Formed in 1962 by world-famous choreographer and dancer, Luisillo, the Teatro de Danza Espanola is Spain's preeminent flamenco dance company. The ensemble has toured more extensively and given more performances abroad than any other Spanish dance company. Teatro de Danza Espanola was the first Spanish dance company to visit Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Philipines, Singapore, Thailand, South Africa, Hong Kong, the former Soviet Union, South America and China. It has also appeared troughout the United States and in many of the finest theaters in Europe, including Le Theatre des Champs Elysees, Le Palais de Chaillot, and Le Theatre de l'Empire in Paris; the Prices Theatre, Saville and the Coliseum in London; Le Theatre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels; Teoatro Lirico y Nacional de la Zarzuela in Madrid; Teatro la Fenice de Venezio and Arena de Verona in Italy. In Rome, the company appeared in the Clementine Room of the Vatican before His Holiness, Pope Paul IV. It was the first dance performance to be given inside the vatican in more than 400 years. The company later performed again, this time in the Pomezia, before His Holiness, and thousand of spectators. The event was televised on Eurovision, and His Holiness awarded Teatro de Danza Espanola the Gold Medal Ben Meritae. The ensemble toured China in 1984-1985, visiting the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou (Canton) and Najing. The resposne of the Chinese people to Spanish dance was trememdous: some students followed the company from one city to another in order to see every performance and to receive instruction in flamenco from company members. The following season, Teatro de Danza Espanola visited Poland, Hungary, Israel, Yusgoslavia and Morocco. In both Tel Aviv and Jerusalem every peformance was sold out. In 1987 the ensemble was the ballet company in residence at the world famous Opera Festival de Macerata, dancing in operas La Traviata and Manon. In 1988, the company again appeared at the Macerat Festival, and in addition to their opera performances they presented their American program to wildly enthousiastic response. In both seasons the dancers alone were asked for an encore presentation at every opera performances. A first in the history of the festival. In January of 1989, Teatro de Danza Espanola made a three-month tour of the United States, visiting more than forty states in such venues as the Kenedy Center, Newark Symphony Hall, Ambassador Theatre (Pasadena), Baltimore Symphony, Chicago Auditorium Theatre, Detroit Orchestra Hall and many others. Also in that season, the company appeared throughout Europe, giving performances inGermany, Austria, the Netherlands and Italy. Teatro de Danza Espanola combines youth and ethusiasm with considerable experience and a deep love of dance. They are the very best of the current generation of professional Spanish dance companies.