Meet El Rincón Artists

Carola Zertuche - Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco Artistic Director, Flamenco Dancer

Carola Zertuche (Artistic Director, Choreographer, Dancer), originally from Torreón, Mexico, has been the artistic director of Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco since its 50th anniversary in 2016. Renowned for her innovative approach to flamenco, she has cultivated collaborations with local and international artists, boosting the company's recognition globally.


Starting her dance career at Mexico City’s Tablao Meson de Triana, Zertuche studied under masters like Manolo Vargas and Pilar Rioja. Later, she refined her skills in Spain with luminaries such as Ciro and Belen Maya, earning acclaim as a featured dancer with Los Tarantos.
 Zertuche has toured extensively, captivating audiences across Mexico, the United States, and the Middle East, with notable performances at venues like the Joyce Theatre in New York and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival.

Her contributions to flamenco have earned her numerous nominations and awards, including recognition from the Isadora Duncan Awards. 

In 2017, she made her choreographic debut for the San Francisco Opera's production of La Traviata.


Her latest production, "Un Mundo sin Tiempo" (Timeless World), premiered at the Herbst Theater in San Francisco in May 2023. Following its success, she recently concluded a four-day run of Un Mundo sin Tiempo at the ODC Theater in February 2024. This groundbreaking production not only showcased Zertuche's visionary talent but also featured world-renowned artists from Spain, captivating audiences with its innovative approach to flamenco.

Marina Elana: Professional Flamenco Dancer

Hailed as a “dancer of distinction” by The NY Times, Marina Elana has spent the past fifteen years performing alongside the likes of Soledad Barrio, Alfonso Losa, Pastora Galván, and Alejandro Granados. Marina has been a company member of the renowned Soledad Barrio & Noche Flamenca since 2012 and has toured with them extensively both nationally and internationally. Marina has presented her choreography in the Inside/Out Festival at Jacob's Pillow, New York International Fringe Festival, the Queensboro Dance Festival, and Stanford University’s NEXT Performance Series. In 2019, Marina’s production Tattooed with Fanny Ara premiered at the historic Presidio Theatre in San Francisco to critical acclaim and was lauded by dance critic Rene Renouf as “one of the most effective flamenco performances I have ever seen.”

As an educator and community builder, Marina has taught masterclasses at Lincoln Center, The Joyce Theater, University of Southern California, UC Santa Barbara, University of Washington, Williams College, and New York University in NYC and Abu Dhabi. In the Bay Area, Marina has been an artist in residence at Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco and has dedicated the past five years and counting to The People’s Conservatory in Oakland, where she helps students connect flamenco to aspects of their own cultural identities and realize that they are active participants in the preservation and evolution of flamenco’s powerful legacy.

An avid film lover, Marina enjoys a multidisciplinary approach to flamenco often incorporating technology, theatrical vignettes, and film. She graduated from Stanford University with a BA in Film & Media Studies, specializing in “Avant-Garde Aesthetics and Performance.” In 2023, Marina collaborated and starred in the short film, “Yellow Wallpaper,” which premiered at the LA Shorts International Film Festival in Los Angeles and garnered her a Best Actress in a Short Film nomination at the Phoenix Rising International Film Festival (2023). 

DAVID SCOTT MCLEAN: Professional Flamenco Guitarist

David Scott McLean is an American flamenco guitarist, composer and producer. He is the guitarist for Bay Area-based flamenco company, AguaClara Flamenco, which was recently commissioned to perform at the War Memorial Opera House and has held performances at Yoshi’s, the Herbst, the Palace of Fine Arts, Yerba Buena, and countless other stages. He also performs with Carola Zertuche’s Theatre Flamenco, Melissa Cruz, Fanny Ara, Mizuho Sato, Marina Elana, and has shared the stage with hundreds of flamenco artists from Spain and from around the globe. His most recent album of originals called “Te Canto Colores” was released in September of 2021. David also co-produces a regularly sold-out monthly flamenco cycle at The Sound Room in Oakland, where he spotlights many of the Bay Area’s amazing flamenco talents. Just Jazz Guitar Magazine wrote of his music: a unique sculpture of chord color, raw guts, and effusive linear tapestries. David performs at public and private events all over the USA.

FELIX DE LOLA: Professional Flamenco Singer

Felix de Lola was born in Sevilla, Andalucía, Spain. He began his career with the renowned Campallo family and studied with flamenco singers Jesús Heredia and Naranjito de Triana. He has performed on stages throughout Western and eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia and the United States, singing for a list of illustrious artists: Juan Porvillo, Belén Maya, Domingo Ortega, Juan Ogalla, Andres Peña, Carmela Greco, Pastora Galvan.
Felix composes music and verses for flamenco songs, theatrical works and musical adaptations for flamenco theater. Recently he composed musical adaptations of Costa Rican writer Cristy Van de Laat’s “The Red Book of Black Haiku” and the play “Moureliaa”, based on the poetic works of writer José Néstor Mourelo Aguilar, and nominated in 2011 to receive an award in Costa Rica, by the foundation José Néstor Mourelo Aguilar.
He has sung in the most prestigious Tablaos (Flamenco Clubs) in Spain such as Los Gallos (Seville), El Arenal (Seville), Las Carboneras (Madrid), Casa Patas (Madrid),Villa Rosa (Madrid), Las Tablas (Madrid), El Corralde la Moreria (Madrid).
Felix is a businessman. He worked with Jose Luis Postigo to open the first Guitar Museum in Spain.