Cordova began dancing at age 3 in Lima, Peru. She trained with Meredith Baylis, former member of the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, after arriving in the United States. She later attended Los Angeles County High School for the Arts and at the same time was a junior member of the Pacific American Ballet Theatre.
She has had principal roles with Southern California Dance Theatre and continues to dance with Media City Ballet of Los Angeles.
She wants to implement Peruvian and Latin influences in the new company’s repertoire.
“Our dance style is a contemporary blend of ballet, modern, jazz and hip-hop with Peruvian and Latin influences,” she said.
During Sunday’s performance in San Pedro, the company performed “Creations,” blending all those styles into one piece and using taped Afro-Peruvian music, Cordova said.
“This was a performance we did without pay,” she said. “We’re nonprofit. We’re bringing it to the community to expose youth to other ways of expression.”
To teach the style to younger dancers, the company is offering workshops, at $30 per person, which goes toward covering the costs of costumes, marketing and website fees, she said.
The workshops are from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Karavan Dance Studio in Glendale and 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 11 at Vonder Haar Center for Performing Arts in La Cañada Flintridge.
Exposure to new styles is integral for those wanting to pursue a dance career, Cordova said. Their three-hour workshop is followed by a live performance by members of the company.
Guzman received her early training at the Vladimir Marek Ballet Academy in San Antonio. She is a soloist with the Media City Ballet and member of the Kenneth Walker Dance Project. Guzman’s heritage is Mexican American, and she said her Latin background allows her an understanding of the Peruvian traditions and culture.
