Olivia Chacon

Olivia Chacón is a flamenco dancer, choreographer, and instructor with a powerful dance style and dynamic approach to teaching students. Originally from San Antonio, Texas, Olivia has danced flamenco for over twenty years, and has spent five years studying flamenco and performing in Sevilla and Madrid, Spain with some of the world's best flamenco artists. She spent two years touring internationally throughout Spain, Mexico, and Cyprus with the Cristóbal Reyes Compañia de Flamenco, and also performed as a soloist in flamenco clubs in Spain and Germany. Olivia aims to keep the flamenco dance form alive and well in this country by performing frequently throughout Texas and the region, and teaching flamenco to a new generation of dancers at her studio, Flamencura Music and Dance in Austin, Texas. In addition, she has been an adjunct instructor in the dance department of McCallum Arts Academy for the past seven years. Olivia is also co-founder and Artistic Director of A'lante Flamenco. Founded in Austin in 2011, the 12-member company has garnered rave reviews and awards for their innovative flamenco theater productions, including the Austin Critics' Table Award for Best Dancer (Olivia Chacon 2013); and Best Dance Ensemble (2014 and 2015). A'lante Flamenco presents original choreography and music with the goal of connecting with audiences via creative storytelling. Their productions include The Red Shoes: A Flamenco Fairytale (2012); Prophecies (2014), based on the writings of Khalil Gibran; Desplazados (2015), in which company members told their personal stories of immigration and displacement; and Snapshots (2016); Sabor (2017); and Amor Fati (2019). In 2018, A'lante Flamenco's production Juana: Primero Sueño, based on the life and work of Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz, garnered another Critic's Table nomination for best Dance Concert. The company recently debuted "Procession" at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center in February 2020.