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A Multicultural Journey in the Performing Arts!

Alfonso Cid was born and raised in Seville, the heartland of Flamenco music. His mother, an amateur singer from Triana, a Flamenco enclave in Seville, and his grandfather, an aficionado of Flamenco were his earliest influences. He also had the opportunity of attending the activities of one the most significant Flamenco clubs in Andalusia, the Peña Flamenca Torres-Macarena since 1987. Alfonso enrolled at the Seville Conservatory in 1990 to study flute and music theory. For the following 5 years he received a classical training. He also attended the classes at the Cristina Heeren Foundation for Flamenco Art in 2007 and 2008 in Sevilla, Spain, where he studied with maestro Paco Taranto and the new talent of Rocío Márquez and Elena Morales. In 1997 Alfonso moved to the United States, since then he is based in New York City. He has made many guest appearances at important venues including Madison Square Garden, American Airlines Arena (Miami), Amway Center (Orlando) and Staples Center (Los Angeles) with the popular Latin artist Romeo Santos. He had the honor of recording backing vocals in the song titled “Mi Santa” by Santos in which the great flamenco guitarist Tomatito was a featured guest artist. He also performed at the 92 Y with singer songwriter and peace activist David Broza; Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall, Lincoln Center Out of Doors Festival, Town Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall and Sala Covarrubias in Mexico City to name a few. He has worked with all of the significant artists in the flamenco ambiance through out the USA, performing and touring in the Tri-State area, Washington DC, San Francisco, Portland, OR; Chicago, Detroit, Kentucky, Toronto, Ottawa, British Columbia, Mexico, Puerto Rico, the United Kingdom and Spain. Since February of 2008 he has been teaching flamenco “cante” (flamenco song) at Flamenco Latino Studios and has given several flamenco “cante” for dance workshops at Lotus Music and Dance Studios. That includes a series of lecture/demonstrations in 2010, 2011 and 2012 titled “El Baile Flamenco” in which he shares the structure of flamenco singing, guitar playing and choreography. In partnership with Carlota Santa’s Flamenco Vivo Alfonso produced in 2010 “La Música Flamenca” (The Flamenco Music) for the Lincoln Center Institute. This is a show in which different aspects of flamenco song are introduced to audiences such as school teachers in professional development programs as well as kids in school performances. This is an ongoing show. He released his first CD titled “Flamenco de vuelta e ida” on 2006 with is own Flamenco fusion project “Gazpacho Andalú” with guitarist Arturo Martínez. He has also released the debut album of his Spanish Indie Rock project “Dientes de Caramelo” titled “Pulpo” (Octopus) in March of 2012.

For more info log on www.dientesdecaramelo.com

Dancing since the age of 6, Minila Shah has trained in the classical Indian dance forms of Bharatanatyam and Kathak in Toronto and India. Her Bharatanatyam training provided a sound foundation in not just rhythm and dance but grace, expressiveness and connectivity to Indian culture. She has twice travelled to India to further her training in classical dance. For years Minila has used her strong base of classical dance experience to explore, choreograph, perform and teach a variety of dance styles including Bollywood and Bhangra. Prior to relocating to New York, Minila Shah was the Executive and Artistic Director of Bollywood Grooves (www.bollywoodgrooves.com) in London, UK.

Minila was responsible for the stylish routine, set to the composer A. R. Rahman’s Slumdog hit Jai Ho, which helped Hayley Tamaddon to win the Dancing on Ice crown last year. She has also worked with the BBC and Sky One providing them with performances and choreography. Her enthusiasm combined with her dance expertise and teaching abilities are what make her so popular everywhere she goes.

For more information on Minila, visit www.minilashah.com.

Daisy Paradis is one of the few Americans who can give a pure and authentic rendition of North Indian classical music. An outstanding musician in full command of her instrument, she has had the benefit of more than twenty years of training with one of the greatest artists of India, Maestro Ali Akbar Khan. Her depth of knowledge and devotion to music is coupled with rigorous classical training. Her interpretation is enlivened by an individuality and spark of energy that fills her performance with excitement. Daughter of jazz harpist Daphne Hellman and sister of guitarist Sandy Bull, Paradis has been a disciple of Maestro Ali Akbar Khan since 1966. She has studied sitar with Krishna Bhatt, as well as attending workshops with Pdt. Ravi Shankar and Nikhil Banerjee. Her vocal studies were with Maestro Khan and Prof. A.T. Kanan of Calcutta. She is a co-founder of the Ali Akbar College of Music in California with Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, and served on the Board of the India Festival in San Francisco. Paradis has appeared in performance with Maestro Ali Akbar Khan and Swapan Chaudhuri. Among her many concerts have been performances at San Francisco State, the Oakland Museum, the World Music Network, the World Music Institute, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the New York Natural History Museum, programs of the Ali Akbar College, and a number of appearances on KPFA, and many other radio and television stations. She performed as part of the India Festival in California, and was invited in 1989 to perform for the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan’s Nehru Centenary celebration. "One of the best of the sitar students to come from Ali Akbar Khan... she has had many years with one of India’s finest musicians behind her. ...her technique is fully developed.... her dedication is commendable.... an artist with a real statement to make." - Soho News