Bring La Candela Flamenco to your audiences!
La Candela (from Spanish, “fire” or “flame”) Flamenco is Atlanta’s premier touring company, offering elite dance and live music shows. Established in 2014 and directed by artist Ania La Candela, the company captivates audiences with its vibrant performances. By blending traditional flamenco rhythms with modern influences, La Candela creates immersive experiences that resonate deeply with the heart and soul. La Candela Flamenco’s mission is to bring people of diverse backgrounds together, inspiring them through traditional and reimagined flamenco performances.
Touring Productions
Hispanic Heritage Celebration
Exploring Shared Rhythms of Spain and Latin America
Guided by a storyteller, the Hispanic Heritage Celebration draws the audience into the vibrant world of flamenco, uncovering its roots in Spain and the Latin American influences that have shaped its evolution. Featuring a rich soundscape of traditional flamenco guitar alongside piano, flute, and world percussion, together with dynamic dance and engaging narration, the program highlights flamenco’s ability to transcend borders and blend diverse musical traditions. Audiences are invited to experience the rhythm, passion, and emotion of flamenco while reflecting on its complex histories and shared cultural threads that continue to inspire and resonate today.
Featuring flamenco guitar, dance, piano, flute, cajón, world drums, and live storytelling, the program creates a rich, immersive soundscape that highlights flamenco’s ability to transcend borders and blend diverse musical traditions.
Hispanic Heritage Celebrations now tours as a repertory production with a rotating roster of flamenco artists under La Candela’s artistic direction.
Flamenco Journey
A Voyage through Music and Culture
Flamenco Journey invites audiences into a live, story-filled evening of music and dance that moves from Spain to various cultures and musical traditions. The program blends flamenco with classical, Latin, and world music, following the artists as they show how these sounds and stories meet on stage. Through intimate moments, powerful rhythms, and expressive movement, audiences share in the connections that make flamenco feel both deeply rooted and surprisingly familiar.
Featuring flamenco guitar, dance, piano, flute, cajón, world drums, and live storytelling, the program creates a rich, immersive soundscape that highlights flamenco’s ability to transcend borders and blend diverse musical traditions.
Flamenco Journey now tours as a repertory production with a rotating roster of musicians under La Candela’s artistic direction.
Entre Mundos – Between Worlds
Flamenco Dance Meets Spanish Classical Piano
Entre Mundos – Between Worlds is a performance that leads audiences on a cultural adventure through the vibrant history of Spanish music and flamenco dance. At its core, the show explores the unexpected connections between the fiery passion of flamenco and the refined elegance of Spanish classical music, revealing how these distinct traditions have inspired and enriched one another across time.
With virtuosic piano performances breathing life into beloved Spanish classical pieces, the music resonates deeply, proving that classical music can be both exhilarating and universally enjoyable. Each piece invites audiences to experience the soul of Spain, weaving electrifying rhythms, mesmerizing melodies, and passionate dance into a performance that is as moving as it is enlightening. Entre Mundos unravels the hidden threads connecting these art forms, offering a deeper appreciation of their shared heritage.
Arts Education
Student Matinees, Arts Education Series, School Shows
Our hearts were warmed by the enchanting echoes of joy that filled the Edna Boykin Cultural Center as 704 third graders from 12 Wilson County elementary schools experienced our performance.🔥🎶
Educator Keleigh Carey shared, "It's a great way for students to experience other cultures outside of textbooks and videos." 📚🌟
Little Lilah exclaimed, "It was crazy and cool—the best day ever!" 🤩👧
Explore a comprehensive review of our Hispanic Heritage Celebration Show at the Roswell Cultural Arts Center. Click here to delve into the complete article.
Members of La Candela Flamenco:
Teodora Stoyanova
Flutist
Teodora Stoyanova received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the National Academy of Music in Sofia, Bulgaria. As a soloist and chamber musician, she has toured Europe. After moving to the USA, she performed with the Atlanta Flute Ensemble, ‘Aulos Winds’ & DaSalo Solisti" Chamber Orchestra. She is the principal flutist of the Gwinnett Symphony Orchestra and a member of the Gwinnett Symphony Jazz Orchestra. Teodora believes that music is an integral part of life and she loves working on projects that combine different forms of art as poetry, theater, and dance, and explore different styles and genres.
Tony Castillo
Pianist
Tony Castillo is a passionate pianist and music producer. With a love for music that started at a young age, he developed his skills as a keyboardist at the Berklee College of Music. Throughout his career, Tony has had the incredible opportunity to tour with renowned artists, including Tiffany, the iconic pop star from the '80s. His experiences have allowed him to explore a wide range of musical styles, showcasing his versatility along the way. When he’s not on stage, Tony focuses on teaching classical music to children, sharing his love for music, and inspiring the next generation of musicians. Tony's heart truly shines through in his performances with La Candela Flamenco, where he blends traditional flamenco elements with contemporary influences. His goal is to connect with audiences and celebrate the rich heritage of flamenco music and dance.
Dave Holland
Drums, Percussion, Storytelling
Dave Holland is a multi-percussionist who’s comfortable performing in any genre. During an eight year stint as a U.S. Navy musician, Dave performed in jazz, bluegrass, concert, and rock music ensembles. It was his keen interest in other cultures that lead Dave to travel to the Middle East, West Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean to study the instruments & rhythms from other parts of the world. Today, he incorporates his passion for ‘all things rhythm’ into a career as a performer, teaching artist, drum circle facilitator author & workshop presenter.
Juan Solas Machado
Drums, Percussion
Originally from Havana, Cuba, Juan brings a wealth of experience from his years performing and touring with the internationally acclaimed Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba. As a percussionist and composer, Juan played a vital role in blending flamenco’s power and strength with the rich rhythms of Cuba, contributing to the distinctive style that defines Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba's productions.
Ricardo Sánchez "Ricardito"
Guitarist & Composer
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, and currently residing in New York City, Ricardito is a distinguished flamenco guitarist who has made significant contributions to the world of music as a performer, composer, and music director. His artistry has been showcased at some of the most prestigious flamenco and music festivals across the Americas, including the Vancouver International Flamenco Festival, Encuentro de Arte Flamenco de América in Mexico City, Expolatino in Calgary and Canada. He also performed at the Victoria Flamenco Festival in Canada, the Festival Internacional de Flamenco “Sur Jondo” in Puerto Montt, Chile, the Festival Internacional Cervantino “Flor Andaluza Raíz Guerrerense” in Guanajuato, Mexico, and participated in the Victoria Flamenco Festival. Ricardito also performs annually at the Hudson
Valley Flamenco Fesitval. In addition to his festival appearances, Ricardito has collaborated with internationally renowned artists such as Juan Gabriel, Emanuel, José Mora, Alvera De León, and Susana Harp, both as a performer and as a music director.
José Chirinos
Guitarist
Originally from Venezuela, José began learning flamenco guitar with masters Flavio Rodrigues, Fernando de la Rua, Pepe Maya, Curro de María, Antonio Españadero and Enrique Vargas. José accompanied classes and shows of the best flamenco academies of Venezuela. He participated as a guitarist and teacher in the 4 editions of the International Flamenco Biennial of Maracaibo.
José Manuel Garcia
Pianist
Dr. José Manuel Garcia is a Steinway Artist, award-winning jazz pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator and music educator, whose musicianship in the classical repertoire has been highly recognized as well as in the jazz and Latin genres. He has performed across the U.S. with internationally acclaimed artists, including Ray Vega, Michael Mossman, Jennifer Holliday, and Ignacio Berroa. He is the founder of the Atlanta-based jazz trio International Groove Conspiracy, praised by legends Ahmad Jamal and Chucho Valdés, and featured at venues such as the Atlanta Jazz Festival, Montreux Jazz Festival, and the Blue Note in NYC. Dr. Garcia previously served as Assistant Professor of Piano and Theory at Miles College and has over 15 years of experience as a music educator. His solo album Cruz del Ávila earned praise from Ahmad Jamal, who described his pianism as “sensitive and brilliant.”
Dr. Marina Bengoa Roldán is the original pianist and co-creator of the premiere of Entre Mundos – Between Worlds. She is an accomplished pianist from Spain who performs in the United States and across Europe in solo piano concerts, with orchestras, and as part of the Duo Nott. Marina commissioned and premiered worldwide the Fantasia Flamenca by the Spanish composer Pascual Gimeno, who dedicated the work to her. She has won numerous prizes in international and national piano competitions. Apart from her activity as a pianist, Marina regularly presents at national and international conferences. She gave presentations for the National Conference on Keyboard Pedagogy in 2021 and 2023, ASMTA (Arkansas Music Teachers Association), the Graduate conference at the University of Calgary (Canada), Musicking (University of Oregon), Catedra Bogota Musical International (Colombia), Encuentro de Pianistas (Costa Rica) and SHE: Women in Music Festival (University of Arkansas). She is currently an Assistant Professor of Piano at Eastern New Mexico University and previously taught at Southern Arkansas University. Marina holds a Doctorate in piano performance and a Master's in Piano Pedagogy from the University of Oregon, receiving the outstanding award in Piano Pedagogy. She also has a Master's in Piano Performance from Georgia State University. Marina is passionate about promoting Spanish music and has created a website dedicated to this purpose. You can find it at spanishpianomusic.org.
Contact
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