Dual by Mercedes Ruíz and Santiago Lara

After touring Europe and China, Spanish dancer and choreographer Mercedes Ruíz and Spanish guitarist Santiago Lara will showcase their Flamenco show “Dual” at Gala Theater for two consecutive nights as part of their U.S. tour.

Dual takes the audience on a musical and visual journey through the art of flamenco, showcasing the evolution of tradition as a central theme.

Mercedes Ruíz

Born in 1980 in Jerez de la Frontera, Mercedes Ruíz started her career at a young age, working with renowned companies such as Manuel Morao y Gitanos de Jerez, Antonio El Pipa, Eva Yerbabuena, and Adrián Galia. In 2002, she started her solo career and received recognition for her performances at the Seville Biennial, winning the Giraldillo Award.

Inspired by this success, she formed her own company in 2003 and premiered her first show, Dibujos en el aire at the Jerez Festival. Her subsequent productions, such as Gestos de mujer, Juncá, Mi último secreto, and Perspectivas, have garnered critical acclaim and have been performed at prestigious festivals around the world.

Ruiz has delved into smaller chamber-format performances and collaborated with acclaimed flamenco artists. She has choreographed for the National Ballet of Spain and the opera Carmen. Recently, she has achieved more success with her show Tauromagia.

Santiago Lara

Born in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, Santiago Lara has received prestigious awards including the Giraldillo al Toque at the Seville Biennial in 2018, the Flamenco Biennial Award for Guitar Playing in 2000, and the National Flamenco Art Award of Cordoba in 2013 (2nd place).

With a professional music degree from the Joaquín Villatoro Conservatory, Lara is not only a guitarist, but also a producer, composer, and musical director. He has released five solo albums.

Lara has toured worldwide with maestro Manolo Sanlúcar and collaborated with artists such as Ainhoa Arteta, Antonio Canales, Estrella Morente, Jorge Pardo, and Carmen Linares. As a music producer, he has worked on albums for various flamenco singers of the new generation in Spain. He has also composed music for dancer and choreographer Mercedes Ruiz, with whom he tours worldwide.

In addition to his career as a guitarist and composer, Santiago Lara has recently premiered the guitar and orchestra piece Medea by Manolo Sanlúcar, performed with the Ballet de Antonio Márquez and the UCAM.