Bio:
Jana Drdácká, a Flamenco dancer, choreographer and teacher, is a Flamenco pioneer in the Czech Republic. She acquired her expertise and experience during numerous study visits to Spain and the United States. Since 2001, she has been running her own dance school in Prague. She has co-founded two musical dance ensembles, Arsa y Toma in 200 and Flamenco Element in 2010. At the same time, she produces her own projects and performs with prominent Spanish artists.
Anežka Hessová,is a dancer and a teacher of Indian dance. In 2008 she studied at the prestigious Kathak Dhwani Dance Academy in New Delhi (having been awarded a year-long scholarship from the Indian Council for Cultural Relations). In addition, she has been on study visits in Bangalore and Benares in 2001, and in Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) in 2006. She performs in the Czech Republic and abroad. She also dedicates herself to theater and film.
The word Kathak means “storyteller” – that is, one who tells stories of the gods and goddesses. Kathak’s origins lie in ancient Hindi India. Originally a temple dance, it moved into the royal palaces of the Mogul rulers in the 15th century. At present, it is performed in theaters and is one of the most widespread of classical Indian dances. Although one of the earliest of dance techniques, it dazzles audiences to this day with its impetuous energy, dynamics and unexpected rhythmic forms.
In addition to dancers, the project comprises a live musical component, including tabla (Tomáš Reindl), flamenco guitar (Stanislav Kohútek, “Morenito de Triana”), and vocals (flamenco singer Gema Caballero).
Gema Caballero, a flamenco singer from Granada, has devoted herself to flamenco since she was a young child, attending the dance academies which would represent her first schooling in flamenco. At that time, alongside other young colleagues from Granada like Estrella Morente or Marina Heredia, she began performing at various festivals. She eventually started her professional career as a singer specializing in dance accompaniment and has participated in the ensembles of dancers such as Rocío Molina, Rafaela Carrasco, Belén Maya, Manuel Liñán, Domingo Ortega and Concha Jareño. Most recently, she has collaborated with dancer Sara Calero in “Zona Cero” and “El Mirar de la Maja,” and with Belén Maya in “Los Invitados.”
In 2012, she released her debut album titled De paso en paso, which received high praise from specialized critics. In 2014, she presented her CD to French audiences at the Tolouse festival.