Announcement for the 2009 Benois de la danse

[leonid17]

The BENOIS DE LA DANSE have issued a Press Release for the 2009 awards published by the press agency Itar-Tass. Copy and paste link then click on (translate this page)

www.itar-tass.com/level2.html?NewsID=13750013

The usual event has been restricted due to finanicial reasons.

For those not familiar with these awards, I have provided some background.

In 1992 UNESCO adopted the patronage of the Prize BENOIS DE LA DANSE and in 1996 the Prize was included to the UNESCO's Program "World decade of culture".

OBJECTIVES

An artistic philanthropic program BENOIS DE LA DANSE has three main aims. The first aim is cultural — to present to public an entire theatrical panorama of dance around the world. The second aim is professional — to unite the best representatives of variety of choreographic tendencies and schools together for creative contacts.The third aim is social — to support veterans of ballet financially. The revenue from BENOIS DE LA DANSE — GALA is given to veterans as personal financial assistance

The Jury for the first awards were:

Yuri Grigorovich — President of the jury

Galina Ulanova (Russia), Rudolf Nureyev, Yvette Chauviré (France)

John Neumeier (Germany), Kirsten Ralov (Denmark), Carla Fracci (Italy)

Americans to have sat on the jury include; Cyntthia Gregory, William Whitener, Victoria Morgan, Eva Evdokimova, Mikko Nissinen, Carlyn, Carlson, Kevin McKenzie, Anne Marie-Holnes, John McFall, Francia Russel, John Taras, Ben Stevenson, Robert Barnett, Helgi Tomasson,

The first Laureates were: John Neumeier,Nadezhda Gracheva,Alexander Koelpin,Julio Bocca,

Subsequent winners have included:- Isabelle Guerin, Sylvie Guilleme,Sergey Filin,Galina Stepanenko,Dominique Khalfouni, Nicolas Le Riche,Diana Vishneva,Irek Mukhamedov, Ulyana Lopatkina,Farukh Ruzimatov, Manuel Legris, Elisabeth Platel, Nikolay Tsiskaridze, Alicia Alonso, Nacho Duato,Alessandra Ferri,Julie KentJea, Angel Corella, Jurgen Rose, William Forsythe, Rudy van Dantzig, Aurelie Dupont, Marina Semenova, Maurice Bejart, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Edouard Lock, David Dawson, Paul Lightfoot, Sol Leon. Alina Cojocaru, Lloyd Riggins, Laurent Hilaire, Hans van Manen, Trisha Brown, Alexei Ratmansky, Marie Agnes Gillot, Svetlana Zakharova, Mathieu Ganio, Boris Eifman. Kim Joo-Won, Ekaterina Kondaurova, Leonid Sarafanov, Wang Di, Martin Schlaepfer, Agnès Letestu, Svetlana Lunkina, Hervé Moreau, Carlos Gallrdo, Fernando Alonso, Jean-Christophe Maillot, Silvia Azzoni, Tamara Rojo, Carlos Acosta, Marcelo Gomes.

[Mashinka]

Fernando Alonso? Is that in addition to his 21 wins in Formula One?

[CarolinaM]

Fernando Alonso? Is that in addition to his 21 wins in Formula One?

Even if the name is the same, no, these prizes are not given to formula one stars yet

In 1948 Alicia Alonso together with, Alberto Alonso and Fernando Alonso founded the Alicia Alonso Ballet, today's Cuban National Ballet.

Fernando Alonso received last year an honorary prize for his artistic career.

What I've noticed is that there is some misunderstanding about the Spanish Ballet Companies.

The National Classical Ballet doesn’t exist yet in Spain and the Ballet Víctor Ullate and Ballet of Madrid are the same.

Víctor Ullate and Eduardo Lao are both working at the Ballet Víctor Ullate/Ballet of Madrid. This company will disappear as soon as the announced new company "National Classical Ballet of Spain" sees light.

Seems a bit odd as it's stated mainly if one is Jury and the other Nominee. I hope the organizers have taken this into account because it might be a conflict of interests there.

Another thing that surprises me is that Mr. Lao’s choreography “Tres” has not been much represented…

Anyway good luck to all participant and ¡qué gane el mejor!

[leonid17]

Fernando Alonso? Is that in addition to his 21 wins in Formula One?

The National Classical Ballet doesn’t exist yet in Spain......

More than ten years ago Clive Barnes suggested that a National Classical Ballet of Spain should be created given the wide number of talented dancers graduating from various schools and teachers classes.

Mr Corella has himself now spoken about this on a number of occasions.

In an interview with Sunday Express critic Jeffrey Taylor published in December 2007, Miss Tamara Rojo is quoted as saying, " “Some time ago,” she explains, “the Spanish government asked me to draw up plans for a national company. I asked the Royal Family’s permission to call it the Royal Ballet of Spain and they agreed. I took most of my information from how things are run in England, what it will mean, how much it will cost, how I would run it. Basically all the methods you have developed here to make a company permanent like creating a charitable Trust to handle the money, some from government, some from private individuals."

Miss Rojo then went on to talk about the changeable scene in the arts in Spain where the Minister for Arts is changed every 4 years which she felt did not lend stability. I assume by that she mean that one Minister may admire and support classical ballet whilst another might move government funding to another art.

[4mrdncr]

More than ten years ago Clive Barnes suggested that a National Classical Ballet of Spain should be created given the wide number of talented dancers graduating from various schools and teachers classes.

Mr Corella has himself now spoken about this on a number of occasions.

In an interview with Sunday Express critic Jeffrey Taylor published in December 2007, Miss Tamara Rojo is quoted as saying, " “Some time ago,” she explains, “the Spanish government asked me to draw up plans for a national company. I asked the Royal Family’s permission to call it the Royal Ballet of Spain and they agreed. I took most of my information from how things are run in England, what it will mean, how much it will cost, how I would run it. Basically all the methods you have developed here to make a company permanent like creating a charitable Trust to handle the money, some from government, some from private individuals."

Miss Rojo then went on to talk about the changeable scene in the arts in Spain where the Minister for Arts is changed every 4 years which she felt did not lend stability. I assume by that she mean that one Minister may admire and support classical ballet whilst another might move government funding to another art.

That is an old interview with Ms. Rojo. And long before, Angel Corella did just that to create his company: start a foundation, and get support from governments, corporations, and private individuals. It is true that the various Ministers of Culture have a great influence--or not. But if Mr. Corella has succeeded at all, and before Ms. Rojo, it was due to 7 years of hard work, before his dancers or staff were even hired.

The development of a new classical company under Mr. Ullate was met with consternation by many due to his previous experience, which has always been neo-classical. with an emphasis on a new repertoire not the full-length classic productions of the past.

[CarolinaM]

Exactly, we Spanish ballet lovers were asking for a classical ballet company from long ago so we are deeply grateful to Ángel Corella to have fought for so long to create one, which now it's an amazing reality with top dancers and a very nice repertoire.

Some months ago the Ministry of Culture announced the creation of a National Classical Ballet Company which will be created from the one of Victor Ullate's: Ballet Víctor Ullate-Ballet de la Comunidad de Madrid. Víctor Ullate is not a classical dancer and doesn't know the Classics. He was a very good neoclassical dancer and knows very well Béjart's style where he was principal dancer for many years. He has also been a good teacher, some of our best classical dancers come from his school but all of them clearly have stated that they learned about classical repertoire and how to approach it when they have been abroad. Ullate was the first director of the National Classical Ballet Company 30 years ago but was fired.

One thinks that they would better have left Víctor Ullate with his own company of that neoclassical style which we have admired many times, and created a new Classical Ballet Company studying many projects from all people willing to direct it. This would have been better. But of course, supporting the company that already exists and we all are proud of Corella's having already said that he didn't want to direct a public company if the contract obliges to leave after 5 years. Spain is so big, has so many empty theatres, Real, Liceu, Maestranza, Palau de les Arts, etc.. so many good dancers dancing in top companies all over the world that can for sure host at least two Classical Ballet Companies.

Yesterday a new Ministry of Culture was appointed, somebody who has a deep background in the film area so one things that dance will not be her priority at all. How will this affect the decisions recently taken by the former, no idea, but I'm afraid that we can't expect much. I really hope that Corella will get support from the Ministry as he has already demonstrated what he is able to do.

As far as the Benois are concerned I honestly think it's a shame the way the presentation of Ullate and Lao has been manipulated and also I'm a bit surprised that Lao's choreography is so well known to be in that list.