INSTRUCTORS
Artistic Director / Choreographer / Castanets
Antonio Vargas
Antonio Vargas is one of the world’s leading flamenco dancers and choreographers. The Maestro, upon whom Flamenco Sin Fronteras is built, has always believed that flamenco could lend itself to interpret great novelists and poets and that it could be put on stage side by side with the most established, mainstream art-forms, such as opera and choral works, without jeopardizing its authenticity.
He has collaborated with orchestras and opera productions, such as Harvey Goldsmith’s Carmen (Sydney, Melbourne, Zurich and Munch), Bolero, Zapateado and Three Spanish Dances with the Munich Philharmoniker, Blood Wedding for the London Operatic Society and La Vida Breve, a Basil Lochart production for the BBC, and produced for the Sydney Festival.
Antonio Vargas won accolades for his performance as the gypsy father, Rico in the Australian box-office hit movie Strictly Ballroom, directed by Baz Luhrmann. He choreographed and staged a fllamenco segment for Tom Cruise's Mission Impossible II.
Antonio is actively involved in introducing and developing the art of flamenco in Southeast Asia and around the world.
Flamenco Dance
Daphne Huang Vargas
La Ninã de Fuego discovered flamenco 14 years ago. She has been mainly studying under Maestro Antonio Vargas and also studies under renowned flamenco artistes. On stage, she is exudes passion, grace and fire, leading to her stage name given by her mentor, “The Daughter of Fire”.
Tilly Wong
She has been a lifelong dance enthusiast, beginning with ballet at the age of 5. Her thirst for dance led her to also learn jazz, tap and ballroom. She discovered flamenco more than 10 years ago. She has studied extensively under Maestro Antonio Vargas as well as other international Spanish artistes. Maestro Vargas has given Tilly the stage name La Perla Negra because she has the grace and beauty of a truly rare gem in her flamenco interpretations.
Toshiaki Konno (Toshi)
He encountered flamenco at University and fell under its spell right away. In 2007 he moved to Singapore and has participated in workshops and master classes by well- known artistes such as Antonio Vargas, José Galvan, Manuel Betanzos, Rafael Campallo, and Andrés Peña. To enhance a spirit of flamenco, he attempts annual trips to Seville, Spain. Toshi enriches Flamenco Sin Fronteras with his dance and singing talents.
(Toshi is currently on sabbatical)
Percussion
Lalit Kumar
A graduate from the illustrious Berklee College of Music, Lalit is a multi-percussionist and music producer. Be it performance or producing music, his sound is a progressive world music style.
His love affair with music began at the age of 10, studying the Tabla at Temple of Fine Arts Singapore under the mentorship of Nawaz Mirajkar. He has collaborated with artists from diverse backgrounds of music and cultures to develop his own unique style and sound. He is currently the percussion instructor at Flamenco Sin Fronteras.