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It is
through her academic training that she finds her real vocation,
Flamenco. She makes the decision to expand and complete her studies
within the Andalusian Genre and learn the “art” from artists such as
Matilde Coral, Manolo Marin (in whose school she worked as an instructor
in 1988), Ziro, El Mimbre, Milagros Mengibar, Manolete, Javier Latorre,
Merche Esmeralda, Ana Maria Bueno, Eva Yerbabuena, Juana Amaya, Javier
Cruz, Alejandro Granados and Belen Maya. Throughout her career, Angeles Gabaldon has recieved many awards such as “El Desplante”, first prize in the XLII Festival Internacional del Cante de las Minas en la Union (August 2002). She has also been a finalist two years in row at the prestigious Young Artits Contest of the Biennial of Flamenco (1998 and 2000), being the only female artist to reach the final round on both ocassions. Angeles has received distinctions such as 1st place for best choreography in the “Alegrías” Dance Contest “La Perla de Cádiz” and also finished second in the Soloist Dancer “Bailaora Solista” category. She has performed on all seven continents, on occasion spending long periods of time on tour in which she has combined performances and teaching in dance schools of Japan, Mexico, France, Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland , Australia or Turkey. During the academic year 2004-2005 she was invited to teach at the Institut del Teatre of Barcelona for 6 months. During her stay in the city she integrated her teaching with further studies in interpretation, direction, and modern dance. In 2006 she danced in the Metropolitan Museum as part of the flamenco festival organized that year in the city of New York. In 2003 she presents for the first time “Inmigración”, a significant and important work in her career which was praised by critics and won several prizes, most notably best performance and best dance company in the “Flamenco Hoy” Awards. With her show “Inmigración”, Angeles has achieved great success and has performed in such important festivals as the Bienal de Flamenco de Sevilla, Festival de Jerez, Auditori de Barcelona during the Forum, Tanzhouse festival in Dusseldorf, and the Film Festival of Isla Antilla in Huelva. After the success of “Inmigración”, other great shows have been produced: “Taller Flamenco” premiered in Seville, followed by a world tour performing in Festivals in Israel, Switzerland and France, and “Érase una vez el Flamenco”; a work which was conceived as a didactic artistic presentation of the history of flamenco for all age groups. In 2003 Angeles Gabaldon appeared on the cover of Tablao Flamenco magazine, and in 2007 in on the cover of the first edition of Alboreá magazine, published by the Andalusian Agency of Flamenco. Also during 2007 her company presents two new works: “Volantes de Jondura”, which shows the very essence of flamenco through her dancing, “Femenino Plural” a statement to the plight of the modern woman in society in the “key” of Flamenco, and “Gabal-donna & Guassa” an experimental work presented at the Cadiz International Dance Festival. In this piece Ángeles dances “flamenco break” -a fusion of flamenco and break dancing- for DJ Dr. Guassa who mixes traditional flamenco and electronic/funk music….a lot of fun for the audience which at the end is invited to dance with the artists. Angeles Gabaldon´s dancing combines the most passionate aspects of flamenco with the elegance of classical Spanish dance in a simple and natural way, fusing temperament and strength influenced by elements derived in other genres such as modern dance a mix that shows her vast artistic richness.
Angeles work is a combination of her great restlessness and a strong
sense of the necessity towards self-improvement that have allowed her,
step by step, to find, shape a unique style that stands out from the
rest of contemporary flamenco artists. |