West Bay Opera
Julieta Zuniga
Julieta Zuniga, choreographer and dancer, is a native of Barcelona, Spain.
She began studying classical ballet at the age of four, and by the age of
seven was performing throughout Catalonia. While still in her teens, she
accepted a scholarship to the Laban Centre in London, England. It was here
that she met Duncan McFarland and became enchanted with modern dance.
Ms. Zuniga performed with the McFarland/Whistler, and later their
DanceArt company, both in Europe and in the USA. In 1986 she made her
San Francisco debut in Winter Dances at the Theatre Artaud.
Later that year she performed at the theatre's Summer Festival of
Independent Choreographers. She subsequently fell in love with the
Bay Area and took up residence in Berkeley. During the years 1988
through 1990 Ms. Zuniga danced with Della Davidson, Margaret Jenkins,
and the Jose Limon Dance Company. At California State University,
Hayward, she studied and performed historical dances under the direction
of Cynthia Berrol, Laura Renaud Wilson, and Catherine Turocy. Facing
a turning point in her career, Julieta felt the need to reconnect with
her native culture. She met her first local Flamenco dancer and instructor,
Rebecca Feder, and began a re-discovery of Spanish dance. She decided to
return to Spain the following year to study with Rosita Segovia in Barcelona
and Enrique Carmona, ``El Canastero,'' in Granada. In 1995 she received her
M.F.A. from San Francisco State University. During her studies she became
friends with a professor of dance from Spain. Thus began an artistic
association with Rosa Montoya where she has been a principal and production
collaborator with the Bailes Flamencos for several years. Ms. Zuniga
has also been involved in an impressive number of academic and musical
projects. She has been a guest lecturer in Iberian dance, culture, and
civilization at several Bay Area universities. Widely recognized for her
remarkable versatility in both music and dance, she also acts as musical
advisor to the editor for the well-known female vocal group Kitka.
27 Jan 1999
