collaborated with founding members of the National Ballet of Spain, Juan Mata and Ana Gonzales, as well as other Spanish dancers Paco Alonso, Manolete, and Juanjo Linares. Komaiko retired from dancing in 1994. In 2011, she became professor emerita of Northeastern's Department of Music and Dance. Komaiko recorded an in-depth oral history interview with the Chicago Dance History Project in 2015. She died on February 2, 2019, at the age of 69. Honors Lazo de Dama, Order of Isabella the Catholic (1983) Ruth Page Award (2003) International Latino Cultural Center Lifetime Achievement Award (2004) Legacy Award from Audience Architects Northeastern Illinois University Distinguished Alumni Award (2016) External links Ensemble Español Spanish Dance Theater official website References 1949 births 2019 deaths American female dancers American dancers Modern dancers Northeastern Illinois University faculty Dance companies in Chicago Performing groups established in 1975 Dance in Illinois Flamenco Romani dances Spanish music Northeastern Illinois University Recipients of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Commanders of the Order of Isabella the Catholic American women academics 21st-century American women