 | |||
 | |||
Even before she could walk, upon hearing music,she would move with the rhythm. You could almost say she danced from the day she was born!" |
Family BackgroundRaquel Peña's fathers family came from Cordoba in Andalucia and her mother, was born in Holland from Russian parents. Her parents met and married in Holland and Raquel was born there. The family, with Raquel's two older siblings, returned to Spain when she was two years old.
Raquel's Early Years - An Interesting StoryRaquel's mother (Rosa) was a frustrated dancer, not allowed to take classes in her childhood (it wasn't considered proper); she started at 21 years of age. Of course much to late, but her love for dance was always with her. When Raquel's sister Tamara was born, she was going to fulfill her mother's long lost dream and become a dancer. Ten years older than Raquel, Tamara had many plans and talents, but dancing was not one of them. There were some rough times between mother and daughter and Raquel's mother gave up her dream. So when Raquel only wanted to dance, her mother naturally had great reservations. Only after constant pleading did she finally allow Raquel to study.
The Show Must Go On!Even in those early years, despite the handicaps, Raquel showed a tremendous stage presence. The first time she ever performed at age four, she was to do a duet with another little girl. Her partner got stage fright and ran off the stage, but Raquel did her first "solo" and improvised all the way to the end (it was unfortunate that this was before video cameras!). As she later recalled,
"I guess I just had that feeling that 'The show must go on' and there was nothing that was going to take away my moment of glory in front of an audience."
Off to AmericaWhen her father's profession (movie producer) took him to New York City, Raquel had an experience that was to have a profound effect on her future formation. One day, when she was four years old, she was on a bus in New York City with her mother when a gentleman handed a business card to Raquel's mother to get in touch with him. At first her mother paid no attention to this request, but upon showing the business card to several people discovered it had been given to her by the President of one of the top modeling agencies of New York City called Conovers. Raquel modeled with the agency for eight years, becoming their top child model and in the process gaining a world of experience that was to help her in later years. To view those modeling years, click on Modeling Photographs ages 4-12. When she was nine years old she auditioned for the very converted places for new students at the Metropolitan Opera Ballet School. Her teachers during her seven years of studies there included, Anthony Tudor, Margaret Crass, Alfredo Corvino and Kate Forbes. Thru out those years she performed as a super (name given to background performers) for opera and ballet performances at The Metropolitan Opera. She won a full scholarship for her last two years at the Met. At the same time, she studied Ethnic dance with La Meri ,this gave Raquel a very unusual and unique background, as this school taught all dances from around the world, especially Hindu and Flamenco. She has always felt that those studies of so many different styles of dance helped her develop her own unique way of expressing Flamenco dance. She continued her Flamenco dance with Mariquita Flores, modern dance under Martha Graham, & Myra Kinsch and jazz.
Leading Flamenco Artist - Carmen AmayaShe had a very close relation with Carmen Amaya, and was not only fortunate to go to all the rehearsals but also was one of the very few artists who actually studied with this great artist. Raquel's late husband, Flamenco Guitarist Fernando Sirvent (1925-96), was a close childhood friend of Carmen Amaya´s husband Jose Antonio Aguero, and that relationship opened many important doors in Raquel's formation besides living a very close social life with them which was an experience of its own.
SpainRaquel returned often to Madrid and during her formative years studied with many of the outstanding teachers of those times:
Dance CompanyIn 1971 she founded her first dance company and since then has always been the director, choreographer and dancer of her own companies. Throughout her distinguished career, she has performed in many countries but established a special relationship with the American public, where her art was enormously successful with both audiences and critics. She has performed in many of the most prestigious theatres around the world, including New York's Carnegie Hall, La Scala de Milan, El Albeñiz de Madrid, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, etc. For many years she was managed by the Washington Performing Arts Society in Washington, D.C. under the management of the late Patrick Hayes.In Spain, Raquel Peña has performed in many places, including being the only Artist to do two "Galas" (performances) in the same Flamenco Festival (The prestigious Festival Nacional de Cante de Las Minas en La Union, Murcia, Spain)(1977). She continues with very close ties to this Festival, in 1997, one of her students was the only finalist and winner of the Flamenco Dance competition, all the preparation and choreographies by Raquel. In 1999 she was the first and only flamenco dance teacher to give workshops in this Festival and the tradition that continues on today.
The Flamenco Dance Company of Raquel Peña had the honor of being the first Spanish Dance Company to perform at the Kennedy Center (Washington, D.C.) and did a total of thirteen performances in all the four theaters of this complex. Every performance was sold out with outstanding critics.
While in Washington, Raquel and her husband had the honor of performing for many leading political figures, including Presidents (Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon), the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Margot Fonteyn, Rudolf Nureyev, and Rita Haywood to name only a few.. She has received many awards and prizes including the Washington's National Dance Association's award for Outstanding Artist, the Hispanic Arts Institution Artist of the Year (1988) award, and many many more. In Spain her latest award was in 1999 for her many years of dedication and contribution to the Arts given by Television Mar Menor. For many years she was a honorary member of the Mid-Atlantic Arts Council. In 1999, in Spain she was presented with the prestigious “Langostino de Mar Menor”. for her many years of dedication and contribution to the Arts given by Television Mar Menor. , She has received many awards, and honors from her hometown in Spain, Pilar de la Horadada. In 2001 she was named Ambassador for the Valencia area of Spain and and in 2004 received the “Melon de Oro” award both from the International Flamenco Festival of Lo Ferro. The PSOE political party of Orihuela ,Alicante has named her International Woman of the Year 2010 for her contribution to the arts, culture and integration for that area. These awards and prizes are just a short list as to put them all down would take pages). Since 1988, Raquel and Fernando made their permanent residence in Spain and established themselves in the town of Pilar de la Horadada, Alicante. There she founded the Cultural Association “Ballet Flamenco de Raquel Peña,” which includes The Raquel Peña Flamenco Dance Company(the professional Company), The Raquel Peña Flamenco Arts Center(The official school), The Sevillanas Social Club,and The Sevillanas Club Flamenco Dancers(both these groups were formed in 2009 and covers a much needed area for adult amateurs and aficionados who love flamenco on a non-professional level all dedicated to preserving and learning the unique art of flamenco.
Background |
Dedication |
Experience |
Career |
Awards |
Today |
Return to Top
|
|
The best way to describe Raquel’s years in New York is as being in the right place at the right time. In the period between 1950 and 1965 New York City was the heaven for all Spanish Flamenco artists as the post war years where very rough and long in Europe and the list of artists who came over to perform included some of the top names of that era. Carmen Amaya, Vicente Escudero, Jose Greco, Antonio & Rosario, Sabicas, Mario Escudero and a long list of others gave her the opportunity study with the best and see them in their heyday to. With her photographic memory she would never miss a performance and would "capture" and perfect all that she studied and saw.
She started her professional career in the United States at the age of 16. Three years later she performed as soloist with the Ximénez-Vargas Ballet Español and later was the principal dancer with the José Molina Spanish Dance Company all before she was 20 years old. Together with her guitarist husband, Fernando Sirvent, Raquel Peña toured North America, Europe, and Latin America.
She and Fernando Sirvent were honored by the Spanish Embassy, in Washington D.C. with a gala reception and award for their special contribution to the Spanish culture in the United States. They were frequent performers at this Spanish Embassy and did many performances throughout the United States under the Embassy's sponsorship. They brought the art of flamenco dance and music to many educational facilities such as universities, colleges, and highschools from lecture/demonstrations to full-length concerts.