CHELO PANTOJA
Bernarda/Manoli
Chelo Pantoja, a native of Jerez de la Frontera, is a daughter, niece, granddaughter, cousin and sister of flamenco artists. Her family discovers her talent at the age of five when she started up with fandangos like those she heard so many times in her own home and in La Bolola´s, an old gypsy with whom Camarón also learned.
At the age of 13, Chelo begins to go on stage at Dos Hermanas with her uncle Pepe Pantoja and his wife Consuelo Pavón, niece of La Niña de los Peines, from whom she absorbs her pure essence. At the age of 14, she begins to act professionally at fairs and festivals in Jerez, Seville, Sanlucar or Rota, and soon she will share events with Camarón, Paco de Lucía, Tomatito or Dorantes.
She also opens the season of “peñas” in Jerez, and they request her in their most emblematic wineries together with artists such as Manuel Sordera, Luis de la Pica, Los Zambos, Tío Gallina and his Tío Guapo, Tío Paulera or El Mono, among others.
She sang with Adela La Chaqueta, María La Burra and María Soleá with the guitar of Juan Morao, father of Moraíto, Paco Valdepeñas, Pansequito, Aurora Vargas, El Cuchara, La Susi or Remedios Amaya, who later calls her for her concerts, giving her the honor of being able to sing alone and sharing the stage with Juanito Villar, with whom she recorded his album "Entre Cai y Jerez."
At the age of 18 she begins recording with Manuel Fernández seven volumes of "This is how our land sings at Christmas", in which Rocío Jurado collaborates, which later includes it in her summer concerts. She also collaborates on the albums of Pepe Habichuela, Niña Pastori, Los Manolos, Perlita de Huelva or José Carmona. With 20 years she moved to Madrid to work with the great Lola Flores, who had fallen in love with her voice in the Romería de El Rocío and incorporated her into her company to appear on televisions and concerts throughout Spain.
In this same epic, she becomes part of the flamenco painting of the tablao Zambra with dancers of the stature of El Toleo, Juaquín Grilo, Adrián Galia, Cristóbal Reyes and Joaquín Cortés, who later incorporates her into his company as the only female singer.
She collaborated on the album "Pasión gitana" and was the first singer in the shows "A cuerda y tacón", "A ti Carmen" and "Torero" with Antonio Canales. She was also the first singer in the company of Sara Baras, taking the name of Jerez all over the world.
In 2013, she completed a three-year collaboration as a special teacher at the María Dávila Conservatory of Higher Dance, where she applied singing to the discipline of dance. In this same year she collaborates with the designer Juan Duyos in his collection for the Cibeles Fashion Week. Later, she signed a contract with the Malaga-born bailaora La Lupi to play the role of “the mother” in the show “La Paula.” And in Granada, together with Loles León and Alina Sánchez, in the show “Oh, Cuba!”
In recent times we have seen her in the successful Movistar Plus series “Arde Madrid”, and right now in the avant-garde immersive show Tacones Manoli.
At the age of 13, Chelo begins to go on stage at Dos Hermanas with her uncle Pepe Pantoja and his wife Consuelo Pavón, niece of La Niña de los Peines, from whom she absorbs her pure essence. At the age of 14, she begins to act professionally at fairs and festivals in Jerez, Seville, Sanlucar or Rota, and soon she will share events with Camarón, Paco de Lucía, Tomatito or Dorantes.
She also opens the season of “peñas” in Jerez, and they request her in their most emblematic wineries together with artists such as Manuel Sordera, Luis de la Pica, Los Zambos, Tío Gallina and his Tío Guapo, Tío Paulera or El Mono, among others.
She sang with Adela La Chaqueta, María La Burra and María Soleá with the guitar of Juan Morao, father of Moraíto, Paco Valdepeñas, Pansequito, Aurora Vargas, El Cuchara, La Susi or Remedios Amaya, who later calls her for her concerts, giving her the honor of being able to sing alone and sharing the stage with Juanito Villar, with whom she recorded his album "Entre Cai y Jerez."
At the age of 18 she begins recording with Manuel Fernández seven volumes of "This is how our land sings at Christmas", in which Rocío Jurado collaborates, which later includes it in her summer concerts. She also collaborates on the albums of Pepe Habichuela, Niña Pastori, Los Manolos, Perlita de Huelva or José Carmona. With 20 years she moved to Madrid to work with the great Lola Flores, who had fallen in love with her voice in the Romería de El Rocío and incorporated her into her company to appear on televisions and concerts throughout Spain.
In this same epic, she becomes part of the flamenco painting of the tablao Zambra with dancers of the stature of El Toleo, Juaquín Grilo, Adrián Galia, Cristóbal Reyes and Joaquín Cortés, who later incorporates her into his company as the only female singer.
She collaborated on the album "Pasión gitana" and was the first singer in the shows "A cuerda y tacón", "A ti Carmen" and "Torero" with Antonio Canales. She was also the first singer in the company of Sara Baras, taking the name of Jerez all over the world.
In 2013, she completed a three-year collaboration as a special teacher at the María Dávila Conservatory of Higher Dance, where she applied singing to the discipline of dance. In this same year she collaborates with the designer Juan Duyos in his collection for the Cibeles Fashion Week. Later, she signed a contract with the Malaga-born bailaora La Lupi to play the role of “the mother” in the show “La Paula.” And in Granada, together with Loles León and Alina Sánchez, in the show “Oh, Cuba!”
In recent times we have seen her in the successful Movistar Plus series “Arde Madrid”, and right now in the avant-garde immersive show Tacones Manoli.
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