Rosa Mercedes

Born in Barcelona, Spain, Rosa Mercedes is an internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer whose work The New York Times called “sexy and hypnotically precise." Featured by dance companies, dance festivals and symphony orchestras throughout the United States and Europe, her extensive work in opera has been seen on the stages of companies such as The Metropolitan Opera, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Seattle Opera, Dallas Opera, Atlanta Opera, Washington National Opera, Michigan Opera Theatre, Cincinnati Opera, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Florentine Opera, Austin Lyric Opera, Florida Grand Opera, Tulsa Opera, Palm Beach Opera, Opera Carolina and many others.

Rosa has worked with notable stage directors such as Franco Zeffirelli, Tito Capobianco, Chris Alexander, Tomer Zvulun, Renata Scotto, Garnett Bruce, Jeffrey Marc Buchman, Sandra Bernhard, Peter Kazaras, Bliss Hebert and Michael Ehrman on repertoire that includes such works as Salome, Samson et Dalila, Aïda, La traviata, Carmen, Die Zauberflöte, Faust, Rigoletto, Lucia di Lammermoor, Don Giovanni, Il barbiere di Siviglia, Turandot, Don Quichotte, Il trovatore, The Bartered Bride, La bohème, Così fan tutte, Hänsel und Gretel, Un ballo in maschera, The Merry Widow, La Gioconda, Die Fledermaus, L’incoronazione di Poppea, and Roméo et Juliette.

In addition to her work as a choreographer, Ms. Mercedes has been invited to give masterclasses and workshops of Movement for Singers with young artist programs, universities and festivals around the world to help singers acquire an even better physical vocabulary and understanding of the body as an expressive tool, in any repertoire they sing. Hailed by Diario las Américas as “one of the most authentically Spanish artists of this genre that I have seen, both for her movement and for her domination of the dance”, she has had great success preparing singers in roles that require acquiring the technique, flavor and beauty of Spanish dance and flamenco.

Rosa Mercedes was trained in flamenco, escuela bolera, classical Spanish and regional dance by many of Spain’s great dance masters.  As a soloist and principal dancer, she received great critical acclaim performing throughout the United States, Europe, South America and Canada with companies including Maria Benitez Teatro Flamenco, Compañía Flamenca de Carmen Cortes, Ballet Español de Lucia Real y El Camborio, Ballet Español de Madrid, Zorongo Flamenco Dance Theatre, Ballet Español Rosita Segovia and Duende Ballet Español, where she served as artistic director. Beyond her expertise in Spanish dance, Ms. Mercedes brings extensive training in ballet, modern, jazz, and historical dance, which has made her a much sought-after choreographer in opera.

She has appeared with Savion Glover in Miami on Tap, in a Gala for UNICEF alongside Audrey Hepburn and Liza Minelli, in a special collaboration for the production Tango with Armando Orzuza and Daniela Arcuri (of Evita and Tango Pasión), with Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras in the Three Tenors Gala with the Metropolitan Opera, as well as in concerts with the Gypsy Kings and Sara Montiel.  Ms. Mercedes serves on several grant panels and is a dance panelist and master teacher for the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts.