Dancers & Instructors
Marianela "Malita" Belloso (Instructor/Dancer)
Marianela “Malita” Belloso was born on December 30, 1975, in Caracas, Venezuela, and has been dancing flamenco for over twenty five years. She started dancing flamenco when she was only six years old, and by the time she was nine she was already performing on television and in major flamenco stage productions with Siudy Quintero Dance Academy – the largest flamenco dance academy in Venezuela. Along with her extensive flamenco training, Malita has also studied tap dancing for nine years, and performed with Salsatlanta, a professional salsa dancing troupe, for five years. Malita brought her dancing skills to Atlanta in 2000, where she met flamenco guitarist Farzan Kendrick and formed the flamenco performance company Caló Gitano. Since that time, Malita has become well known for her energetic, fun, passionate, authentic, and skillful performances that transport audiences straight into the cultural heart of Spain.
Malita’s ability to mesmerize audiences comes not only from her inherent “duende,” but also from her acquired knowledge of flamenco and her ability as an educator to convey that knowledge and the beauty of the dance to others. Besides being a highly trained dancer, Malita is also a certified school teacher with a Master’s Degree in Spanish Culture and History. Malita obtained her Master’s Degree in Salamanca, Spain, in 2005, where she continued to dance flamenco even while she was earning her degree. With her skills as a dancer, knowledge of flamenco and its cultural roots, and experience as a professional educator, Malita brings the same passion, fun, authenticity, and dedication to her flamenco classes that she brings to her flamenco performances.
Farzan Kendrick (Guitarist)
Flamenco guitarist Farzan “Fernando” Kendrick has more than 20 years of experience as a soloist and accompanist to flamenco singers and dancers. He has performed flamenco in Spain, Germany, and the U.S., and was once a member of the German pop music group DIWAR. His long performance history includes performances on television and in venues of all sizes. In 2001, he co-founded Caló Gitano Dance Company with Marianela “Malita” Belloso, and to this day he continues to bring his knowledge, experience, and deep love for flamenco to every show in which he plays.
Kevin Wilson (Singer and Percussionist)
Kevin Wilson was born in Lansing, Michigan, on March 17, 1972, and has been singing with Caló Gitano since 2004. As a performer and director of musicals and other theatrical productions, and as the lead vocalist of various bands ever since he was a teenager, Kevin has enjoyed performing and singing practically his entire life. However, he only developed a love for flamenco singing after Marianela “Malita” Belloso introduced him to the wonderful art form in 2001. Now, outside of his day job as an attorney, Kevin keeps his creative side alive by performing with Caló Gitano, and by teaching and dancing salsa with Malita and Salsatlanta, a professional salsa dancing troupe, on a regular basis.
María Carolina Belloso-Wheeler (Instructor)
Born in Caracas,Venezuela, Cara has been a dancer for most of her life. She started her training with the Suidy Quintery Flamenco Dance Academy at the age of 5, becoming a tap dancer and professional flamenco dancer by the time she moved to the United States in 1994. Since then, she has become a flamenco instructor, teaching students alongside her sister, Malita. She is also the Creative Director of a renowned national magazine, the PTA President of her children's school, and a proud wife and mother of two gorgeous daughters.
Izabel Blankenship (Dancer)
Izabel was born in Recife, Brazil, where she participated in folkloric and modern dance groups. She moved to Atlanta in 1994 and continued her dance training with ballroom dance instructor Phyllis Deneve. From 1996 to 1998, she danced as a member of “Wings Dance Ensemble” under the direction of Amy Howton. Izabel was first exposed to flamenco dancing in 2003 when she went to Salamanca, Spain, to earn her Master’s Degree. While there, she saw Marianela “Malita” Belloso, who was also in Spain working on her Master’s Degree, dancing flamenco. As Izabel puts it, “I fell in love with flamenco when I saw Malita dancing. She makes it look so effortless!” Soon after seeing Malita dance, Izabel started taking flamenco classes from her. Izabel has been Malita’s student since the summer of 2003, and she debuted as a performer with Caló Gitano in October of 2004.In addition to taking classes from Malita, Izabel has received instruction from Andrés Marín and taken flamenco classes with Karina Martínez.
Ania Yeas (Dancer)
Ania Yeas was born in Wroclaw, Poland, where she began her dancing career with the study of modern dance. Although she danced with a modern dance group for six years, it was not until she discovered flamenco that she found a passion for dancing that would last her a lifetime. Ania started dancing flamenco in Poland at “Centro del Arte Flamenco” with Katarzyna Radulowicz, and continued dancing when she moved to Atlanta, where she took courses with Julie Baggenstoss and Marta SidAhmed. Ania then had a moment of true inspiration when she saw Marianela “Malita” Belloso perform at “Balance” restaurant in Atlanta. Ania was amazed by the strength and emotion of Malita’s performance and immediately asked Malita for flamenco lessons. In 2005 Ania met Diana Corica and introduced her to Malita so that they could both become Malita’s students. Eventually, both Ania and Diana joined Caló Gitano, where they have grown to become more confident flamenco dancers and performers. To Ania, flamenco is the perfect outlet for exploring and expressing her adventurous and emotional side, and that is why it is a dance that she plans on doing for her entire life. Ania is also an active member of the Sevillanas Club of Atlanta.
Ikuko Kawasaki (Dancer)
Ikuko Kawasaki was born in Osaka, Japan. She began her dancing career at the age of four by studying modern ballet. Throughout her middle school, junior high, and high school years she continued her training through studying baton twirling, rhythmic gymnastics, and modern dance as both a dancer and a choreographer. In 2003, a flamenco guitarist friend of hers introduced Ikuko to the world of flamenco, and Ikuko began taking flamenco classes from Julie Baggenstoss at the Behind the Scenes Dance Studio. The studio closed in 2006, but Ikuko continued her flamenco training, taking classes from Marta SidAhmed, Karina Martínez and Rina Menosky. When Ikuko saw Malita perform flamenco at Little Alley restaurant in 2006, she was amazed by Malita's strong performance, and she became Malita's student as soon as Malita established the Caló Gitano Flamenco Dance Company & Academy in Atlanta in the summer of 2007. After one year of instruction from Malita, Ikuko was invited to perform with Caló Gitano, and she now performs regularly at a variety of private and public events. To Ikuko, learning flamenco is like acquiring a new language - there is no ending to the learning process, and the more that you learn, the more complicated things become. However, once you learn the fundamentals, you can communicate with anyone by using the universal language of flamenco, the "compas", and you will find a unique way to express yourself.
Yoko Fujiwara (Dancer)
Yoko Fujiwara is from Akita, Japan. She studied Flamenco for one year in Sapporo, Japan, before moving to Macon, Georgia, in 1998. After moving to Atlanta, she continued her dance studies by learning salsa, and she performed as a member of the Salsatlanta performance team for four years. Yoko met Malita through her involvement with Salsatlanta, and Malita was actually one of Yoko's salsa instructors during Yoko's time with Salsatlanta. Yoko never lost her passion for flamenco, however, and she resumed her flamenco studies in October 2006. Yoko has been taking flamenco classes from Malita since August 2007 and has been performing as a member of Caló Gitano since February 2008.
Rachel Gorwitz (Dancer)
Rachel was born in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. As a child and young adult, she studied classical viola and ballet, but then abandoned all forms of artistic expression until 2004, when her gym started offering flamenco classes. She has been obsessed with flamenco ever since, and has been studying with Malita since 2007. When Rachel started performing, her husband Eugenio discovered a hidden talent for flamenco photography; he can usually be found in the audience taking lots of photos.