September 27, 2017

Belén Maya, renowned Flamenco dancer, artist and teacher, joins us for a month of performances, master classes, and engagements as a Rankin Scholar in Residence. Maya will bring her celebrated one woman show, Romnia, to the Black Box Theater for two nights only on October 13 and 14. Romnia, or woman in the romani language, takes a complex and deeply emotive look into the historical narrative of the Gypsy woman, countering joy with the courage to survive. Tickets for Romnia are likely to sell out fast, so consider purchasing your tickets here. Maya will also deliver the Dance Program’’s Fall Lecture-Demonstration, Flamenco: creative process. Transformation. Collaboration. Choreography composition in contemporary flamenco on Thursday, October 19th at 7PM in the Mandell Theater in a free and open to the public event.

Maya has become one of the most important international choreographers, pioneering its emergence as a contemporary art form by pushing the boundaries of traditional practice.  Maya has performed the world over during the past three decades after bursting onto the scene in Carlos Sauro's masterpiece movie, FLAMENCO. This contemporary artist employs innovative movement and conceptual explorations to expand flamenco's historical conventions. Her work is immersive with distinct attention to the music, staging, narrative, performance, and language in her repertoire.  

In addition to Romnia, Maya will co-teach a Flamenco dance course for Drexel students with Elba Hevia y Vaca, the artistic director of Philadelphia's Pasión Y Arte Flamenco company, and will also offer master classes for the campus and Philadelphia communities at large. In addition, Maya will bring her innovative approach to Flamenco dance to the classrooms and departments of various schools and colleges across the University, furthering her interdisciplinary engagement on campus.

Belén Maya's residence is made possible through a grant from the Rankin Scholar In Residence Program, supported by donations from alumni and colleagues of Dean Rankin to inspire students and to deepen our understanding of developments and thinking within our diverse design, media, and art fields. Dance Program Director, Valerie Ifill, and Dean Allen Sabinson organized this residency.

If you’d like to support the Rankin program, you can make a contribution here or by mailing a donation payable to Drexel University to: Dean Sabinson // URBN Center, 3501 Market Street 1A20A // Philadelphia PA, 19104. For more information please contact Nik Kozel at ngk25@drexel.edu. 

Romnia //Fri. Oct. 13th & Sat. Oct. 14th  // URBN Annex Black Box Theater // 3401 Filbert St. // Gen. Admin $25.00 & Students, $15.00  

Drexel Fall Dance Course // Flamenco Dance Technique (DANC T180-001) // Open to all Drexel students 

Master Class: Flamenco // 418 Main Building // Tues. Oct. 17th // 6-8PM //  Open to members of the Drexel Dance Ensembles and Dance/Movement Therapy graduate students 

Fall Lecture-Demonstration: Flamenco: creative process. Transformation. Collaboration. Choreography composition in contemporary flamenco. 

Thurs. Oct. 19th // 7-8:30PM // Mandell Theater // Free and open to the public