KOKO DE LA ISLA
B i o g r a p h y
Koko de la Isla started her formal dance training at the age of ten. She has studied a variety of dance forms including ballet, baroque dance, modern dance, jazz and tap. She received a Bachelor of Art degree in dance and continued on to the graduate study in dance choreography at the University of California, Irvine, where she found Flamenco as her lifework. After she moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to focus on Flamenco, she has studied in Spain, USA and Japan with Carmen Ledesma, Carmen Herrera, El Junco, Juana Amaya, Eva la Yerbabuena, Belen Maya, El Guito, La Tania, Rosa Montoya, Diana Alejandre and Isa Mura. She has performed throughout the San Francisco Bay Area and in Japan as a soloist.
From 1995 to 1997, she returned to Japan, "the Flamenco heaven" where Flamenco is most appreciated besides Spain. She studied with El Poka Okazaki and "Angelita Vargas" from Spain and performed with the Flamenqueros as a soloist. In Japan, she performed at tablaos, "El Pancho" in Kobe and "Esperanza" ,“Casa Artistas” and "Olé! Olé!" in Tokyo as a guest artist.
Back in the Bay Area since 1997 she has regularly performed at local tablaos. Koko has taught flamenco classes to a large number of culturally diverse students, and conducted flamenco performances at colleges and community organizations since 1999.

Photo by MIwa