Valeria Montes has emerged as the most talked-about Flamenco performer in metro Detroit,
with the Detroit Free Press calling her "mesmerizing" and the Metro Times declaring that
she is "beauty in motion." She and her company have a loyal following that stretches from
Ann Arbor to Birmingham, and fans of La Chispa and Company eagerly anticipate new additions
to the company's repertoire. The musicians of the Company are a vertible "Who's Who"
of the Detroit flamenco scene: Guitarist Daniel "El Nopalito" Parisen trained in Spain
and the San Francisco Bay Area before returning to Detroit to perform with many of the area's finest
Flamenco dancers; playing the "cajon", a Peruvian box drum, is Mark "El Tamborilero" Sawasky,
one of Detroit's most sought-after percussionists; the Company is also regularly
joined by special guest Flamenco Singer Eugenio Vara, a.k.a. "El Zamorano". La Chispa and
Company have performed in the Detroit Opera House, Fox Theatre, and Detroit Music Hall,
among others.
Click here for a quick introduction to the history and vocabulary of flamenco. [PDF]
INDIVIDUAL BIOS
Valeria Montes - "La Chispa"
La Chispa's love affair with dance started as a young girl when she began training in Mexican
Folkloric dance, Flamenco, gymnastics, and ballet at La Casa de la Cultura in Torreón Coahuila,
Mexico. Then Montes, after moving to Michigan, began 6 years of training and performing as a
member of Grupo España, under the direction of the legendary late Dama Maria Del Carmen Montes
(no relation). After her stint with "La Dama" ended, Montes went on to distinguish herself as
a solo Flamenco dancer under the name "La Chispa" (the spark). She has performed in concert
with New York's Peter Suarez, Chicago's Michelle Nascimiento "la caoba" and with nationally
acclaimed local flautist Ginka Ortega to mention a few. La Chispa has continued to train with
Flamenco masters across the country and in Spain including "La Farruca", Pilar "La Faraona,"
"Manolote," Vida Peral, Cihtli "La Gallardi", Miguel Vargas, Alicia Marquez, Oscar Valero,
Juana Amaya, Isabel Bayon, Nazareth Reyes, Adela Campallo, and Cristina.
Dan Parisen - "El Nopalito"
In 1999 Daniel "El Nopalito"
Parisen was busking on street corners and playing folk music
in coffee houses while living out of a maroon 1985 Saab in the city of San Francisco, CA.
His interest in Flamenco developed during this time and he began his studies with
Texas born flamenco guitarist Jason McGuire, musical director of "Caminos Flamencos".
Dan then saved his money and bought a one way ticket to Spain in 2001 with the intention of staying until his money ran out. He ended up staying for a year. Spending the first 7 months in Sevilla taking the opportunity to study with gypsy guitarist Miguel Angel Cortes and accompanying daily the dance classes of Miguel Vargas. He then relocated to Madrid to study briefly with guitarist David Serva.
Upon returning to the States Dan has continued his studies in Michigan working with various local flamenco dancers and groups, including the late Maria Del Carmens grupo de Espana. In addition to collaborating with internationally acclaimed flautist Ginka Ortega on two productions of Manual de Falla's "El Amor Brujo" he has also had the opportunity to study with Pepe Maya, Ethan Margolis and Jacco Mueller.
Mark Sawasky - "El Tamborilero"
Mark's roots in music go 30 years deep. His passion for unique percussion has led him to the
music of many cultures. He specializes in the complex rhythms and rare time signatures of
Africa, Eastern Europe, and the Mediterranean. Mark is passionate about playing traditional
flamenco percussion and flavors it with cutting edge, new sounds. He has appeared on 21
different recordings and currently performs in six different popular Detroit ensembles, including
the bands Immigrant Suns and Eastern Winds. He collaborates with musicians locally and nationally,
performs solo, and conducts educational workshops.
SPECIAL GUESTS
Eugenio Vara - "El Zamorano"
Bio coming soon!