After a year without events open to the public, the National Ballet Company of Costa Rica returned to the stage with a show in which they performed three works: Bosque Húmedo, Majísimo and La Muerte del Cisne. The opening gala was held last Saturday, September 4th, in the Humboldt College auditorium.
“With this return we want to motivate Costa Ricans to support art. Art is a social transformer, it disperses the mind and what better way to go out for a while with our bubbles than to enjoy a show with the nine dancers of the Company ”, mentioned Viviana Clare, executive director of Ballet Nacional Costa Rica.
Artistic offer
Clare provided details on the artistic offering of the show. For example, La Muerte del Cisne is a choreography that dates back to 1905, when Prima Ballerina Anna Pávlova observed several swans and proposed to Mikhail Fokine to design a choreography that illustrated the last moments of a wounded swan.
“This dance has music by Camille Saint-Saëns, and has been performed by famous dancers such as Anna Pávlova, Galina Ulánova, Marina Semiónova, Alicia Markova, Yvette Chauviré, Margot Fonteyn, Natalia Makárova and Maya Plisétskaya,” said the executive director.
Regarding Majísimo, she pointed out that it is a creation of Jorge García, who composes a refined dance that stylizes the Spanishizing signs that exist in academic ballet, through variations and dances as a whole.
“Bosque Húmedo is a tribute to the magic that we find in Costa Rican nature. The choreography is a story about the discovery of this natural magic and how its charm inspires protection and conservation. The montage explores different lines of dance,” added Clare.
Livelihood during the Pandemic
The artistic and cultural sector has been one of the most economically affected during the Pandemic, mainly when it was not allowed to offer live shows. According to Clare, it has been challenging in all areas. “The cancellation of live shows and maintaining contracts with the Company’s dancers is a difficult issue, but also the fact that artists need to have constant training and validity on stage,” she said.
“We have done our best to keep their contracts and training for them. Like all of us, we had to evolve to digital events, strengthening our Spectalium project that offers private events, where art is the added value in the presentations; however, the road has not been easy ”, concluded the executive director.
