The Ballet of Catalunya is now a reality

Mathilde Marlin, Rebecca Storani & Alexandra Urcía in Ensemble,
coreography by Elías García. Photo: Josep Guindo

The «Ballet de Catalunya» is already underway and after what was seen in the Presentation Gala of the company, we can only hope that this magnificent project is consolidated. They deserve this and we need them.

Carolina Masjuan

"For three years, they have been sowing the seeds, designing a custom-made project for Catalonia with international projection to be enjoyed by our esteemed audience.

Alessandro Burini in Paquita
Photo: Josep Guindo

The project was based out of concerns and sensibilities of people and institutions who were searching for a way to bring the best dance here, giving Catalonia the image it deserves. Throughout difficult yet enthusiastic years, people from all over have come together with the original promoters from day one in order to arrive where we find ourselves today.

Not only will we see 19 incredibly talented dancers but a great amount of courage on display. Effort and enthusiasm can only begin to describe what these dancers bring to the performance. Let them express how they feel through the best way they know, because words would never be enough to express what they want to say.

The presence of all who are here today is immeasurable and we would like to thank each and everyone of you. And above all, we express our gratitude to the city of Terrassa for welcoming the Catalunya Ballet.

Thanks to all who have come from near and afar. We hope you feel at home and we will continue to come back in the immediate future"

This was how the Ballet de Catalunya presented itself to the audience that filled the Terrassa auditorium on the afternoon of November 19, the day of its presentation.

The dancers of the Ballet de Catalunya (BNC) have been selected from a total of 200 candidates and are in Terrassa betting on this project aware of the difficulties, but delighted with the experience and the prominence that gives them being the first dancers of the BNC. 

Mathilde Marlin & Lorenzo Misouri in Corpo.
Photo: Josep Guindo

And for the ballet public, who came quickly to discover them, it is a dream to have our company, to become familiar with them, to follow their evolution, enjoying some more in a certain style, others in another. Surprising ourselves when discovering qualities that we had not detected, respecting them, admiring them, even loving them as close beings, so necessary in our lives. Artists that bring us peace, emotion and joy in times when we need all this so much. In short, living it intensely, much more than any ballet lover from another country, given that we have been denied to have this for so long.

Exciting to discover among the public, teachers, former directors of companies, choreographers of the country who, generous, support the project and tend ties, as it should be. Feeling that on the other hand this is reciprocal, since from the management team of the Ballet of Catalonia the company is open to anyone interested in contributing and collaborating. Mrs. Mercedes Ribera, who at 103 years old is a tireless follower of Ibstage, could not miss this inauguration Gala, as we also discovered admired the ex-étoile of the Paris Opera Ballet, Hélène Trailine with whom the dancer Elías García, Artistic Director and teacher of the BNC, took some ballet classes while dancing with the Ballets of Montecarlo. 

Maria Luisa Yoshida & Leander Rebholz
in Corsaire. Photo: Josep Guindo

It's a project that really thrills, the more you know it more and the more you know its dancers more and the more you see them working in class, rehearsing and now in this first show, even more. A consolidated team, with Leo Sorribes at the front, Elías García and Larissa Lezhnina, she to a lesser extent, in the artistic part, Marina Quera in the administrative and financial part, Gina Nunura and Martina Montorfani, in costumes and the teachers, apart from Elías himself, Ángeles Lacalle, Gloria Gella and Ksenia Korobchanskaya, who also acts as a repetetor, polishing, improving, taking care of style details, as well as Ricardo Alegría as technical manager and lighting design.

The Cultural Center of Terrassa, which celebrates its 35 years of dance season, being a reference in this art throughout the Spanish state, is hosting its headquarters. So the Company could not be presented any were that there. The Opening Gala showed a very young cast, dancers from Japan, Italy, Russia, Ukraine, Portugal, France, Germany, Spain and, of course, including three young Catalans. They staged a varied program that in its first part showed fragments of classical ballet, neoclassical and more contemporary styles, to demonstrate the repertoire to which the company aspires.

The second part was devoted to the demanding work of the classical repertoire, Paquita, which was offered to us in the form of a suite for showcasing the soloist and principal dancers of the cast together with the dance corps.

Miho Okamura, Alessandro Burini & Alexandra Urcía in Paquita P. de Trois.
Photo: Josep Guindo

It was a very exciting day, Elías explained that the most important thing in the company are the dancers and their goal is to make this project a reality in order to ensure a decent future in all respects, salaries, equipment, repertoire, training, and projection....

What we saw at the Gala were enthusiastic, excited and happy young people, full of talent and with great potential, who defended a program worked in just three weeks, in an admirable way. They can get much more, of course, as it is clear that they will achieve it.

Maria Luisa Yoshida in Paquita.
Photo: Josep Guindo

The first part began with a very beautiful choreography by Elías García, Ensemble, with music by Mozart, in which we were able to enjoy a large part of the cast and to discover the work of some soloists. It followed a Pas de deux of The Corsaire, well danced by María Luisa Castillo Yoshida and Leander Rebholz. The variation of the three odalisques of the same Corsaire, with Madoka Sasaki, Rebecca Storanni and Valeria Kuts was very celebrated, the three were great, each in its variation, the nerves were disappearing and the program was developing in an "in crescendo" that the public was enjoying more and more.

The most contemporary part of the Gala was the Pas de deux Plenitudo (2002) of Italian choreographer Raphael Bianco, danced by Júlia Roca and Lorenzo Misuri. Júlia, a former dancer of Ángel Corella's Barcelona Ballet and the Companhia de Bailado of Portugal, has decided to return home. What a pleasure to have her between us again. Júlia has always been a classical, elegant dancer with a strong stage presence, which did not prevent her from perfectly integrating this contemporary piece into her repertoire. Lorenzo, on the other hand, was revealed as an important asset of the Ballet de Catalunya, a very expressive and confident dancer who that day celebrated its twentieth anniversary.

The first part was closed with Corpi (2001), another creation of Raphael Bianco, with music by Rachmaninov, in which the dance corps and soloists participated. The bodies of the dancers in flesh colored maillots are shown in all their splendor, creating figures of great beauty. A work in line of that of creators such as Kylian or Wheeldon, which subjugates and transcends. The dancers were fantastic, Mathilde Marlín, already discovered in Ensemble, is wonderful here. She is the prototype of a ballerina, with stylized lines, a sweetness of movement and a beautiful expression, no matter what the style of the choreography is.

Rossanna Morelli in Paquita. Photo: Josep Guindo

In the second part, with Paquita's suite it was where the best potential could be discovered. This demanding work of classical ballet did not disappoint. The dancers have style and despite not being a uniform cast, its directors have been able to place each one where it looks better.

So, for example, the fantastic dancer, well known to us, Alexandra Urcía, 18 years old and who together with Júlia Roca and Mónica Gómez are the three Catalans in the cast, formed a trio with another small dancer of stature but also plenty of talent, Miho Okamura, 19 years, and both, with the magnificent Alessandro Burini, danced a Pas de trois loved by the audience. Monica, on the other hand, has just finished her training at the Corella Dance Academy and she told us how happy she was to have her first contract as a professional dancer in her own country. Having seen her very often in the year end festivals of the academy, where she always had roles of principal in whose she was always great, we are very happy for her and for us being able to follow her evolution closely.

The Paquitas, that of the beautiful María Luisa Yoshida, so exquisite in its variation and that of the spectacular Rebecca Storani, already well known and admired by the Catalan public, because of the Ibstage program and Galas and indisputable star of the company, with her spectacular pirouettes and fouetées. The two Lucien d'Hervilly's, Leander Rebholz and Lorenzo Misuri are surely other two values ​​of the cast. Several variations and the beautiful corps, completed a suite that allowed us to dream of a company that will give us great joys. Thank you very much dancers, all of you, for a very good performance that we enjoyed with great excitement.

Rebecca Storani in Corsaire. Photo: Josep Guindo

This company has to consolidate itself as our ballet company. This time, yes, please. Several ways of collaboration have been established so that it not only depends on public support. Now, despite the great interest shown by the Conseller of Culture, Lluis Puig and his entire department, is not yet signed, given the special circumstances of the Govern of Catalonia.

Private sponsorship is sought. As in many European cities, the main companies finance the dance companies for identifying themselves with the ​intrinsic values to the art of ballet. We hope that they can find here brands that recognize and want to take advantage of the prestige that would suppose for them to have such a powerful image.

Madoka Sasaki & Lucien Vecchierelli in Corpi.
Photo: Josep Guindo

Beauty, quality, perfection, or the closest to it, can only be achieved through effort. Porsche for example, sponsors the Stuttgart Ballet. The image of Alicia Amatriain, light, subtle, aerial, ethereal, but at the same time strong, secure with steel tips nailed to the ground in an impossible balance, is extremely convincing and transmits in an unequivocal way the values ​associated with a high level dancer: Perseverance, tenacity, physical and psychic strength, discipline, ambition, effort, capacity for suffering and overcoming, tolerance, teamwork, ... Values that any brand would surely be proud to transmit, without forgetting the plastic beauty of a good dance image.

The Ballet de Catalunya is a private institution promoted by the Foundation of the same name. The great challenge of the Foundation is to position Catalonia as a national and international point of reference for the creation, awareness and diffusion of the art of dance. At the same time it is presented as an accessible institution to all those who want to enjoy the dance whatever their nature (public or private).

The Ballet de Catalunya seeks to be present in the best theaters, but also wants to reach the public by offering services adapted to different formats and proposals of all those who want to incorporate dance into their celebrations, events, institutional events, popular festivals and a long etcetera. They offer interesting tailored proposals, depending on the number of dancers, time and number of performances, with different formats and stagings.

Julia Roca in Paquita. Photo: Josep Guindo

Tailor-made shows are designed according to the needs and desires of the client who has the possibility to visit the company and choose the dancers, if interested please visit here.

Likewise, the Ballet of Catalonia is in search of funding and funds from patronage and sponsorship. They offer diverse formulas adapted to any type of proposal, either with contributions to the activity (productions), sponsorship of dancers and Trainnee students and financing or contributions to face the investment of the Headquarters of the BNC.

Collaborating in the search for these needs is also a way of contributing, as well as proposing the project to potential sponsors. They are open to receiving proposals as they comment on their website

For our part, we are eagerly awaiting the Nutcracker, which will premiere on January 4 at the Kursaal Theater in Manresa and for which there is already more than half capacity sold. Tickets here.

The Ballet de Catalunya in Paquita. Photo: Josep Guindo