Acclaimed by The New York Times as “a furnace of earthy sensuality,” Sonia Olla was born and raised in Barcelona, where she earned her degree in Spanish Dance and Flamenco at the Instituto de Teatro y Danza.

​

She has toured as a company member and soloist with some of flamenco’s greatest artists, including Antonio Canales, Eva Yerbabuena, Rafaela Carrasco, Merche Esmeralda, María Pagés, and La Farruca, among others.

​

A dancer, director, and choreographer of her own productions, Sonia currently resides in New York, where she balances teaching with her performance and choreography career. She has performed at venues such as the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Le Poisson Rouge, Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Rose Nagelburg Theatre, Baruch Performing Arts Center (New York), and the Instituto Cervantes in Chicago, as well as at numerous flamenco festivals.

​

Sonia collaborated with Madonna to choreograph the Rebel Heart Tour (2015–2016), personally selected by the pop star. In 2017, she worked with Ricky Martin, creating the flamenco choreography for “Lola Lola” in his All In! show.

​

Together with singer Ismael Fernández, her partner on and off stage, Sonia has created productions including Tablao Sevilla, Entretiempo, Por los Caminos, Tiempo al Aire, Gloria, and Nomádic Resonance. She has been featured in publications such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The New Yorker, as well as Spanish media including ABC, El País, and La Vanguardia.

​

She has also appeared on television and radio, including Telecinco, Cadena COPE, Radio Nacional de España, Punto Radio, Onda Cero, Cadena SER, and the online program Flamenco TV. Sonia and Ismael received the CUNY Dance Initiative residency in 2018 and 2019, debuting their original piece Ella during the CDI’s fifth anniversary. The duo has toured their productions across Asia and the Caribbean, at flamenco festivals in New York, Santa Fe, and Edmonton, as well as at the Havana International Dance Festival in Cuba. They have been invited by the Spanish ambassadors in Washington D.C. and in Trinidad and Tobago.

​

In 2021, Sonia starred in Threepenny Carmen, directed by Tomer Zvulun at the Atlanta Opera, portraying Carmen’s flamenco alter ego and creating the original choreography for the project. In 2022, she participated in the Minnesota Opera Gala, and in 2024 she was a featured soloist in the premiere of the opera Ainadamar at the Metropolitan Opera, in addition to performing at various U.S. festivals and presenting solo shows in New York.

​

Sonia has performed at venues such as Carnegie Hall, John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Jazz at Lincoln Center, and Lincoln Center, collaborating with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Elio Villafranca, and Anthony Carrillo.

In 2026, Los Ricos (the band co-founded with Ismael Fernández) released their debut album Vínculo, featuring original music by Ismael and production by Grammy-winning producer Rudy Pérez.

​

Sonia and Ismael were guest artists at Berklee College of Music and Hartford University, teaching flamenco theory. They also led flamenco dance masterclasses at CUNY Dance Initiative, Joffrey Ballet, and New York City Center, and have participated in other prestigious educational programs.

​

Currently, Sonia and Ismael reside in New York, where they run their own creative space, The House of Flamenco, the only flamenco studio in Manhattan and the official home of the EFA, Escuela de Flamenco de Andalucía.