Photo/ Foto: Julio Pantoja

‘Cordel’ Choreography

Biography

In the late nineties, the Cia. de Dança Palácio das Artes intensified its focus on the dancer's creation process of artistic work. New choreographies were created--either by famous invited choreographers or by dancers in the group--such as Rodrigo Gièse's Imago, (1997), which resulted in the following shows: Entre o Céu e as Serras, Sonho de Uma Noite de Verão and Poderia Ser Rosa. Under the responsibility of Cristina Machado, the management focus of Cia. de Dança do Palácio das Artes takes advantage of the dancers' creative potentiality and stimulates and promotes research in dance. Coreografia de Cordel (2004) surpasses a past of strict identification with classical ballet. However, it keeps the professionalism of the group's early years, which was a strong characteristic of the old Corpo de Baile. The Cia. de Dança was established in 1971 by the former dancer of the Teatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, Carlos Leite (1914-95). Applying classical technique, the master ballet dancer and choreographer took the dancers to a professional level and developed the company's excellent national reputation. For more than 20 years, the group has dedicated special attention to staging major plays from the erudite repertoire and to operas produced by Palácio das Artes.