported by Godin Guitars, Fishman Amplifiers and most recently Shubb Capos.

Melissa Cruz

Melissa Cruz is a Bay Area-based flamenco professional. She began training with the Bay Area’s acclaimed flamenco master Rosa Montoya and soon thereafter, joined Ms. Montoya's professional company. Melissa has performed as a soloist in the San Francisco International Arts Festival and has presented in eight San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festivals, twice as a featured soloist. In 2013, she was commissioned to present a solo representing the genre of flamenco in the San Francisco Isadora Duncan Awards Ceremony. 

Melissa teaches a full schedule of classes and mentors her students in their development of flamenco knowledge and interpretation culminating in formal annual recitals, of which she has produced eight consecutively.  Enjoying a concurrent musical career, she is percussionist/drummer/dancer with several active musical projects.  She is a principal dancer and choreographer with the San Francisco Flamenco Dance Company and has collaborated with many US based Flamenco companies including Ballet Flamenco La Rosa, Tuscon Flamenco Festival, St. Louis Flamenco Society, Flamenco Pacifico, Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco and Caminos Flamencos.

Melissa was a featured performer and instructor at the 2021 Festival Flamenco Albuquerque presented by the National Institute of Flamenco. In 2023, Melissa presented her work in the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival in San Francisco, the Peninsula International Dance Festival and the World Arts West Dance Festival.

In addition to her accomplished artistic career, Melissa is a Bachelor of the Arts graduate of UC Berkeley and holds a Juris Doctor degree from University of San Francisco.