THE INTERNET BALLET DATABASE

National Ballet of Portugal

The CNB was created with government in 1977 by order of David Mourao Ferreira, Secretary of State for Culture. Mark of a country that wanted modern, democratic, desiring a different aesthetic (and the opposite party) to the aesthetics of the Estado Novo, the CNB can be included in the cultural achievements of the 'Carnation Revolution'. As in other areas (the economy to foreign policy and national politics), the CNB also reveal the fluctuations of a time in search of his own direction. What is the institutional framework of the CNB? How to perform the complex task of combining the international repertoire with the building of a national repertoire? How to identify the technical and aesthetic quality of the programs and especially what to do to qualify interpreters and creators? What can be done also for the development of public dance? Between 1978 and 1993, the artistic director of CNB was in charge of Jorge Armando, followed by Isabel Santa Rosa within two years. In general, this period was marked by great works of mounting international repertoire. The CNB then introduced the first national achievement of full production of ballets like La Sylphide, Raymonda, Swan Lake, Coppelia, Don Quixote and Romeo and Juliet; restored classics as Pas de Quatre, Giselle, Les Sylphides, Petrouchka, La Bayadere, The Firebird, The Nutcracker, The Rite of Spring, The Marriage and La Fille Mal gardee, among others. It also presented works by Balanchine, Lifar, Lichine, Joos, Limón, van Dantzig, Nebraska and Lubovitch and the Portuguese Jorge Armando, Fernando Lima, Carlos Trenches and Olga Roriz. In June 1996, George was invited to restructure Salavisa CNB, and assumed in September this year, the office of President of the Portuguese Institute of Ballet and Dance, a cultural association which then protected the Company. The choice of the contemporary repertoire conquered space, through a strategy calls for international dimension of choreographers and the organization of 'choreographic studio. " Since 1996, under the artistic direction of successive Salavisa (1996-1999), Luisa Taveira (1999-2000) and Marc Jonkers (2001-2002) and Mehmet Balkan (2002-2007), the creators of works presented CNB and Michael Corder, William Forsythe, Anne Teresa De Keersmaeker (premiered), Hans van Manen, Robert North, Heinz Spöerli, Nacho Duato, Renato Zanella, Pierre Wyss, Behyan Murphy, Marco Cantalupo, David Fielding, choreographers and Portuguese Rui Grace Lopes, Vasco Wellenkamp and Olga Roriz. In May 2001, Ana Pereira Caldas was appointed Director of the CNB and in September 2002 Mehmet Balkan assumed its Artistic Director. A year later, the association with the Teatro Camões as the 'House of Dance', the CNB started having a display space is highly qualified. Combine the great revival of classical pieces with the national creation, not excluding more experimental creations - those programmed by Mark Deputter - would be his challenge. Simultaneously, the CNB has developed relationships with other structures of creation, including working with the Portuguese Symphony Orchestra , Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra, National Orchestra of Porto, Amsterdam Piano Quartet and with various musicians and conductors Portuguese. In October 2007, Vasco Wellenkamp was appointed Artistic Director, continuing the plan of combining the classical repertoire with contemporary creation, including the national creation. During the month of September 2010, Luísa Taveira acted as advisor to the Opart, assuming the Artistic Director of the CNB and the Camões Theatre on October 1 of that year. text: Daniel Tercio.