l992 Ms. Maldonado's Artist Residency in Hardin County was selected by the Kentucky Arts Council as the model residency for the state of Kentucky.
l993 Ballet Español was the single dance company in Louisville selected to perform in the American Festival Project, a national effort aimed at increasing the use of art as a mechanism for socal change. The company was commissioned to create and perform new work with the Evansville Philharmonic Orchestra.l994 Artistic Director Mara Maldonado was invited for a return teaching engagement at the American College Dance Festival Association (mid-Atlantic Region). The Northern Kentucky Symphony commissioned Ballet Español to create new and perform new choreography.
1995 The company performed for Kentucky Governor Brereton Jones at the gala "Evening for the Arts" in Frankfort. Ms. Maldonado was chosen to serve as Panel Member for the Southern Arts Federation "Dance on Tour" program in Atlanta, Georgia.
1996 Ballet Espanol were featured guest artists and served in the choreography competition with “Panoply”,. a dance/music festival in Huntsville, Alabama.
1997 Ms. Maldonado received an Al Smith Fellowship Award for choreography from the Kentucky Arts Council.
1998 Ms. Maldonado served as guest faculty member with the Atlanta Ballet during their summer program.
1999 Ballet Español was featured “In Performance” at the Governor’s Mansion in Frankfort.
Artistic Director Mara Maldonado made her professional debut in l975 at Town Hall, NYC with Jose Antonio Spanish Dance Company. From l975-l980 she performed with Teatro de la Zarzuela (Madrid, Spain), Rafael de Cordoba (Italy), and Rosario Galan Ballet Espanol (touring company based in NYC). In l981 she relocated to Louisville and founded Mara Bergere Ballet Espanol (later renamed Ballet Espanol).
Guitarist Gregory Wolfe made his professional debut in 1979 with Teo Morca in an extensive national tour with performances in the Pacific Northwest, Jacob’s Pillow, The Kennedy Center and Riverside Dance Festival in NY. He has performed with Ensemble Espanol (Chicago) ; Mozaico Flamenco (Los Angeles),, Zorongo (Minneapolis); and accompanied world reknowned Flamenco dance artists including Manolo Marin, Maria Alba, and Roberto Lorca. Mr. Wolfe has been a featured guest artist with Ballet Espanol since 1996.
Victorio is an internationally acclaimed artist with performance /choreography /teaching credits encompassing Flamenco, jazz, and modern. NY credits include: soloist at Avery Fisher Hall, Carnegie Hall (with Liza Minnelli), Kennedy Center, and Madison Square Garden. Teaching credits include: Alvin Ailey (NY); Harkness Ballet (NY), and Gus Giordano (Chicago). Ballet Espanol is proud to acknowledge a close association with Victorio, including featuring him as performing artist and guest choreographer since 1987.
Flamenco guitarist Arturo Martinez started playing guitar at age 13 in the tradition of Black American music. Throught the guitar, he discovered the black music of Spain - the music of the Arabs, Jews, and Gypsies - known as Flamenco. He has spent years in Spain, performing with Chuny Amaya and Joaquin Fajardo and toured internationally with the companies of Pilar Rioja, Jose Greco, and Jose Molina. Mr. Martinez has developed a system for teaching flamenco rhythms to musicians and dancers and collaborated with noted choreographers in the creation of new works, including developing choreography for Ballet Espanol.
Guest dancer/instructor Peter Suarez has performed throughout the U.S.in eight tours with the N.Y. based company Folklorica Latina. Suarez has danced and choreographed for numerous companies including: the Cincinnati Opera, the Lexington Ballet, Ballet Etudes (Miami), Ballet del Puerto Rico, and Ballet Espanol.
Resident guitarist Doug Jones
Company Members are: Mara Maldonado, Doug
Jones, Sandra de Estrella , Roberto Elliott, Karen Koshewa, Mariya Tarakanova,
Laura del Sol, Margarita del Alma, Chandra Nair, Diana Dinicola,
Graciela Perrone Krosnyak, Katie Spaulding, and Mary Ann Silveri.