Staff
Executive director
Mari Cruz Alcalá
Biography
- She began studying Classical Dance at the age of four with Doña Mercedes Aubois, later moving to Elvira Sanz’s school, where she completed her dance studies and obtained the Higher Qualification in Classical Dance in 1968.
- In 1969 she took over the school founded by Elvira Sanz and began her professional career.
- In 1971 she co-founded Ballet de Cámara de Valencia (the first Classical Dance company in the region), together with Pilar Murciano and Javier Neira. There she danced Giselle and choreographed and danced Bizet’s Symphony in C. She later performed as a guest dancer with the Conservatory.
- She worked with internationally renowned teachers in Classical Dance (English, Danish, Russian and French schools), Contemporary Dance (Graham and Cunningham) and Jazz (Max Matox school).
- In 1983 she founded the Dance Center that bears her name.
- In 1984 she founded Ballet Clásico de Valencia, which she directs and for which she has danced and staged various choreographies.
- Qualified teacher of the Royal Academy of Dance in London.
- In 1991, as a Música 92 production, she presented The Nutcracker at Valencia’s Teatro Principal. The production returned for four seasons to great critical and audience acclaim.
- In 1994, Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá was classified under LOGSE as an Authorized Center for Elementary and Professional Classical Dance and Spanish Dance studies, becoming the first center in the Valencian Community to achieve this status.
- Currently, under the LOE, in addition to Classical Dance, it is the only center in the region offering the Professional Qualification in Flamenco Dance.
- In the 1998/99 season she joined the S.A.R.C. circuit with BCV, performing in various towns across the region.
- In 2012 she presented Paquita and Swan Lake at Valencia’s Teatro Olympia, with special appearances by Begoña Cao (principal dancer with English National Ballet), Esteban Berlanga (first soloist with English National Ballet), Fernando Bufalá (principal dancer with Angel Corella and currently a soloist with English National Ballet), Mª José Sales (soloist with Corella Ballet, currently a soloist with English National Ballet and former dancer with Ballet Clásico de Valencia) and Clara Barberá (former soloist with English National Ballet, former dancer with Rambert Dance Company and former dancer with Ballet Clásico de Valencia).
- In January 2015, she presented her new ballet La Princesa y el Laúd at Valencia’s Teatro Principal to great critical and audience acclaim. Created by her as an original story, it features original music and support from Fundación Hortensia Herrero.
- Over these more than 45 years, countless dancers have passed through the company and achieved success both in Spain and abroad with internationally renowned companies. Some have returned to teach with us, while others have founded their own schools.
Technical Staff
Marga Alcalá
Biography
- She studied at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá, obtaining the Higher Qualification in Dance.
- Teacher Certificate from the Royal Academy of Dancing in London.
- Degree in Psychology, specializing in Clinical Psychology, from the Faculty of Psychology at the University of Valencia.
- Training through numerous courses at Rosella Hightower’s school in Cannes, and in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and elsewhere, with renowned teachers.
- Since 1979 she has been a permanent teacher at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá, as well as a dancer and subsequently rehearsal director, choreographer and stage manager with Ballet Clásico de Valencia.
- Director of Ballet Clásico de Valencia (1990) at the Biennial of Young Creators in Marseille.
- Member of the examination panel for official examinations.
- Choreographer with Ballet Clásico de Valencia for La Princesa y el Laúd and numerous festivals.
Mª Jose Sales
Biography
- Born in Valencia, she began studying dance at the age of six with Inmaculada Gil Lázaro. A few years later she moved to Mari Cruz Alcalá’s Centro Valenciano de Danza.
- A professional dancer for 23 years with English National Ballet in London and as a soloist with Corella Ballet and Santamaria Compañía de Danza.
- She completed her dance studies, obtaining the official dance qualification from Valencia’s Professional Conservatory of Music and Dance.
- She graduated as a professional dancer from English National Ballet School in London and that same year obtained a diploma in Dance Notation from the Benesh Institute of Choreology.
- She has danced at prestigious venues including the Paris Opera’s Palais Garnier, New York City Center, London’s Royal Albert Hall, Barcelona’s Gran Teatro del Liceo, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Japan, the National Centre for the Performing Arts in Beijing, Madrid’s Teatro Real, the Civic Theatre in New Zealand, Singapore’s Esplanade Theatre and London’s Opera House.
- She has worked with choreographers including Akram Khan, Natalia Makarova, Dame Beryl Grey, Russell Maliphant, Christopher Wheeldon, Jonh Neumeier and William Forsythe.
- Her repertoire includes leading roles such as Odette and Odile in Swan Lake, the principal classical couple in Twyla Tharp’s In the Upper Room, Paquita, Aurora in The Sleeping Beauty, Nikiya in La Bayadère, the main pas de deux in Bruch Violin Concerto and the first couple in C. Wheeldon’s DGV. It also includes the Lilac Fairy in The Sleeping Beauty, Grand Pas Classique, Terpsichore in Apollo, Who Cares, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, The Nutcracker, Manon, Études, Coppélia, Giselle (Akram Khan and M. Skeaping), Romeo and Juliet, Raymonda, The Rite of Spring (MacMillan and P. Bausch), Dust and Song of the Earth.
- She has danced all the major classical repertoire ballets and a substantial part of the contemporary repertoire.
- Coach for ENB Emerging Dancer for several consecutive years.
- She retired from professional dancing in August 2020 to devote herself fully to teaching Classical Dance.
Ana Luján
Biography
- Associate Artist at Phoenix Dance Theatre, England (2009–present).
- Ana studied in Valencia, Spain, at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá.
- She moved to the United Kingdom in 1994, where she trained as a choreographer and teacher and developed her artistic career.
- Degree in Performing Arts: Dance Performance, Creation and Teaching.
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Awards
- 2003 – Best Contemporary Female Dancer Award, British Critics’ Circle.
- 2006 – Best Performer Award, Performing Arts of the Valencian Community.
- 2008 – Nomination for Best Female Dancer, British Critics’ Circle.
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Her professional experience as a dancer includes work with the following companies:
- Rambert Dance Company
- Phoenix Dance Theatre
- Cienfuegos Danza
- Ananda Dansa
- Arte-Busca
- Choreographers she has worked with include Richard Alston / Karole Armitage / Mark Baldwin / Rafael Bonachela / Kim Brandstrup / Christopher Bruce / Michael Clark / Robert Cohan / Merce Cunningham / Siobhan Davies / Mats Ek / Javier de Frutos / Jeremy James / Per Jonsson / Jiri Kylian / Linsay Kemp / Wayne McGregor / Ohan Naharin / Ian Spink / Paul Taylor / Glen Tetley / Twyla Tharp / Didi Veldman / Fin Walker / Glen Wilkinson / Antony Tudor / Aletta Collins / Enrique Rodavalho / Toni Aparisi / Yoshua Cienfuegos / Rosángeles Valls, among others.
- An international choreographer since 1998, her creations can be seen in various companies and institutions. One of her works, cervaNtes, represented Spain at the British European festival DanceUnion in London in 2008. Ana has collaborated with a range of artists, including producers, composers and painters.
- Teacher at various international institutions in Classical Dance, improvisation and Contemporary Dance (Graham, Cunningham and Release).
- During her artistic career in England, Ana studied coaching, leadership and business management (CertMgmt).
Anne-Helene Ferrer
Biography
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University studies in dance and additional training
- CESMD in Toulouse, qualified by the French Ministry of Culture as a Classical Dance teacher and pedagogue. Her teaching career began in 2002.
- Committed to teaching, she also trained in Pilates MAT and STUDIO. She has taught since 2008 and is certified by the PMA (Pilates Method Alliance, certification number 13924).
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Classical Dance training centers
- Conservatory of Perpignan, France.
- Besso Ballet Toulouse professional training academy, France (Classical Dance, Russian character dance and Jazz).
- Studio Ballet professional training center, directed by Colette (former director of Roland Petit’s national school) and Patrick Armand (current director of San Francisco Ballet School), Marseille, France (Classical, Contemporary and Modern Dance).
- Maria De Avila Studio and Arantxa Argüelles Dance Center, Zaragoza, Spain.
- Participation in numerous dance courses (Classical, Contemporary, Jazz, barre au sol and others).
- Participation in numerous Classical Dance competitions (Nîmes, Toulouse, Chaville, Nyons, Luxembourg and others).
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Professional experience as a dancer
- Audaces neoclassical company, directed by Jean-Charles Gil (Étoile of the Paris Opera).
- Ballet des Jeunes d’Europe, touring southern France and Spain.
- English National Ballet, London, England: Swan Lake at the Royal Albert Hall.
- Participation in numerous Classical and Neoclassical festivals and events with the pre-professional ballet at V&M Dance Studio, Toulouse.
- Russkashow touring company (Ukrainian and Russian folk dance, Rimsky-Korsakov program and others).
- CND (National Dance Center), Paris: workshops and training with Luncida Childs Company (USA), Les Grands Ballets Canadiens and Curet Performance Project (New York).
- Carnet de voyage event at the Institut du monde arabe, Paris: an artists’ gathering and presentation of a composition entitled concerto pour l’Afrique.
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Professional experience as a teacher
- AID (Académie International de Danse), Paris: intensive summer Classical Dance course for professional training in musicals, Modern Dance, Hip-Hop and other disciplines, and Classical Dance classes throughout a full academic year.
- Cité Véron, a professional training center in Paris.
- Work in public primary schools in the city of Paris, teaching body expression workshops.
- Conservatory of Puteaux, Paris: Classical Dance classes for official courses.
- Examination panel member for final examinations in cycles 1, 2 and 3 at the Conservatory of Puteaux.
- Arantxa Argüelles Dance Center: Classical Dance, Pilates and physical conditioning classes for dancers.
- Virgen de Guadalupe nursery and primary school: Creative Dance classes.
- V&M Dance Studio, Toulouse, France: introductory, intermediate, advanced, higher and pre-professional Classical Dance classes.
- Rhythmic gymnastics school club, Zaragoza: Classical Dance classes for competitive gymnasts participating in Spanish championships.
Jesús G. Thomas
Biography
- Born on 5 January 1985 in Valencia.
- Dancer in Jazz Funk, Hip-Hop and other disciplines within these styles.
- Qualified teacher in Hip-Hop, Latin Dance and Jazz, graduating with honors (MH).
- Trained at Broadway Dance Center (New York), Pineapple Dance Studio (London) and various places in Spain, including Valencia and Barcelona.
- He has taught since 2003, working with students aged 4 to 35.
- He has been a member of urban dance groups including Push, Runaway, DSM5 and Silhouettez, and has also danced in concerts, television programs and musicals.
- He currently teaches and continues his professional career as a dancer.
Manuel Alamar
Biography
- He studied Dance at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá, obtaining the Classical Dance qualification.
- Higher Qualification in Pedagogy, specializing in Classical Dance.
- Nursing diploma from the University of Valencia.
- A member of Ballet Clásico de Valencia since its beginnings, he has danced in various choreographies including Vivaldi, Albinoni, Coppélia and The Nutcracker.
- Currently Anatomy teacher at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá.
Susana López
Biography
- Teacher of Classical Dance, Jazz and Funky.
- She has worked as a dancer, choreography assistant and co-presenter in various television programs and musicals.
- She studied musical comedy and vocal technique.
- Director and coordinator of events, fashion shows and commercials.
- With more than 20 years of experience in training, she has taken various courses in Classical, Spanish and Contemporary Dance, Jazz and Funky, as well as choreography workshops, movement and physical theatre workshops, and teaching methodology courses.
- In recent years she has trained in Classical Dance and New Style in London.
- Extensive experience teaching children in both dance academies and schools.
- Teacher at various centers in Valencia.
- Currently teacher of Classical Dance and Funky at Colegio Sagrado Corazón Hermanos Maristas.
- Classical Dance teacher at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá, where she has taken all the Royal Academy of Dance workshops offered in recent years.
Beatriz Santamaría
Biography
- She studied Classical Dance and Spanish Dance at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá.
- Qualified Classical Dance and Spanish Dance teacher with more than 15 years of teaching experience.
- Infant massage educator certified by A.E.M.I.
- Currently completing a teaching degree specializing in Early Childhood Education.
- Finalist in several national Spanish Dance competitions.
- She has taken various courses in music for neurotypical children and children with different disabilities (particularly autism), as well as family dance courses.
- Extensive experience in teaching and organizing festivals at various schools in Valencia as manager of the company Thèrapi.
- In recent years she has completed all the workshops offered by the Royal Academy of Dance, specializing in preparation for The Graded Syllabus.
- Coordinator and teacher at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá’s Creative School, focusing on performing arts, music and visual arts.
- She currently teaches Classical Dance and Spanish Dance at Mari Cruz Alcalá’s dance school and coordinates the educational work of the company Theràpi.
Edu Quintana
Biography
- Graduated with a degree in Performing Arts, specializing in Contemporary Dance performance, from Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas, Faculty of Arts ASAB, Bogotá, Colombia (2016).
- Highlights of his career as a dancer include performing in Ravel’s Bolero with Béjart Ballet Lausanne (2012), the zarzuela La del Manojo de Rosas, a co-production with Oviedo’s Teatro Campoamor (2015), and the European project Escena Erasmus (2018).
- Teaching dance from an early age sparked his interest in choreography and pedagogy. His work took him to different schools, collectives, projects and theatres in his home country. In 2009 he founded his first company, Estesis Danza, working with it for around five years and developing skills in stage direction and composition. He took part in various choreography workshops while also dancing with groups including Dosson Danza (2015) and Proyecto Anvar (2014).
- In 2016 he moved to Valencia, where he continued his studies with a Master’s in Cultural Management at the Polytechnic University and began his new personal and professional project, Migro Danza. The company has participated in various local competitions and performed at most of the region’s alternative theatres. He is currently working with his team on a new production to premiere as part of the Graners de Creació Valencia residencies.
Isabel Caro
Biography
- Classical Dance
- Spanish Dance
- Recognition of Higher Dance Studies.
- Dance Pedagogy.
- Spanish Dance teacher: Escuela Bolera, Stylized Dance, Sevillanas and introductory Flamenco.
Mari Sol Lloret
Biography
- She began studying dance at the age of five in Valencia, obtaining her Spanish Dance qualification from the Valencia Dance Conservatory.
- She then continued her studies in Madrid and her career as a dancer in various Spanish Dance and Flamenco companies.
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As a dancer she has performed with various Spanish Dance and Flamenco ballets and companies:
- Zambra show (1994).
- Ballet Español de Valencia (1996–1999).
- Compañía Jose Porcel (2000–2002).
- Compañía Los Mulero, Portugal (2002–2003).
- Carmen opera ballet, Vienna, Austria (2005).
- La bohème (2006).
- Compañía Paco Berbel (2009).
- Carmen opera, directed by Carlos Saura and choreographed by Cristina Hoyos (2008–2009).
- During these years she performed choreographies by Beatriz Martín, Isabel Bayon and Antonio Canales, among others.
- She currently teaches Flamenco at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá, pre-ballet and Sevillanas at Colegio Mare de Deu del Pilar, and Spanish Dance at L’Espai de Dansa.
Cristina Simón
Flamenco Teacher
Martina Herrera
Biography
- 1992–2003: Classical Dance studies. Awarded a Ministry of Education scholarship to study Classical Dance at Centro MARI CRUZ ALCALÁ, while also taking Royal Academy of Dance examinations and obtaining its Intermediate qualification.
Member of the corps de ballet of Ballet Clásico de Valencia, performing works such as The Nutcracker, Coppélia and Paquita. - 2003–2005: Dancer with Grup Dansa Mediterrani, directed by Flerida Vives.
- 2007: Principal dancer and lead performer in the music video for La Pulquería’s single Always.
- 2014: Extra in Walt Disney Pictures’ film Tomorrowland.
- 2017–2022: Ballet teacher at Centro de Danza Mar en Danza.
- July 2019: Academic Dance Methodology course (Vaganova system), taught by África Hernández.
- October 2019: Discovering Repertori, a course on solo variations from the major ballets, taught by Meritxell Paradell (registered member of the Royal Academy of Dance).
- 2019–2023: Ballet teacher at Colegio de Fomento Vilavella. I currently teach extracurricular ballet at this school.
- 2022–2023: Ballet teacher at Centro de Danza Mari Cruz Alcalá. I currently teach Classical Dance at this center.
- 2023: Flamenco Dance, Asociación Cultural Andaluza de Albal. I am currently a member of the Flamenco ensemble Aires del Sur.
Andrea Carrió
Biography
Administrative Staff
Ariadna Ramos
Administrative in C/ Alginet 8-10
Esther Velasco
Administrative in Avda. Blasco Ibañez 115