PATH OF MARÍA CARRASCO
María Carrasco
María Carrasco was born in Antón Martín, the Flamenco district of Madrid, and her passion for dance began at age four. Gifted with a precocious talent and a genuine vocation, she finished her studies in Spanish Dance with a strong artistic personality.
After years of intense preparation with great masters of flamenco, she went abroad to reinforce her studies in other dance styles such as classic and contemporary. She also did a Masters in Set Design, Lighting, Costume and Theatre Direction in Milan. She worked as a choreographer in renowned opera companies and taught specialized courses in Spanish Dance at important schools and organizations abroad.
After winning first prize in the prestigious contest “Nuevos Valores de Flamenco”, organized by the city of Madrid, and now with her own company, Maria Carrasco performed in the most prestigious venues of Madrid’s flamenco circuit – such as The Conde Duque Central Patio (as part of La Villa Summer Festival). There, she quickly gained recognition from specialized critics and from an ever-growing audience who had always seen her charm and charisma. From then on, she continued to grow in success and win awards – for example, Spanish Cultural Diffusion in the US, The Silver Antenna presented by the Federation of Spanish Radio and Television, the Parliamentary Bullfighting Association Award for artistic performance related to bullfighting culture, 2008 Golden Microphone for Dance, and two Max Theatre awards for Best Dance Performance and Best Female Performer.
María debuted nine shows with her company Ballet Flamenco María Carrasco: Embrujo, Tiempos Flamencos, Carmen, Concierto Flamenco, Al Compás de Lorca, Aires Flamencos, Flamenco Libre, Made in Spain, and Cinderella (a show for children). She brought all these shows to prestigious theatres and festivals throughout the world. She has danced in countries such as Japan, South Korea, China, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Cuba, Portugal, Turkey, Poland, Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, France, England, and America.
In Lebanon, she was chosen by the Cervantes Institute to represent flamenco dance at the UNESCO Palace, with the show Tiempos Flamencos. In Jordan, she was invited to dance the Carmen show in front of the Jordanian royal family. In Panama, she was invited to represent Spain in the Book Festival, with the show Al Compas de Lorca. In Guatemala, she performed Cinderella as best foreign show for children, as part of the Paiz Music and Dance Festival. She has performed in Mexico on several occasions, particularly at Baja California’s La Vendimia Festival, and at the 25th anniversary of Tijuana’s Cecut theatre. In China, she performed for the Beijing Olympic Games, and she also participated as a guest artist in important events such as the 150th anniversary of Credit Suisse and the celebration of Spanish Radio and Television’s Golden Antennas.
She has performed alongside such figures as Antonio Canales, Joaquín Cortés , Julio Bocca, Jose Merce, Enrique Morente and Carmen Linares, among others, and has been a total success both with critics and at the box office in theatres such as the Teresa Carreño in Caracas, the Masque Theatre in Liverpool, the Fine Arts Circle in Lisbon, the National Theatre of Costa Rica, Nicaragua’s Miguel Hernandez Theatre, and others, as well as Madrid’s most important theatres, like the Fine Arts Theatre, Madrid Theatre, the Nuevo Apolo Theatre, the Amaya, the Alcazar, the Arenal, and the Lara.
All her shows display modern and unique flamenco as well as original staging and, above all, the strength and character of a special performer – María Carrasco.