Soledad Barrio

Soledad Barrio is a flamenco dancer. She was born in Madrid, Spain in 1964 (age 58–59). She founded the Noche Flamenca dance company where she performs and teaches,[1] and has received critical acclaim for her performances.[2]

Soledad Barrio
Born1964 (age 58–59)
Madrid, Spain
OccupationFlamenco dancer

Biography

From her birth in 1964,[3] Barrio grew up in Madrid[4] under the Francoist dictatorship which imprisoned her grandfather.[5] She began dancing from four years of age[6] and at 19, was inspired by the 1981 flamenco film Blood Wedding to leave university to pursue dancing flamenco professionally.[7][8][9]

She began to train to be a flamenco dancer in the studio Amor de Dios at Centro Nacional de Arte Flamenco and saved money to continue her training by dancing at hotels. Here she would train under well-known flamenco performers including Paco Romero, Manolete (Manuel Santiago Maya), El Güito (Eduardo Serrano Iglesias), and María Magdalena. [10][11]

In 1992 while training at Amor de Dios, Barrio met her future husband, Martin Santangelo. Santangelo was an actor performing with El Teatro Campesino and a beginner in flamenco when they met. By 1993, they had moved together to New York City and founded a dance studio together, the Noche Flamenca.[12][13]

Awards

Notes
  1. Vilcek Foundation 2022, "Over the past 30 years, Barrio has served as the principal dancer and instructor with Noche Flamenca, the company she co founded with Martín Santangelo in 1993".
  2. Noche Flamenca, "Ms. Barrio has won awards from over 15 countries for her excellence in dance, including a Bessie Award for Outstanding Creative Achievement, a 2015 Dance Magazine Exceptional Artist Award, the 2022 Vilcek Prize in Dance and a Bessie award for Outstanding Performer.".
  3. Homans 2019, "Flamenco is punishing on the back and the knees, and Barrio, who was born in 1964, doesn’t train as intensively as she used to.".
  4. Homans 2019, "Barrio grew up in Madrid, amid stories of her family’s suffering during the Civil War— her grandfather was imprisoned by the Franco regime...".
  5. Homans 2020, "Barrio grew up in Madrid, amid stories of her family’s suffering during the Civil War—her grandfather was imprisoned by the Franco regime...".
  6. Vilcek Foundation 2022, "Barrio loved dancing; she recalls performing at family parties—dancing on tables—as young as 4 years old.".
  7. Homans 2020, "...and it was Carlos Saura’s 1981 dance film based on Lorca’s “Blood Wedding” that inspired her to dance professionally.".
  8. Vilcek Foundation 2022, "Following a tumultuous adolescence, Barrio’s passion for dance was reignited at the age of 19. She was inspired by a film about a flamenco dancer being reawakened to her own love of dance after a career hiatus; the film’s story resonated deeply with Barrio, and she was compelled to pursue a career in dance.".
  9. Hartman 2015, "She didn’t see a flamenco performance until she was 19. She was attending the local public university, but was bored by her classes. Then, on television, she saw Carlos Saura’s film “Bodas de Sangre” (“Blood Wedding”), a flamenco adaptation of the Federico García Lorca play. She was riveted: “I was like, ‘Wow, I want to do this,’” she said.".
  10. Hartman 2015, "She trained at a studio in Madrid, then went to the Canary Islands and found work performing in hotels. “I learned makeup,” she said. “Classical Spanish. Also folklore.” She came back to Madrid with enough money to study at Amor de Dio".
  11. Vilcek Foundaation 2022, "She began taking lessons at Amor de Dios, Centro de Arte Flamenco y Danza Española in Madrid, and took a job performing flamenco in hotels for tourists. After a year of work, Barrio returned to Amor de Dios, where she would hone her craft and approach to the art of flamenco, studying with masters of flamenco including Paco Romero, María Magdalena, Manolete, and El Güito."..
  12. Plus Company Updates 2022, "In 1992, Barrio was living and working in Spain when she met her future husband, Martin Santangelo. One year later, the pair founded their company, Noche Flamenca, in New York.".
  13. Hartman 2015, "She came back to Madrid with enough money to study at Amor de Dios, and spotted Mr. Santangelo in class. A New Yorker raised in Greenwich Village, he had been acting in El Teatro Campesino, a California-based troupe directed by Luis Valdez, who wrote and directed the movie “La Bamba.” On an impulse, he had come to Madrid to study flamenco. (...) Noche Flamenca came about mostly by accident. In 1993, the couple had been together for a year but were often apart.".
  14. Dance Magazine 2022.
  15. Vilcek Foundation 2022, Section: Awards and Accomplishments, "Bessie Award for Performer, The New York Dance & Performance Awards, for Noche Flamenca, (2001)".
  16. Sherman 2022, "The performer awards went to Soledad Barrio for her achievements in flamenco...".
  17. Vilcek Foundation 2022.

References
  • Hartman, Susan (2015-12-04). "A Renowned Dance Couple Keeps Flamenco's Flame Burning in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  • Sherman, Rachel (2022-12-17). "At Bessie Awards, Joy and Diversity, and Gathering in Person". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  • "Soledad Barrio". Vilcek Foundation. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  • Homans, Jennifer (2019-12-18). "Noche Flamenca Gets Deeper with Age". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  • "Dance Magazine Award Recipients". Dance Magazine. 2022-12-20. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  • Feit, Brittney (2018-02-20). "Soledad Barrio and Noche Flamenca Rage Respectfully Against Tradition". The Village Voice (Online).
  • "Artists". Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
  • "2022 Vilcek Prize in Dance Awarded to Flamenco's Foremost Dancer, Soledad Barrio". Plus Company Updates. Right Vision Media. 2022-03-24. Retrieved 2023-08-14 – via General OneFile.


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