Hailed by The New York Times as “a furnace of earthy sensuality”, Sonia Olla is a Flamenco choreographer and dancer, originally from Barcelona where she earned her degree at the Instituto de Teatro y Danza.
She now resides in New York City where she has established the Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernandez Flamenco company with her husband, Flamenco cante singer Ismael Fernandez. Sonia and Ismael’s work have been recently seen at Joe’s Pub in New York, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center. She is a recipient of the CDI: CUNY Dance Residency and a teaching artist at Berklee College of Music.
She has toured as company member and soloist with flamenco greats such as Antonio Canales, Eva la Yerbabuena, Rafaela Carrasco, Merche Esmeralda, María Pagés, La Farruca, among others.
Sonia currently resides in New York where she has established the Sonia Olla & Ismael Fernandez Flamenco company with her husband, Flamenco cante singer Ismael Fernandez. Sonia and Ismael’s work has been seen in venues including The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Le Poisson Rouge, the Rose Nagelburg Theatre, Baruch Performing Arts Center (NY) and Instituto Cervantes (Chicago), and various Flamenco Festivals. She is a recipient of the CDI: CUNY Dance Residency and a teaching artist at Berklee College of Music.
Together with Ismael Fernández Sonia has created a wide range of shows such as Tablao Sevilla, Entretiempo, Por Los Caminos and Tiempo al Aire. She has been featured in The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Yorker, as well as Spanish newspapers such as ABC, El País, La Vanguardia. Sonia has also made television and radio appearances on Tele 5, Cadena Cope, Radio Nacional de España, Punto Radio, Onda Cero, Cadena Ser, as well as the renowned Internet show Flamenco TV.
Sonia collaborated with the pop-icon Madonna to choreograph the worldwide Rebel Heart Tour 2015-2016, and in 2017 worked with Ricky Martin providing Flamenco choreography for Lola Lola in his show All In! Sonia and Ismael have performed their own shows on tour in Asia along with New York Clubs including The Triad Theater and Joe’s Pub.