“If I could tell you what it meant, there would be no point in dancing it.” – Isadora Duncan
Flamenco dancing is a thunderous, soulful, sometimes melancholy dance that originated in Andalusia, Southern Spain. Watching these dancers expose their emotion and passion through their strong and precise motions is not only beautiful but extremely moving. Flamenco combines pride, strength, pain, and passion through aggressive but purposeful movements with the dancers’ feet.
Modern Flamenco dance is a fusion of Moorish, Andalusian, Egyptian, Roman, Indian and Spanish folk style dance that the gypsies brought with them while fleeing their homelands in the fifteenth century and developed over hundreds of years. The art of Flamenco has developed over time, but it has never lost its core Gitano “Gypsy” foundation. Gitano was the term for the gypsies that entered Andalusia from Egypt and loosely applied to the fellow travelers that included beggars, criminals, and runaway slaves, among others. These groups chose to disappear by being absorbed by the Gypsy communities. The common thread that bound these misfits together was persecution, and the emotion of this can be seen in the song, dance, and music of Flamenco. During the early nineteenth century, Flamenco dance became more accessible to the public through festivals and shows performed at performance theaters called cafe castanets, the first of which was opened in Seville in 1842.
“THE ART OF FLAMENCO” DINNER SHOW – EVERY SATURDAY NIGHT
Cafe Sevilla is home to the longest-running Flamenco Dinner show in Southern California. Every Saturday night, we offer a three-course paella dinner menu combined with a two-part Flamenco Dance performance and intermission featuring a belly dancer or other special guest performer. Our dancers are at the top of their field, having been trained in Spain and teaching their own Flamenco classes. These shows are a sensory indulgence of sight, sound and taste, leaving our guests with a piece of truly Spanish culture. Marvel at the passion, beauty and athleticism of this traditional art form as you enjoy an included 3-course paella dinner. View menu HERE. A tapas menu, full bar and eclectic wine list are also available for à la carte purchase.
$89.50 per person (price does not include tax, 20% tip and 5% surcharge which will be added to check at end of the show). Call 619-233-5979 to purchase tickets or you can purchase tickets at the link below. This is a prepaid show. Shows include a three-course dinner and nightclub entry. Doors open at 6 PM and seating is assigned prior to arrival at communal style seating like they do in Spain. Dinner show starts promptly at 6:30 PM. Please note, we cannot permit children under 10 to attend the show. Location of show is held in theater space or tapas bar based on business needs.
Dinner Show Cancellation Policy
Tickets are non-refundable. However, tickets can be canceled up to 8 days prior to the show but will be subject to a $15 cancellation fee. Tickets can also be transferred to another date up to 8 days prior to the show. Tickets can also be transferred to another party at any time before the show. Please call the reservations office at 619-233-5979 for ticket cancellations, date transfers or party transfers.
Bruno Serrano
Flamenco singer, rhythm guitarist, percussionist Bruno Serrano has received accolades from both party-goers and professional groups alike.
Reyes Barrios
Reyes Barrios has been a flamenco singer and teacher/artist in San Diego for over 20 years. Her passion for dancing Flamenco began at the age of 4 or 5. Living in the heart of Flamenco, Sevilla Spain, she was inspired by the singing and the footwork throughout the streets. She began to study Flamenco dance and music and traveled to Spain to continue to learn and studied with great teachers. In addition to being a dancer and choreographer, Reyes is also a sought out singer. Her knowledge of the “cante” as it relates to flamenco dance makes me a multi-talented artist.
Makiko Sanchez
Makiko has been studying flamenco for over 15 years. In 2017, she had an opportunity to train in Sevilla Spain where flamenco is alive in the streets. Artists included Jose Galvan, Angel Atienza and Alberto Sellés. She has been performing at several venues in the San Diego area in the last few years and has been performing at Cafe Sevilla since 2021.
Juan Moro
Juan Moro is a talented Spanish flamenco guitarist who took up guitar at the age of 13 and at 16, began to learn flamenco. He graduated high school early and studied Spanish at San Jose State University. At the same time, he studied flamenco at the Old Spaghetti Factory in the North Beach area of San Francisco, a hangout for bohemians and artists. At 19, he went to Spain where he quickly fell into a flamenco lifestyle, playing for dance classes and later touring Greece and the Middle East with a dance troupe. While he was touring in the Middle East, he read a book on linguistics that piqued his interest, so he came back to California and enrolled at UC Santa Cruz where he received his degree in linguistics in 1979. In 1982, he returned to Spain and stayed there until 1985. He then returned to UC Santa Cruz and got his PhD in 1991. In 1992, he came to San Diego where he was hired as a tenure track assistant professor at UCSD. He also connected up with the flamenco community here and began to play at various places. He worked for many years at Café Sevilla downtown, in addition to La Gran Tapa and Ole Madrid.
Carlos Villatoro
Carlos Villatoro brings a background rich in dance instruction and performance to San Diego’s flamenco scene. A graduate in Danza Folklorica Mexicana from the INBA in Mexico City, his formal instruction in flamenco began in 1998 after his first trip to Spain. In 2006, Villatoro was chosen to star as a flamenco dancer in “Carmen” with The San Diego Opera. In 2007 he joined Academia Franco as a flamenco dance instructor. Since then, Villatoro has appeared as flamenco dancer with the San Diego Opera and the Los Angeles Opera. In 2010 he founded the Flamenco Sur Dance Company, where he continues his flamenco instruction in San Diego today.
Kristina Cobarrubia
Kristina Cobarrubia is the founder of Flamenco Arana, a dance company that produces traditional Spanish dance performances in San Diego and throughout Southern California. Cobarrubia has choreographed four operas for for the San Diego Opera (“Don Quixote” twice, “La Traviata” and “Carmen”). Kristina comes from a Latin background, including a great-grandfather who came from Spain (hence the Arana name). She studied ballet and jazz first, but fell in love with flamenco and has been devoted to flamenco for over 30 years. She studied in Seattle, Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Fe, along with visits to Madrid. Her teachers include Sara de Luis, Yaelisa, Roberto Amaral, Sara Olivar, and I am most of all a novitiate of Domingo Ortega. I’ve danced with the Solera Flamenco Dance Company, Companía Antonio Vargas, Las Chicas de Coral, as well as Flamenco Olivar.
Kambiz Pakan
Kambiz Pakan is an Iranian Flamenco guitarist that performs throughout Southern California. He studied and lived among the great in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, for many years perfecting his sound and style.
Julie McGee
Julie Verona began her flamenco studies 15 years ago in New York City under the direction of Andrea del Conte. After studying with several local teachers in New York she sought further instruction in workshops with preeminent visiting artists, and ventured to Spain to study in the birthplace of flamenco.
After moving to San Diego, Julie became involved with the local flamenco community and began performing with Ole Flamenco, Flamenco Sur, and Paloma Aragón dance companies. She has appeared on the tablaos and stages of San Diego and surrounding areas, as well as with the San Diego Opera. In 2018 was selected as a finalist to compete in the Flamenco Certamen USA which culminated in a performance at the Bruno Walter Auditorium in Lincoln Center in NYC.
Carol Basilio “La Champi”
Carol Basilio “La Champi” has been dancing flamenco for 20 years, studying, performing and teaching in Philadelphia, New York and Sevilla, where she lived for 5 years. She’s had the privilege of studying with great flamenco masters such as Fernando Romero, Carmen Ledesma, La Tati, Alejandro Granados, Juana Amaya, and her mentor La Chocolata. In addition to formally studying and performing flamenco, Carol immersed herself in flamenco at tertulias held at various peñas and bars in Sevilla and Jerez, at juergas/jam sessions as well as in the streets where she cultivated true afición for the flamenco heritage and tradition. Living now in San Diego she now performs at Cafe Sevilla San Diego regularly.
Erika Lopez
Erika Lopez began dancing Flamenco and Spanish classical dance at the age of eight. Her passion for the art led to make it a lifeloong pursuit, studying and performing with professional dance companies in San Diego, San Francisco and Boston. In 1997 she moved to Seville, Spain to study under master teacher Juan de Triana. She's had the opportunity to study with many dance greats over the years, including Maria Pages, Domingo Ortega, Antonio Vargas and Maria Benitez. Most recently, Erika was a featured dancer in the San Diego Opera's productions of La Traviata and Don Quixote. She is a performer, teacher and choreographer for Ole Flamenco dance troupe and performs regularly in venues around Southern California.
Andres Perches Lemons
Andrés Perches Lemons' first interest in music was the electric guitar, which he began playing at age 12. Andrés has visited and studied in Sevilla, Spain. Andrés has performed with several Flamenco ensembles and accompanies Flamenco Singers/Dancers on a regular basis. Besides flamenco, Andrés has an interest in jazz, Brazilian music, and rock.
Malka Winograd
Bio coming soon...
Nikkal Feyrose "Al Andaluz"
Belly Dancing Performer and Coach Nikkal Feyrouz "Al Andaluz" has been dancing for the better part of a two decades creating an exciting atmosphere of charismatic passion and playful interpretation of music. Her styles range from Folkloric, Cabaret, and Egyptian to Taksims, Lebanese, Turkish Kashlimar and American Tribal. Nikkal personalized lessons and instruction to students online and in person.
She is the Bellydancing Artistic Director for Dangerous Elements Dance Company and leads the performers for Sevilla in the San Diego, Costa Mesa and Long Beach flamenco dinner shows.
Lucia Herlinda
Lucia is an International Award winning Artists and has been a professional Middle Eastern Dance artist for over 15 years. Lucia is based in Southern California where she is an instructor, troupe director, sponsor and Gala producer. She is also a highly sought performer, with emphasis in Egyptian and Lebanese Style Raks Sharki and Persian Dance and has traveled to the Middle East to enhance her dance skills, ethnology and continued education.