The School
History
Escuela de Baile was founded in 1990 and has been uniquely successful in popularising the art of flamenco. Its work has been written about by many newspapers and magazines, and its classes and intensive courses have also been featured in TV and radio programmes.
Escuela de Baile provides the opportunity to study flamenco dance throughout the year at all levels, from Beginners to Professional. With more than 15 evening classes for adults during the week and highly popular children’s classes at the weekend, it has over 200 students and is the largest flamenco school in the UK.
Flamenco is a folk art, not the preserve of the academy, so we are pleased that currently the youngest member of the school is four years old and the oldest over sixty.
As well as its regular classes Escuela de Baile runs intensive dance courses, with internationally renowned performers visiting from Spain to teach in London and at the annual summer school in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, deep in the heartland of flamenco.
Nuria García
Nuria García is Head Teacher and Artistic Director of La Escuela de Baile, the United
Kingdom’s largest flamenco school. The school was founded in 1991 and is currently located in Chalk Farm. Nuria also teaches at the summer school of top Spanish dance school, El Centro de Baile Jerez, and at workshops and master classes for Sadler’s Wells and the Barbican.
As a child, Nuria trained at a full time dance school and she has studied in Spain under
some of the most revered teachers, including Manolo Marín, La Tati, Josele, Adrian Galia,
Antonio Canales, Marco Flores, Manuel Liñán, Javier Latorre, Angel Muñoz, Eva Yerbabuena,
Rosario Toledo, Rafaela Carrasco, Belén Maya and Rocío Molina.
Nuria is a Royal Academy of Dance trained teacher and holds the Instructora de Baile qualification from the Sociedad de Baile Español (Spanish Dance Society). She teaches at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, The American School in London and many well known dance schools in the UK and abroad.
Several of Nuria’s students have won important dance awards, including the Greater London Arts “Young Dancer of the Year” and the Barclays Youth Dance regional award. A number of her students have joined professional dance companies in Spain and in the UK, and some have won scholarships to full time dance schools.
Nuria has danced in many top flamenco companies, including Paco Peña’s, Juan Martín’s, Fiesta Flamenca and Grupo de Jerez, and has toured extensively in Europe. For 5 years, Nuria worked in the avant-garde flamenco and contemporary performance group Von Magnet, which led to several television appearances.
Nuria has worked as head choreographer for advertisements (including Sony and Nissan) and music videos (including Siouxsie and the Banshees, Miguel Gallardo, Robert Palmer and the Gipsy Kings). She has also choreographed for theatre and opera productions, including Harvey Goldsmith’s Carmen and Opera 80 (now the English Touring Opera). Nuria’s TV choreography work includes About Face, Red-Hot and Blue, and Music Makers, and documentaries featuring her work include ‘Y’ Flamenco, Opening Shots and Capital Woman.
Teachers
The school's teachers are all highly qualified to give high quality technical dance training. Classes are taught at all levels, from Beginners to Professional, and all classes are accompanied by the school's own professional flamenco guitarists, and where appropriate, singers. The school also has extremely popular children's classes every Saturday.
Weekly and Intensive
In addition to our daily classes in flamenco choreography and flamenco dance technique, we also run intensive courses covering a wide variety of flamenco disciplines. These include flamenco singing, guitar, palmas, cajon, castanets and dance for all levels of ability. Our most popular annual courses are the Easter holiday dance & guitar course in London and the international flamenco summer school - held in the heartland of flamenco, Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. In addition we have special intensive short courses during the year which feature both our own and visiting teachers from Spain.
Performances
Students have regular performances to work towards at various venues, and opportunities to dance. The School itself puts on a show every two to three years at a central London concert hall. The last show was a sell-out success on the 18th & 19th July 2009 at the Peacock Theare, Sadlers Wells.
Flamenco Day - Classes and Picnic 18th July at Haverstock school:
Courses in Sevillanas, Bulerias and Bata de Cola. More details on the courses page.
New Beginners Class
Tuesdays at 8pm. See Classes page for more details
Summer Course in Spain
2 - 7 August & 9 - 14 August 2010 See Courses page for more details
New Flamenco Guitar Course
starting the Monday 10th JMay 2010for 10 weeks with Tony from 20:00-21:30. More details on the courses page.
Quote from a student
"It's exercise for the brain as well as the body."
"I loved the opportunity to perform at the Escuela de Baile's show last summer at the Peacock Theatre together with my friends. It gave me such a kick, I was buzzing for weeks afterwards!"
Flamenco Fix, on the internet radio station Reel Rebels Radio, uncovers glittering gems of Flamenco music, lighting the way for traditional and new-wave flamenco lovers alike. Amidst the spectacular mixes of music, you will find an array of interviews with popular and home-grown artists. Click to visit the site (opens in a new window)
