Music From The Sole and Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernández: Celebrating 10 Year

Join us for an evening of percussive dance as we celebrate the 10th Anniversary of the CUNY Dance Initiative with two alums of this ground-breaking residency program: Music From The Sole and Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernández.

Music From The Sole is a tap dance and live music company that celebrates tap’s Afro-diasporic roots, particularly its connections to Afro-Brazilian dance and music, and its lineage to forms like house dance and passinho (Brazilian funk). Led by Brazilian choreographer Leonardo Sandoval and by composer Gregory Richardson, their work embraces tap’s unique nature as a blend of sound and movement, incorporating wide-ranging influences like samba, passinho, Afro-Cuban, jazz, and house. As part of its mission to bring tap dance, America’s original vernacular dance form, to new audiences, the company appears as both a dance company and percussive-led band at both music and dance venues, including recently Lincoln Center, Jacob’s Pillow, Vail Dance Festival, The Yard, Caramoor Jazz Festival, Harlem Stage, Bryant Park, and the Guggenheim.

Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernández are known for bridging the culture of traditional Flamenco dance with contemporary global influences. Sonia, originally from Barcelona where she earned her degree at the Instituto de Teatro y Danza, has been hailed by The New York Times as “a furnace of earthy sensuality.” Ismael has been described by The Washington Post as the “most charismatic performer” and praised for his “connection to the Gypsy source.” Ismael grew up performing in flamenco festivals throughout the world with his internationally renowned family, La Familia Fernández. Sonia and Ismael’s approach to the art form does not stop at its traditional roots: the couple was tapped by the pop-icon Madonna to choreograph the worldwide “Rebel Heart Tour” (2015-2016), with Ismael providing vocals. They also provided the same for Ricky Martin for the “Lola Lola” Flamenco choreography in his Las Vegas concert All In!