BRINGING THE FLAMENCO CULTURE TO DANBURY

Rachel Holmes began her dance journey at the age of three with ballet and tap classes in northern New Jersey. As an adult, she began training in flamenco under the guidance of Melinda Marquez Flamenco Dance Center (MMFDC) in Connecticut. She has continued to develop her training under Nelida Tirado, Mercedes Ruiz, Patricia Guerrero, Carmen Ledesma, Carmela Greco, Irene Rodriguez, and Xianix Barrera, recently forming part of the Xianix Barrera Flamenco Dance Company (XBF). In 2019, Rachel was selected to perform in the Jacob's Pillow International Flamenco and Spanish Dance Program in Becket, Massachusetts. Rachel has taught flamenco dance at MMFDC and can be seen performing regularly at tablaos and special events in Connecticut with Yohanna Escamilla, and in New York with singer/guitarist Cristian Puig and XBF. When not dancing, Rachel leads The Nature Conservancy's urban forestry efforts nationally, and serves as a Connecticut wildland firefighter on national wildfire mobilizations.