The X- Factor

For my X-Factor I really wanted to show examples of his choreography to really reiterate his style and movement qualities that are famous to him as a contemporary ballet choreographer since I have eluded to his groundedness yet still balletic movements in my other posts. 

His choreography and ways of moving are simply beautiful in the fact that they are so obviously full of classical ballet technique but performed and executed in a way that is less than strictly classical.  He creates an equal blend of classicism and modern performance art through the dancer's technique and embodiment of his contemporary vision.

First Section of DUENDE performed by Compania Nacional de Danza
GNAWA performed by Compania Nacional de Danza

Celebrating 20 years as director of Compania Nacional de Danza

Compania Nacional de Danza performing Jardin Infinito

A New Addition To An Old Ballet Tradition

New York Times Article: The Goal: A Modern(ish) Mikhailovsky

“Petipa created the image of what means the Russian ballet,” he said. “I hope that Nacho will create the image of Russian ballet for the 21st century.”

"And there is no doubt that Russian ballet, which has almost entirely ignored modern dance influences, could do with an infusion of contemporary sensibility."

The main topic of discussion in this article from the New York Times is the contemplation of whether Nacho Duato will achieve the revitalization of the Mikhailovsky Ballet in Russia, a more traditional, classical ballet company, into a company more fitted to our modern era of dance. Most of the arguments in the article are that Duato will achieve a sensible balance of classical and contemporary movement within the company to create a more versatile company of dancers and repertoire. Along with this shift in the company's direction, Duato, along with the Mikhailovsky Ballet company, can also make use of his very talented and famous reputation to allow the company many different performance opportunities and venues that they would not normally have had without him as the artist director.

The Sleeping Beauty by Nacho Duato

Creating a New History...

Duato staging his new version of Sleeping Beauty for Mikhailovsky Ballet, December 2011

Since Nacho Duato is still choreographing and impacting the time period we are in, he is developing what we will one day look back on and see as a turning point in dance history. Duato has just finished his first year as the artistic director of a famously Russian ballet company in St. Petersburg, the Mikhailovsky Ballet, which had not previously been under a foreigner's direction since the the famous French choreographer, Marius Petipa in the late 1800's. He has taken these extremely Russian ballet trained dancers and has started to develop their repertoire to include his more modern, contemporary movement instead of the usual strict classical ballets such as Swan Lake and Sleeping Beauty that Petipa developed during his reign as artistic director. This is showing the dance culture of today that there is no longer such a large gap between ballet dancers and modern or contemporary dancers. Ballet dancers are no longer expected just to be ballerinas but they are now expected to be able to move in the more contemporary, grounded aspect common to Duato's choreography. My prime example being Duato's take-over of a Russian ballet company and setting his "new" movement on them which, although shocking to many people, is, in a way, just a small part of this very big shift in the way we look at ballet dancers. Mikhailovsky Ballet dancers are not the only famously ballet trained dancers that are now being expected to move in a different movement style. I believe this shift in "movement flexibility" of our time is going to create a broader dynamic of how dancers are going to be expected to be able to move and perform in the years to come.

Spanish Choreographer Nacho Duato to head Mikhailovsky Ballet
Nacho Duato Shakes Up Russia's Mikhailovsky: Russian Ballet Gets A Lift

Mikhailovsky Ballet dancer, Irina Perren in Laurencia

This issue is of personal interest for me because I am training to be a modern dancer in college, when most of my training since I was five years old, has been in ballet. I am seeing this shift from being expected to be good at one specific style to being expected to dance well in all styles, incorporating all movements, to be one of immediate importance to my upcoming career options. As I train to become a professional dancer outside of school, I must realize that I will be expected to be able to move in any way that a choreographer wants me to move, whether I have more training in one area or another.

The Man Himself...

Introducing Juan Ignacio Duato Bárcia, otherwise known, in the dance world, as Nacho Duato.  Duato was born in Valencia, Spain on January 8th, 1957. At the age of 18, he started training professionally in ballet at the Rambert School (London, England), as well as trained at Maurice Béjart's Mudra School (Brussels, Belgium) and finally at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre in New York.

At the age of 23, Nacho signed his first professional contract with the Cullberg Ballet (Stockholm, Sweden) and just a year later was asked to join the Netherlands Dans Theater by Jirí Kylián himself. Eight choreographically-productive years later, Nacho was made Resident Choreographer for Netherlands Dans Theater and was in high demand by other well-known companies to set his repertoire of choreography on their dancers. 

Several prestigious choreographic awards later, Nacho joined the Spanish National Ballet as artistic director in 1990 where he remained until just recently. In July 2010, Duato was appointed artistic director of the ballet at the Mikhailovsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, Russia, becoming one of the first foreigners to lead a Russian ballet company for more than a century (the last being Marius Petipa). 

Nacho Duato Biography on BAM Artists

"Voice of Dance" Review of the Compañía Nacional de Danza's Performance featuring three of Duato's pieces: Gilded Goldbergs, Gnawa, Por Vos Muero
"Voice of Dance" Review

Compania Nacional de Danza performing Gnawa