Irma Suarez Ruiz, Associate Artistic Director and former First Dancer of the Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater. Irma works closely with Founder, Dame Libby Komaiko on projects and has contributed to the company’s choreographies for national and international engagements. Irma has performed in all major roles of the company’s extensive repertoire in the classical, folkloric and Flamenco styles on four continents in the countries of Mexico, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Poland, China and throughout the United States including Hawaii. Her extensive studies of Spanish dance have also taken her to Madrid, Spain, where she has worked with the foremost authorities of Spanish dance living today. She has appeared as a guest artist with Ballet Español's production of Espiritu Flamenco at the Bomhard Theater of the Kentucky Center for the Arts in Louisville, Kentucky; Dances of Spain with the St. Louis Cultural Flamenco Society and Gitana Productions in St. Louis, Missouri; the Chicago Human Rhythm’s Project World Festival of Tap and Percussive Dance, and for Bacchus Group Production’s Ashe of the Americas in Maui, Hawaii; San José, Costa Rica; and Walt-Disney Productions in Orlando, Florida. In 2006 Irma joined the dance faculty of Northeastern Illinois University teaching Spanish dance in the department of Music/Dance.