Nacho Duato facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nacho Duato
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| Born | 8 January 1957 Valencia, Spain
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| Known for | Choreographer |
Juan Ignacio Duato Barcia, known as Nacho Duato, is a famous Spanish modern ballet dancer and choreographer. He was born on January 8, 1957. Since 2014, Duato has been the artistic director of the Berlin State Ballet. He is known for his creative and exciting dance pieces.
Career
Nacho Duato started his dance journey by studying at several top schools. He went to the Rambert School in London. He also trained at Maurice Béjart's Rudra School in Brussels. Later, he studied at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in New York City.
He began his professional dancing career in Stockholm. There, he joined the Cullberg Ballet company. After that, he became part of the Nederlands Dans Theater. This company was led by the famous artistic director Jiří Kylián. Nacho Duato danced with this company for ten years.
In 1983, he created his first important dance piece called Jardí tancat. This is a Catalan phrase meaning 'Shut garden'. He set this dance to music by Maria del Mar Bonet. His work won first prize at a big competition in Köln, Germany. In 1988, Duato became a resident choreographer for the NDT. He worked alongside Hans van Manen and Jiří Kylián.
From 1990 to 2011, Nacho Duato was the artistic director of the Compania Nacional de Danza. This is Spain's national dance company. After that, from 2011 to 2014, he led the ballet company of the Mikhailovsky Theatre in Russia. In 2014, Nacho Duato took on a new role. He became the general and artistic director of the Berlin State Ballet in Germany.
In 2016, the Mayor of Berlin, Michael Mueller, announced a change. He said that Duato's contract with the Berlin State Ballet would not be extended past 2019. After his time in Berlin, Sasha Waltz and Johannes Ohman became the new artistic directors. Duato then returned to Saint Petersburg, Russia. He went back to his previous role as artistic director of the Mikhailovsky ballet company.
Prizes and Awards
Nacho Duato has received many important awards for his work.
- 1983: He won the First Prize at the Internationaler Choreographischer Wettbewerb in Köln. This was for his dance piece Jardí tancat.
- 1987: He received the VSCD Gouden Dansprijs. This award recognized his amazing dancing skills.
- 1995: The French Embassy in Spain gave him the title of Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. This is a special honor for artists.
- 1998: The Spanish Council awarded him the Gold Medal for Merit in the Fine Arts. This is a very high honor in Spain.
- 2000: He won the Prix Benois de la Danse. This award is given by the International Dance Association. He received it at the Stuttgart Opera for his choreography called Multiplicity. Forms of Silence and Emptiness.
- 2003: He was given the Spanish National Dance Award. This award, called Premio Nacional de Danza, was for his choreography.
See also
In Spanish: Nacho Duato para niños
