Neruda Arts

Claudia Aguirre’s training in Spanish dance began at Paula Moreno’s School of Spanish Dance with one of Toronto’s flamenco and Spanish dance pioneers. She later spent several years training as a vocalist at Carmen Romero’s School of Flamenco Dance Arts. Recently, Claudia has taken classes with Toronto’s newest flamenca on scene—Maria Serrano, and was part of the musical ensemble in her academy’s 2017 showcase of Memorias de Tablao and for the company’s Toronto-debut of Por Derecho, 2019. In the interim of these endeavours, Claudia has spent time in Spain, where she took classes with master flamenco dancers and singers, including Laura Roman, Soraya Clavijo, Jesus Corbacho. She has also attended workshops with visiting artists in Toronto, including Carmen Ledesma, Alba Serrano, and Ali de la Tota.

Apart from training in flamenco, Claudia has studied various dance and music genres, including jazz vocals, musical theatre, Bollywood dance, hip-hop, bass guitar and upright bass. She holds a Certificate from the triple-threat Commercial Dance Program at George College, as well as obtaining Bachelor and Master’s Degrees from York University’s Department of Dance, with a Minor in Music. Former instructors include: jazz vocalists, Lynn McDonald, and Shannon Gunn; musical theatre vocalist, Louisa Burgess Corbett; musical theatre vocal coach, Kevin Nelson; musical theatre dancer, Stephan Scott Findlay; contemporary jazz choreographer, Annie Wood; and hip hop choreographer, Katarina Rajkovic.

Claudia now co-runs her own business with her spouse, Julian Berg. Together, they are cultivating the flamenco scene in Kitchener-Waterloo, as well as in the suburban districts of Toronto, by teaching classes and holding workshops in flamenco dance, singing, and guitar. In 2018, they founded Kitchener-Waterloo’s first ever flamenco festival—The Little KW Flamenco Fest which was recently renamed The Grand River Flamenco Fest and registered as a non-profit organization. She recently received a Graduate Diploma in Urban Planning- Interactive and creative learning, fostering a conscious mind for a sustainable future, for which she focused her studies on planning for the arts, cultural planning in suburban communities, and arts for health.

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