RAMON RAMOS ALAYO
Ramón Ramos Alayo is a Cuban-born dancer, teacher, choreographer, is well known for his forceful performances and bold choreographic vision. Well versed in both Afro-Cuban modern and folkloric genres, Ramos is fearless in both his dance and choreographic style. At the age of eleven, Ramos was selected by the Cuban government to study dance in Santiago de Cuba and later earned a master’s degree in contemporary and folkloric dance and dance education from Havana’s National School of Art. He was the principal dancer with Compa–’a Teatro de la Danza del Caribe in Santiago de Cuba and Narciso Medina Contemporary Dance Company in Havana, where he was ranked one of the top modern dancers and toured throughout Cuba, Europe, Canada, Belize and the U.S. Since leaving Cuba 1997, he has performed with some of the most respected choreographers in the Bay Area, including Robert Henry Johnson, Kim Epifano, Sara Shelton Mann, Joanna Haigood, Robert Moses and Krissy Keefer. Ramón Ramos Alayo has directed and produced seven full-length performances including Anora–za de Una Epoca (1999), Mis Sue–os, Mis Ideas (2003, 2004); A Piece of White Cloth (2004, 2005, 2009); La Madre (2005); After Rain (2006); Three Threes & Traces (2007); and his latest full-length choreography, Blood + Sugar (2008). Ramón Ramos Alayo has received grants including: CASH (2005); Zellerbach Family Foundation (2005, 2006, 2007); LEF Foundation (2005); and San Francisco Arts Commission (2008). Ramos was also awarded the prestigious Wallace Alexander Gerbode Foundation’s “Emerging Choreographer Award” (2005). In 2003 Ramos co-founded and became artistic director of the renowned annual CubaCaribe Festival of Dance and Music. Since 2004 he continues to teach and choreograph for the Grrrl Brigade, Dance Mission’s program for dance, self-empowerment and leadership for girls 9 – 18.
