photo:
Lina Jang |
MEET
ELSA LEANDROS!
Born in Venezuela and raised in Madrid, Spain, Elsa Leandros
is a world traveller who pursues her spiritual and dance education
in Europe, India, East Asia, and both Latin and North America.
She has performed dance for over 20 years.
Latin
dance is a vital part of Elsa’s cultural roots, and she
teaches both social and performance Latin styles.
She
studies samba in Rio de Janeiro, traveling
there regularly to attend Scola do Samba do Rio.
Elsa
started her flamenco dance career at the age
of 6 in Madrid, with Laura de Santelmo, the #1 flamenco instructor
in Spain at that time. Elsa's flamenco teachers include Spanish
gypsy legends La Repompa de Malaga, Concha Vargas, El Mimbre,
La Pelua, as well as Jose Molina and Estrella Morena. Elsa performed
flamenco for several years with La Repompa de Malaga and her
family. She also performed with Paco del Puerto, and with the
world-famous Gypsy Kings. Today Elsa teaches flamenco and creates
exciting flamenco choreographies for performing dancers.
Elsa’s bellydance career began in the
New York City studios of Anahid Sofian and Serena. She also
studied with Bobby Farrah, Yousry Sharif and Ahmed Hussein,
and danced with Bobby Farrah's company in Carnegie Hall, performing
both Middle Eastern- and Flamenco-inspired choreographies. Elsa
has performed bellydance in concert at Lincoln Center and Camy
Hall in NYC, worked for many years at such famous NYC nightclubs
as Darvish and Cedars of Lebanon, and toured with performances
and workshops across the US and overseas, including Japan. Elsa
holds master classes and workshops in bellydance, and does choreographic
work. Performed by star New York dancers, Elsa’s choreographies
have won competitions in bellydance and fusion categories.
Elsa began her training in Indian dance with
Rajika Puri and Arundhati Chattopadyaya in the Bharat Natyam
style. She studied Orisi style with Rita Devi and performed
classical dances of India at the Ateneo Center for the Arts,
Caracas, Venezuela.
Committed to teaching dance as a way to rejuvenate and perfect
both the body and the spirit, Elsa Leandros offers her unique
WorldDance Workout program to share her vision and
experience of the transforming power of dance.
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