Compañía National de Danza, Spain’s National Dance Company, under the artistic direction of former New York City Ballet Principal Dancer Joaquín De Luz, returns to North America. This powerhouse company, internationally renowned for its expressively powerful and refined movement style, will share an all-Spanish choreographer mixed repertoire evening, including works of Nacho Duato, Sol León & Paul Lightfoot and Joaquín De Luz.

HISTORY
The Compañía Nacional de Danza was founded in 1979 under the name of Ballet Clásico Nacional (National Classical Ballet) and had Víctor Ullate as its first director.

In February 1983 he took over the direction of the Spanish National Ballets and María de Ávila Classical, who placed special emphasis on opening the doors to choreographies such as those of George Balanchine and Antony Tudor. In addition, María de Ávila choreographed Ray Barra, an American dancer and choreographer living in Spain, later offering him the position of permanent director, which he held until December 1990.

In December 1987, Maya Plisetskaya, an extraordinary Russian ballerina, was appointed artistic director of the Ballet. In June 1990, Nacho Duato was appointed artistic director of the Compañía Nacional de Danza, a position he held for twenty years, until July 2010. Its incorporation represented an innovative change in the history of the group, including in the company’s repertoire new original choreographies, along with others of proven quality. In August 2010, Hervé Palito succeeded Duato as artistic director for one year. In September 2011, José Carlos Martínez joined the National Dance Company as the new director, where he remained at the helm for eight years.

On March 28, 2019, the INAEM, under the Ministry of Culture and Sport, announced the appointment of Joaquín De Luz as the new artistic director of the group. As of September 2019, De Luz takes up his new position.

MISSION

To promote and disseminate the art of dance and its repertoire in a broad sense, through a stable company, open to all styles, choreographic languages and movement arts in general, both Spanish and international, facilitating the approach of new audiences and promoting its national and international projection within a framework of full artistic and creative autonomy.

All this under the principles of quality of service to citizens, excellence in professional performance, participation of stakeholders, didactic vocation, efficient use of resources and the preservation, dissemination and transmission of the intangible heritage of dance.