Nela McGuire

Nela was born and raised in Germany where she took her first Flamenco classes in a renowned Flamenco School in Cologne. Her passion for this art form and way of life soon led her to regular long stays in Seville, Jerez, and Madrid, where she had the privilege of learning from dancers such as Rocio Molina, Manuel Liñan, Mercedes Ruiz, Marco Flores, Belén Maya, Rafaela Carrasco and many more. In 2006, Nela began teaching at the Contratiempo Flamenco Center and performing with various ensembles in Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Her professional contracts as a solo dancer found her performing in a variety of theater productions as well as at the Dusseldorf Flamenco Festival.

In 2016, she moved to Portland, OR (USA) and joined Espacio Flamenco. Here she teaches weekly classes for intermediate/advanced students, as well as aspiring ballet dancers at the Oregon Ballet Theatre School during their summer program. Her teaching style is energetic, driven by her great love for flamenco, and characterized by the desire to support and challenge each dancer individually. In recent years, she has performed with Espacio Flamenco on numerous stages in and outside of Portland, while also keeping contact with her roots by continuing to teach classes and performing in Europe.