References

• BELEN MAYA country: Spain style(s): Dance Flamenco label: Producciones Sonakay artist submitted by: Producciones Sonakay S.L. The daughter of two great flamenco artists, Carmen Mora and Mario Maya, Belen began her dance studies at the studios AMOR DE DIOS in Madrid. Her training in classical dance has been with Rosa Naranjo and Juana Taft. In classical Spanish dance, she has studied under Maria Magdalena, Paco Romero and Jose Antonio. In the areas of jazz and contemporary dance she has studied with Goyo Montero, Teresa Nieto, and the Alvin Ailey dance company in New York. Her flamenco teachers have included Paco Fernandez, Manolete, La Tati, El Gueito, Carmen Cortes, La Tona, and many others. Later she entered the School of the Spanish National Ballet directed at that time by Maria de Avila. After a year she decided to relocate to Seville in order to focus on flamenco. She joined the Mario Maya Company where within three years she went from being a member of the ensemble to becoming the principal dancer and repetiteur of the company. Meanwhile, she also gained experience in the tablaos of Seville, LOS GALLOS and EL PATIO. Belen left the Mario Maya Company to form her own and spent six months in Tokyo at the tablao FLAMENCO of Tokyo, together with other important artists including Yolanda Heredia, Rafael Jimenez Falo, Jesus Torres, and Alejandro Granados. Upon returning from Japan, she became the principal for the Dance Company of Andalucia. She was invited by Carlos Saura to represent the new generation of flamenco in his world-renowned film FLAMENCO. Belen's performance in this film would become a milestone in flamenco dance as interpreted by women, opening new avenues in terms of concept, musicality, movement, and costuming. She has been invited to collaborate in the companies and shows with important dancers and choreographers such as Javier Baron, Alejandro Granados, Manuel Reyes, Ricardo Franco, Andres Marin, Manolete, and Goyo Montero. Belen also worked with Ramon Oller's Metros Company, dancing one of the principal roles in its production of Frontera. In 1996, she again formed her own company with its first production being The Goddess Within Us, with Teresa Nieto as choreographer and Emilio de Diego as musical director. The company was composed entirely of bailaoras: Yolanda Heredia, Teresa Nieto, Rafaela Carrasco, and Isabel Bayon. In 1997 she was invited by Mayte Martin to the Grec Festival in Barcelona. From this pivotal collaboration was born a shared company, MAYTE MARTIN Y BELEN MAYA, the fruit of an absolute artistic connection and a common understanding of flamenco. This collaboration gave rise to two shows: MAYTE MARTIN Y BELEN MAYA , and FLAMENCO DE CAMARA. Both have received outstanding critical praise in important venues such as the Festival of Jerez (2002 and 2003), the Royal Theatre of Madrid, the Grec Theatre of Barcelona, the Autumn Festival of Madrid, the Central Theatre and Lope de Vega Theatre of Seville, the Music and Dance Festival of Granada, Teatre de la Ville of Paris, the Spai of Barcelona, and the Symphony Space of New York among others. In 2004 Belen participated in LOS CAMINOS DE LORCA (The Paths of Lorca) with the Dance Company of Andalucia under the direction of Pepa Gamboa and performed in the premiere of FUERA DE LOS LIMITES(Beyond the Boundaries) together with Rafaela Carrasco under the direction of Ramon Oller. In 2005 she presented the show (Dibujos), (Drawings), in Madrid as part of the Summers at La Villa series to both public and critical acclaim. In 2006 this was restaged and premiered at the 10th Flamenco Festival in Jerez. After a long period of study with Juan Carlos Lerida and David Montero she presented (Souvenir) and (La Voz de su Amo) last March in Seville. Both shows are of great artistic initiative, they have surprised the audience tremendiously and is currently touring most successfully; both shows are a co production with el Mercat de les Flors.