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Viva Spanish Dance!
| Article
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18747 |
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Section : |
THE ARTS
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1991 |
2,098 Words |
| Author
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Laura Kumin
A transplanted American, Laura Kumin is dance adviser for
Madrid's Regional Cultural Council and free-lance dance writer. |
In Spain, 1992 has become a year of reckoning. For a country roughly the size of Texas, hosting the Olympic Games (Barcelona), the Expo '92 World's Fair (Seville), and the annual Cultural Capital of Europe (Madrid) all in one year is no mean feat. Spain's dance world is well aware that next year might provide a necessary boost to companies and choreographers blessed with plenty of creative energy but short on stability.
While international booking agents have taken an interest in the past several years in the growing number of small, independent companies forging styles of their own, the country's two national ensembles, the Ballet Nacional de Espana (known abroad as the Real Ballet Nacional de Espana) and the Ballet Lirico Nacional, are entirely funded by the Ministry of Culture and officially represent Spain. As such, both companies bear the complex burden of satisfying the demands of audiences that expect national troupes to be vessels of tradition, while their young director/choreographers seek a place among contemporary innovators. The result is an often controversial position in their own county, counterbalanced by a largely positive response from foreign audiences.
The Ballet Nacional de Espana (BNE) was founded in 1978 and was headed for the first two years of its existence by famed flamenco dancer and choreographer Antonio Gades. Under his direction the company acquired a varied repertoire that included works by some of Spain's best-known veteran choreographers, such as Antonio Ruiz Soler, Mariemma, and Pilar Lopez, as well as daring new ballets like Rafael Aguilar's Rango and Gades' own Blood Wedding. His tenure was short-lived, due, some say, to remarks made during a visit to Cuba and considered inopportune by the Spanish government.
Famous dance artist Antonio was next to lead the Ballet Nacional. He enriched the repertoire with several of his own works, including The Three-Cornered Hat, as well as Luisillo's Don Quixote.
By this time the Ballet Nacional Clasico de Espana had been established as the country's first official ballet company. In 1983, when the Ministry of Culture decided to place overall supervision of both companies in the hands of respected ballet pedagogue Maria de Avila, Antonio resigned from his post and de Avila assumed artistic direction of both troupes for three years. During de Avila's reign, assistant director Jose Antonio played an important role in the company as principal dancer. He also contributed choreographies to the repertoire, a function he would assume to a much greater extent
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