CURRO DE CANDELA
Curro de Candela is the latest and youngest representative of the artistic dynasty started by his uncle José Greco, the first major internatio- nal star of Spanish dance and which also inclu- ded Lola Greco, National Dance Award winner and cousin of Curro’s father (who alike was a flamenco dancer).
Curro de Candela already knew what it was like to climb on stage before being born; he ex- perienced it while in the womb of his mother Candela, a celebrated and prominent flamen- co artist who released five albums, some of them housed in the Cervantes Library in New York.
His training, coupled with natural abilities, has enabled him to master various disciplines within dance: clas- sical dance, contemporary dance, Afro-Cuban dance, Spanish dance and flamenco.
He began studying flamenco at the legendary Amor de Dios dance school, where great figures such as Joaquín Cortés, Antonio Canales and many others were trained. At just 17 he joined Joaquín Corté’s Dance Company. It was here, with the great Cristóbal Reyes and his cousins Antonio and Manuel Reyes, that he laid the foundations for what would become his unique style. From that moment on, Curro continued balan- cing his training with guest appearances in prestigious companies, such as María Juncal and Antonio Reyes, as well as dancing in the best dance halls and tablaos in Madrid.
He expanded his knowledge of classical contemporary and African dance in Cuba, where he was summoned by the famed choreographer René de Cárdenas, who asked him to dance as a guest artist in the show Sonlar. He trained with the company for several months, working on an intricate blend of dance and flamen- co, which the company presented in Madrid for three months. Following this, the company began touring the nation, visiting all the provinces of Cuba, a time that Curro used to further deepen his knowledge under the wings of the main dance companies in Cuba. At this time he gave several masterclasses at the Spanish Ballet of Cuba and for the Litz Alfonso Dance Company.
Soon after, he accepted an invitation from Juan Ramón Lucas to choreograph and set music to the announ- cement of the largest and most important international flamenco festival: El Festival de Las Minas. His parti- cipation brought praise and recognition from both the critics and the public.
When he was 22, Curro decided to create his own show. The first performance, which was solely flamenco, had its successful premiere at the Casino de Aranjuez and shortly after he took it on tour in Italy. At this time he incorporated a Cuban dancer and began adding ground-breaking and innovative elements, the results of which gave birth to Afrogitano (African-Gypsy).
In 2012 he was the producer, artistic director and star of the Impacto 2012 production (New Wine Miami), which brought together 25 of the best contemporary artists from the world of flamenco. He has also been the guest star on international T.V. programmes such as Dancing with the Stars (U.S.A), Our Latin Beauty (produced by Univision) and the Latin Grammy Awards.
Curro is currently busy working on his new production with some of the best artists and creators, all carefully hand-picked for this new artistic concept, which he hopes will set new standards and bring contemporary dance, Afro-Cuban dance and flamenco closer together.