Global dance professor is one of four principal flamenco dancers performing in “Ainadamar.”
By Sapphire Perez, Staff Reporter
From an early age, Cihtli Ocampo knew exactly who she wanted to be. Raised in a home without television, she spent her childhood listening to music and trying to dance along. By age three, her favorite album was the soundtrack to John Kander’s iconic musical “Cabaret”—and she would attempt to mimic the choreography.
At five, Ocampo asked her parents for dance lessons. Her father resisted, not wanting her to face the hardships of an artistic career. But when she turned eight, her parents finally agreed to enroll her in tap and jazz classes. Since then, dance has been Ocampo’s pride and passion.
“So from that day forward, I started taking classes basically every day,” said Ocampo, a global dance at Cal State Dominguez Hills. “Within a couple of months, I was taking class four or five days a week, three hours a day.”
Ocampo is not only an instructor, but one of the four principal dancers in “Ainadamar”—the latest production on stage now at the LA Opera.
Ainadamar, which means “fountain of tears” in Arabic, refers to a real location in Granada, Spain—the site where acclaimed playwright and poet Federico García Lorca was assassinated in 1936. The opera unfolds three decades after Lorca’s death, as his friend, the actress Margarita Xirgu, reflects on their relationship during the Spanish Civil War. Lorca, known for his candid writings on politics, social justice, and sexuality, became a target of the fascist Falange party and was ultimately executed.
The opera is sung entirely in Spanish and draws heavily on flamenco—a traditional form of Spanish dance and music that Lorca both cherished and used in his work. One subgenre—cante jondo, or “deep song,”—is used prominently by the protagonist throughout the musical.
Flamenco also happens to be one of Ocampo’s specialties, and her mastery of the dance helped her to land a role in the production.
A Mexican-American with Spanish ancestry, Ocampo was drawn to cultural forms of dance in her 20s. In 1999, she received a year-long Fulbright scholarship to study flamenco in Spain, where she’d live for the next decade. During that time, she spent seven years studying with the renowned Farruco family and eventually joined their company, Farruquito.
Ocampo returned to the United States and settled in Los Angeles, where she started teaching college-level dance courses. Teaching dance wasn’t entirely new to her—as a youth, she already had experience as the instructor of her own class at her local dance academy, Stage 7.
“It was for kids, so, I was 12, they were 10-ish, and [Kathryn Irey, owner and director] included me in the school concert we did every year,” Ocampo recalled during an interview with The Bulletin. “I guess it just seems so natural to me … when I started choreographing, I already knew what I wanted for lighting and for wardrobe.”
Good balance is vital to any dancer and Ocampo has found her rhythm managing classroom duties and professional responsibilities. When the University Theatre ran the Shakespearean classic “Twelfth Night” last month, Ocampo rearranged her schedule to accommodate rehearsals at the LA Opera.
Ahead of Ainadamar’s premiere on Apr. 26, Ocampo was juggling a full slate of classes—not only was she finalizing preparations for the student showcase, but organizing practice for a group of students performing her original choreography for the American College Dance Association.
Ocampo’s dedication did not go unnoticed by her students. Scout Coneja, a junior dance major, said it was inspiring to watch her professor manage so much while remaining fully engaged.
“It was cool to see how stacked her day was,” Coneja told The Bulletin. “She was still present when she was here teaching and just as present in the performance, and on top of that, she’s just such an enticing performer.”
Ocampo wanted her students to share in her success, and asked the LA Opera whether there were opportunities for them to attend the performance. Through the organization’s educational outreach program, she reserved 40 seats for people to attend the final rehearsal free of charge. Seats were split between CSUDH students and faculty, and students from Santa Monica College, where Ocampo taught for 10 years.
“I think it’s very honorable to be able to get an opportunity to see these performances because they tend to be costly,” said Jenny Truong, a junior dance student.
Ocampo hopes to continue performing after “Ainadamar” and create more opportunities for her students in the professional arts world. Sharing these moments with the campus community was a powerful experience, she said.
“Having people in the audience that you have a relationship with, you have a connection to, and that you know are appreciating what you’re doing and rooting for you—I mean, it’s huge.”