Resume
Ken Delmar
415-468-8000
info@sftango.com
www.sftango.com
Career Highlights
A native of San Francisco, Ken Delmar studied under Harold Christensen and Roberta Meyer at the San Francisco Ballet School. At the age of 13, he became the protege of Richard Gibson. During his teenage years, he was the principal dancer with the Peninsula Ballet Theater and "the wonderkind" of the Bay Area. At 16 years old, Ken received an invitation from the Bolshoi Ballet to tour the U.S. with them, and to study in Moscow afterward.
Ken gave private performances for Rudolf Nureyev & Margot Fonteyn, and for Princess Grace of Monaco at her palace.
Beginning in 1990, Ken passionately embraced the Tango, studying extensively in Argentina under the most renowned Tangueros. Since that time, his success with the tango has mirrored his prior successes in the world of ballet. In 1995, he was awarded 2nd Place in the Buenos Aires Radio Tribu Tango Contest, an unprecedented achievement for an outsider. He went on to win the Supreme Dance Award at the California Winter Festival. In 1999 to 2000, Ken introduced Argentine Tango to four Hawaiian Islands. During the 1990's, Ken founded the five most important milongas (Tango Parties) in San Francisco: Mission Blue Milonga, Monte Cristo Club, Studio 435 Broadway, Verdi Club and Tango Soma at Studio Gracia. In addition, he was the founder of the Argentine Tango Programs at the Metronome Ballroom and Studio Gracia.
Tango Teaching Experience:
Over 12 years of teaching experience covering Argentine Tango, Milonga, Vals cruzada, Salsa Cubana, Son, Danzon, Cha Cha Cha and Choreography.
2003 -Present Studio Gracia, San Francisco, CA
2002 -Present Skyline College, San Bruno, CA
2002 -Present Colma Park and Recreation, Colma, CA
2001 -Present Mission Blue Center, Brisbane, CA
1995 -Present Stanford University Spring and Summer Dance, Stanford, CA
1992 -Present Conducted yearly Tango Tours to Buenos Aires, Argentina
2002 -2003 Terrabay Gym, South San Francisco, CA
2001 -2002 Rhythm and Motion, San Francisco, CA
2000 -2001 Sausalito Community Center, Sausalito, CA
1992 -2001 Metronome Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
Director & Principal Teacher of Argentine Tango
1993 -1999 Monte Cristo Italian Club, San Francisco, CA
1997 -1998 Kimballs Carnival, Emeryville, CA
1994 -1998 Broadway Studios, San Francisco, CA
1993 -1996 Verdi Club, San Francisco, CA
1993 -1995 Ravano's, San Francisco, CA
Tango Performance:
2002 -2003 Fairmont Hotel, San Francisco, CA
Orange Memorial Park, South San Francisco, CA
Sterling Park, Colma, CA
2000 Hilton Hotel, Kona, Hawaii
1993 -2000 Metronome Ballroom, San Francisco, CA
Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Broadway Studio, San Francisco, CA
1999 Brisbane Community Park, Brisbane, CA
1997 -1998 Atraccin Tango (Principal Dancer), San Francisco & Buenos Aires
Tango Fatal (Principal Dancer), San Francisco, CA
1996 San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival, San Francisco, CA
1996 Radio Tribu Tango Contest, awarded 2nd Place in Buenos Aires
1995 Smithsonian Institute Concert Series, Washington D.C.
1995 Suprem`e Dance Award Winner for Tango, California Winter Festival
1993 Stanford Latin Dance Ensemble, Stanford, CA
Ballet Teaching Experience:
Over 20 years of teaching and performing experience in Ballet
1988 -1995 Stanford University, Stanford, CA
Dance Faculty Member, Ballet
1976 -1991 Western Ballet School & Co., Mountain View, CA
Founder, Artistic Director & Principal Teacher
1986 -1990 Foothill College, Los Alto, CA
Performance Director
Ballet Performance:
Principal Dancer & Soloist:
1981 - 1983 ATER Balletto, Italy
1980 Makarova and Company, New York
1973 - 1975 Netherlands Dance Theater, Netherlands
1972 - 1973 Joffrey Ballet, New York
1971 - 1972 National Ballet of Holland, Netherlands
1969 - 1970 Stuttgart Ballet, Germany
Leading Roles:
Balanchine's Allegro Brilliant, The Faun in Afternoon of the Faun, Harlequin in Carnival Harold Lander's Etudes, Bluebird Pas de Deux, Jerome Robbin's Moves, Hans Van Manen's Solo for Voice and Septet Extra, Satie Pas de Deux choreographed specially for Ken Delmar by John Kranko, Rudi Van Danzi's Night Island and Moments, Benjamin Harkavy's Grand Pas Espagnole, Leonide Massine's Beau Danube.
Scholarships Include:
School of American Ballet, NY
American Ballet Theater School, NY
American Ballet Center, NY
San Francisco Ballet School, CA
Ford Foundation, NY & SF
Edcuation
Masters Degree Equivalency (Dance), Skyline College, Fall, 2005
Critical Acclaim for Ken Delmar the Dancer
"As Till in Til Eulenspiegel, Delmar was captivating and gave a profound and surprisingly expressive interpretation of this Nijinsky tour de force."
Das Bild, Stuttgart
"See Ken dance, if you possibly can. His dancing is always poetry in motion."
Susan Cushion (Chairperson, Stanford Dance Department)
"The Happy Jumper, Ken Delmar from the United States stood out throughout the evening; his is an enormously gifted talent."
La Repubblica, Milan
"When Ken and Mariela danced the Argentine Tango, they had the entire audience spellbound."
Stanford Daily
"Ken Delmar was an opening-night favorite in Bluebird pas de deux� defying gravity, seeming to hang suspended in the air. Delmar's got IT."
De Telegraaf Amsterdam
"It's incredible to watch him leaping and turning in the air. He has the cushiony spring of all good male dancers, lingering as if suspended. He partners his ballerinas with commanding elan."
Oakland Tribune
"... a luminous performance featuring Ken Delmar, a superlative talent."
San Francisco Chronicle
"There were no budding Nureyev's on view in the performances, yes, come to think of it, perhaps one, Ken Delmar, is a micro-Nureyev with a sense of style, marvelous coordination, and an enviable ability to move gracefully and manfully. In the familiar impressionistic ballet 'Afternoon of a Faun', he is the bare-chested, sensual spirit playing the Nijinsky role. In an angular, expressionistic modernism called The Door, a la Jerome Robbins, he is the lover-flame who dries his moth-love to immolation."
Oakland Tribune
"Ken Delmar danced the Peasant Pas de Deux from Giselle with compelling virtuosity. His stage presence is spellbinding and his technique is sure and strong."
San Francisco Chronicle
"Everything considered, [the show] was marvelous... especially the brilliant Ken Delmar in the Peasant Pas de Deux of Giselle... . Delmar is very special indeed."
San Francisco Chronicle
"The Faun, danced by Ken Delmar, was animal and mortal, child and man, an amazingly subtle amalgam. And the duet for Delmar and Gretchen Stock was choreographed and danced like the vibration from a plucked harpstring."
Doris Hering Dance Magazine