SIMOF 30 Edition 2025Â * ‘We are all SIMOF’
CĂĄdiz: A Gateway to the superb Andalusian city & region in the south of Spain
SIMOF 2024 * More Than Fashion… An Experience!
‘TABLAO’ with Grammy© Award-winning Cantaor ARCANGEL
đ„DUAL â Mercedes Ruiz & Santiago Lara U.S. Tour
Sun, July 14, 7:00pm, Alexis & Jim Pugh Theater, Orlando, FL
Thu Jul 18, 7:00pm, âMeydenbauer Center Theatre, Bellevue, WA
+ Multiple Workshops in Bellevue, WA
Award-winning artists on the flamenco scene, Mercedes Ruiz and Santiago Lara hold the most important accolades in the industry: National Flamenco Art of CĂłrdoba, Giraldillo of the Seville Biennial and the Critics and Audience Award of the Jerez Festival.
Together creating 10 shows over 20 years, the duo has performed in the most important theaters in the world: Theater de la Ville (Paris), Auditorio Parco de la MĂșsica (Rome), Teatro la Fennice (Venice) , International House of Music (Moscow), Sadlers Wells (London) and Teatro Gran Via (Madrid). Mercedes has choreographed for the National Ballet of Spain and is in high demand as a teacher around the world including the countries of Japan, Taiwan, China, United States, Italy, Turkey, France, Holland and Hungary.
In addition to performing concerts internationally, Santiago has collaborated with Maestro Manolo SanlĂșcar for many years and has released five solo albums: “El Sendero de lo imposible”, “Sentimientos Nuevos”, “Flamenco Tribute to Pat Metheny”, “La Guitarra en el Tiempo” and “Tu CanciĂłn en mi Guitarra”.
Mercedes Ruiz and Santiago Lara unite their talents and their common vision of flamenco to create something very special in this performance: an intimate work, rich in expressiveness and styles. Take a thrilling journey through different forms of the dance, where the evolution of tradition is the common denominator.
MERCEDES RUĂZ
Born in 1980, in Jerez de la Frontera, Mercedes Ruiz is the maximum reference of her generation in the commitment to evolution within the classicism of flamenco dance. Her training began when she was only 4 years old with Ana MarĂa LĂłpez and later with Chiqui de Jerez, Charo Cruz and at the Conservatory of Seville.
At only seven years old, she already worked in the Company of Manuel Morao y Gitanos de Jerez performing in Broadway. Later, and as a trained flamenco dancer, Mercedes Ruiz successively joined the companies of Antonio El Pipa, Eva Yerbabuena and AdriĂĄn Galia: three different artists from whom Mercedes was looking to forge her personality. A personality that was already appreciated by the jury of the XVI CĂłrdoba National Contest, which awarded her with the âAntonio Gadesâ Prize in 2001. In 2002 Mercedes Ruiz began her career as a soloist. In this year, she made her debut with AndrĂ©s MarĂn at the Seville Biennial, and at the same time managed to win the Youth Prize at the Seville Biennial.
SANTIAGO LARA
Santiago Lara is considered one of the most relevant members of the new generation of Spanish guitarists. De Jerez de la Frontera, aged 37, has received some of the most prestigious awards in the world. With only 39 years he has released his âConcert Num.1 for guitar and orchestraâ composed and orchestrated entirely by him. As concertist for orchestra also performs famous âConcierto de Aranjuezâ from master JoaquĂn Rodrigo.
