Luna Negra Dance Theater


	Eduardo Vilaro back to top	Eduardo Vilaro (Luna Negra Dance Theater Founder and Artistic Director) was born in Havana, Cuba, and immigrated to New York City where he grew up in the Bronx. He received his dance training at the Alvin Ailey American Dance School and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance and then received a BFA in Dance from Adelphi University in 1988. Vilaro was a principle dancer with Ballet Hispanico of New York where he taught and performed until 1996. Under the mentorship of Tina Ramirez, Vilaro developed as an educator by creating and implementing outreach and education programs in New York City. He has taught and toured throughout the United States, Europe, Central and South America, and the Middle East. In 1999, after receiving a Masters degree from Columbia College, his passion for his heritage and dance led him to establish Luna Negra Dance Theater. Vilaro’s work with Luna Negra is devoted to capturing the spiritual, sensual and historical essence of the Latino culture. He creates work that explores through contemporary dance Latino cultures’ racial and ethnic diverse movements, as well as music of Latin and Caribbean countries in fresh ways that speak to modern audiences. The result “is something rich and irresistible, with choreography that is exceptionally fluid, dramatic and revealing,” according to the Chicago Sun Times. His work often includes collaborating with artists of other disciplines and he has created works with artists such as Afro-Peruvian singer Susana Baca, visual artist Luis De La Torre, and soprano Harolyn Blackwell. Vilaro has also received commissions to create works for other arts organizations such as the Ravinia Festival, the Chicago Sinfonietta, the Lexington Ballet, New Jersey Dance Theater Ensemble, the Civic Ballet, and Same Planet, Different World. In 2001, he was a recipient of a Ruth Page Award in choreography and in 2003, he was honored at Panama's II International Festival of Ballet for his choreographic work. Vilaro has been on the faculty of the Dance Center of Columbia College and the Chicago Academy of the Arts. He currently serves on the board directors of Dance/USA. "We can thank Cuban born Eduardo Vilaro and his beguiling dancers for reshaping those flashy stereotypes into exquisite movement poems of heart felt complexity.” - Lucia Mauro, Chicago Tribune

	Alejandro Cervera back to top	Alejandro Cervera studied music at the Conservatorio Municipal Manuel de Falla and was trained in dance at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Teatro Colón and the School of Contemporary Dance directed by Oscar Araiz, all in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He worked with well-known teachers such as Ilse Wiedmann, Wassil Tupin, Norma Binaghi, Renate Schotellius, Ana Maria Stekelman, Betty Jones, Jennifer Muller and Miguel Angel Soto. Between 1977 and 1985, Cervera was a member of the Contemporary Ballet of the Teatro General San Martin of Buenos Aires before assuming directorship of the company in 1985. Cervera’s name became more well-known to the North American public after his company was first invited to perform at the American Dance Festival and the Kennedy Center in the mid-1980s. He has since received numerous invitations to return to the festival to perform, teach and collaborate with American companies. Hailed as a leading creative force in his native Argentina, Cervera is widely acclaimed for his work, not only in dance, but in opera, theater and music. He has choreographed works for companies throughout Argentina, Mexico and, through the American Dance Festival. Presently, Cervera is the Executive Director of Prodanza, in Buenos Aires.


	Ron DeJesus back to top	Ron DeJesus was a member of Hubbard Street Dance Chicago for 17 years. His choreographic works have been presented by numerous dance organizations, including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, Joel Hall Dancers and Momenta. In 2004-05, he danced on Broadway with the Twyla Tharp/ Billy Joel production Movin' Out. Ron's creation, The Last 12 Minutes, was co-commissioned by and premiered at Dance Chicago in 2004. Deep and intense, it imagines the choices we make and the emotions we experience to find acceptance and release in both life and death. "The Last 12 Minutes, a sensuous elegy set on seven dancers, marks a turning point for Chicago's Luna Negra." - Lucia Mauro, Chicago Tribune

	Maray Gutierrez back to top	Maray Gutierrez is a native of Havana, Cuba. Maray began her training at the Paulita Concepión Vocational School of the Arts in Havana and continued her studies at the National School of Dance. She has toured and danced throughout Europe, the United States and the Caribbean and has performed for British television and the Venice Opera. Maray has participated in the American Dance Festival; The International Dance Festival in Berlin, Germany; The Holland Dance Festival; and the International Ballet Festival in Geona, Italy. She was a principle dancer for the National Contemporary Dance Company of Cuba for ten years and worked with esteemed choreographers such as Giovanni de Cicco, Donald McKayle, Isidro Rolando, Joaquin Sabate, Jan Linkens and Marianela Boan. Since relocating to Chicago, she has danced with Luna Negra Dance Theater, Concert Dance, Inc, and has danced and choreographed works for Hedwig Dances.

	Miguel Mancillas back to top	Miguel Mancillas was born in Hermosillo, Mexico and is the director and choreographer of the Antares Contemporary Dance Company. He was trained as a dancer in Mexico City under the tutelage of many esteemed teachers such as Xavier Francis, Isabel Hernández, Ángeles Martínez, Zygfryd Rzysko, and Guillermo Maldonado. In 1997 he was awarded first prize in the XVIII Premio INBA-UAM and was named best male performer of the year. He has worked as a choreographer for companies in Mexico and the United States and has taught workshops at the University of Sonora. Miguel has been a member of the Sistema Nacional de Creadores since 1999. Miguel's **Fisuras (Fissures)** was performed in 2002 at the Dance Center of Columbia College. "Flush with imaginative counterbalances of simultaneous solo work, is Miguel Mancillas' "Fissuras," a piece about forbidden love, tress of knowledge and, ultimately, melodramatic onstage screams." - Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune

	Michelle Manzanales back to top	Michelle Manzanales joined Luna Negra Dance Theater as a dancer in 2003, and became Rehearsal Director in 2006. She began her professional career with the Houston Metropolitan Dance Company and has since created works for Luna Negra Dance Theater (Chicago, IL), Impetus Dance Theater (Chicago, IL), Cerqua Rivera Dance Theatre (Chicago, IL), Houston Metropolitan Dance Company among others. Manzanales has been recognized by the American College Dance Festival for four of her choreographic works, and in 2006, she had the great honor of having her work, entitled Pour Me Out, presented at the Kennedy Center, as part of the American College Dance Festival National Gala. Her work has also been presented by Texas Contemporary Weekend (Houston, TX), Festival de Danza Cordoba (Veracruz, Mexico), and Fort Worth Dance Festival (Fort Worth, TX). Manzanales made her choreographic debut with Luna Negra Dance Theater in May of 2007 with her critically acclaimed piece Sugar in the Raw (Azucar Cruda).

	Vicente Nebrada back to top	Born in 1930 in Caracas, Venezuela, Vicente Nebrada was one of the most influential members of Venezuela's first generation of professional ballet dancers. He worked with Cuban ballerina Alicia Alonso, Roland Petit, and the Joffrey Ballet. He was a founding member of the Harkness Ballet in 1964, and helped found the International Ballet of Caracas in 1975 with Venezuelan ballerina Zhandra Rodriguez. The company eventually closed, but it drew recognition and solidified Nebrada’s international reputation as a choreographer. He became artistic director of the National Ballet of Caracas in 1984, which he directed until his death in 2002. More than 30 companies have performed his choreography including the American Ballet Theater, the Joffrey Ballet and Ballet Hispanico. Nebrada's classic work Batucada Fantastica created in 1977, was performed by Luna Negra in 2004. Artistic Director Eduardo Vilaro, who worked under his direction, feels it is important to keep his work alive in Luna Negra's repertory. "a virtuosic ode to Carnival" - Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

	Gustavo Ramirez Sansano back to top	Gustavo Ramirez Sansano was born in San Fulgencio ,Spain, and studied at the Instituto del Teatro of Barcelona with Josetta Garcia, Karemia Moreno,Guillermina Coll and Jose Maria Escudero. Ramirez has danced with Ballet Joven de Alicante, Ballet Contemporaneo de Barcelona, Ballet de la Comunidad de Madrid, Nederland's Dans Theater II and Hubbard Street Dance Company. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including first prize for choreography at the 1997 Ricardo Moragas Barcelona Competition, first price at the Dom Perignon choreographic competition Hamburg, best choreography and best show at Las Artes Excenicas delas Communidad Valenciana 2. He has been commissioned works by Hamburg Ballet (Germany), Ballet Met (USA), Ballet Carmen Roche (Spain), Passerelles (Belgium), Abc Dance Company (Austria), IT Dansa (Spain), BALLET DE TEATRES (Spain), Patas Arriba (Spain), Nederlands Dans Theatre 2 (Holland), Dominic Walsh DanceTheater (USA). Ramirez was chosen by the magazine Por La Danza for its 15th anniversary as one of the fifteen choreographers to consider. He currently serves as the artistic director TITOYAYA Dance Project in Valencia. Ramirez created 3 works for Luna Negra: *Vamos a Contra Mentiras* (Let's Tell Tall Tales), Luna de Miel (2004), and *Flabbergast* (2002). "[In Flabbergast] Sansano mixes hints of salsa, conga lines and all manner of theatrical motifs in a work beautifully in command of its own singular, weird and delightful musical logic." - Sid Smith, Chicago Tribune

	Pedro Ruiz back to top	Pedro Ruiz is a renowned choreographer and dancer who was born and trained in Cuba, as well as in Venezuela. In a 21-year career with Ballet Hispanico as its principal dancer, Ruiz also choreographed three critically acclaimed ballets for the company. Ruiz has now set out on his own choreographing for other dance companies. In 2005, he created Sonetos de Amor for Chicago’s Luna Negra Dance Theater. In 2006, Ruiz premiered a new work, Mediterranea, at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, as well as a collaborative piece for The Joffrey Ballet and Luna Negra entitled called San Juan, which was performed at City Center in New York. In 2007, he premiered Pasajes de Amor at Tribeca Performing Arts Center and in June 2007, The Joffrey commissioned Ruiz to expand San Juan into a full ballet entitled, Allegro con Sabor. Ruiz has performed at The White House for several presidents and, in 1998, he received the New York dance world’s highest honor, the Bessie Award. Most recently, Ruiz was honored for his illustrious dance career by The Cuban Artist’s Fund and was awarded a major grant by The Joyce Foundation. "In all his work, Pedro Ruiz has displayed prized choreographic abilities: musicality, an aptitude for showing steps in new ways, and theatrical clarity." - Gia Kourias, Time Out

	Nancy Turano back to top	Nancy Turano is a Luna Negra honorary Latina choreographer. She received her BFA in Dance from Suny Purchase in 1985. She is founder and co-artistic director of the Millennium Project with Niles Ford. She has also been the Artistic Director of New Jersey Theater Ensemble since 1994, and is co-director of the newly founded Harkness Youth Ballet. Nancy performed as a principal dancer with Ballet Hispanico from 1985 to 1994. She was rehearsal director for Ballet Hispanico and a faculty member of the school for 13 years. Since 1994 she has been directing and choreographing for dance, theater and opera in both the United States and Europe. Nancy is a recipient of a 1998 Harkness Foundation Dance Grant, and has received awards from the Arnhold Foundation and Instituto Italiano 1999 - 2000. Nancy's *Carmen Act 1* was performed by Luna Negra for the first time in 2001. "A stunning piece, danced with knocked-out force" - Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times

	Joel Valentin-Martinez back to top	Joel Valentin-Martinez was born in Guadalajara, Mexico and grew up in San Francisco, CA. He began his dance career as a student with Oakland’s Dimensions Dance Theater, Alonso King Lines Ballet Company, and at San Francisco State University. From 1990-2003 he performed as a senior member of the world-renowned Garth Fagan Dance. Since retiring from Garth Fagan Dance he has devoted his time to teaching at the university level, community-based arts initiatives in dance, and developing his own choreography projects. At Arizona State University he served as rehearsal director for choreography projects by Delfos Danza Contemporánea from Mazatlán, Mexico, Nora Chipaumire and Robert Moses. He is currently a senior lecturer in the Department of Theatre at Northwestern University.


	Edgar Zendejas back to top	Edgar Zendejas was born and raised in Mexico City. He began his dance training at the Studio Professional de Danza Ema Pulido. A few years later, Edgar received a dance fellowship from the University of San Diego. His accomplishments earned him positions with The International Ballet Company of USIU, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, the Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, and finally, Les Ballets Jazz de Montréal where he has danced for the past 15 years. Zendejas has been commissioned to create new works for Cedar Lake Contemporary Ballet, Ballet de Monterrey, Playhouse Dance Company, among others, and has been presenting his own work for the past 8 years at festivals around the United States and Canada, most notably Jacob’s Pillow and Danse Encore.

	Septime Webre back to top	Septime Webre is artistic director of The Washington Ballet. He has created works for Pacific Northwest Ballet, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, North Carolina Dance Theatre, Dayton Ballet, Ballet Austin, Atlanta Ballet, Aspen Ballet, Sacramento Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Colorado Ballet, Louisville Ballet, Memphis Ballet, and The Washington Ballet. A member of the board of directors of Dance/USA, Septime Webre has been honored by Young Audiences of the District of Columbia and received fellowships and recognition for his choreography. Septime Webre's piel canela/cinnamon skin was premiered at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance on October 8, 2005. "A charming opener for the program, showcasing the dancer's lyrical and acrobatic skills, as well as their zany gifts for character building." Hedy Weiss, Chicago Sun-Times