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Val Caniparoli
Val060.jpg
Val Caniparoli
Born
Val Caniparoli

Renton, Washington (US)
Occupation Choreographer, Principal character dancer with San Francisco Ballet

Val Caniparoli is a famous American ballet dancer and a choreographer who creates dances for ballets around the world. He has created over 100 dance pieces for ballet, opera, and theater. He worked with more than 50 different dance companies. Even while he was dancing, he became a well-known choreographer.

Val joined the San Francisco Ballet as a dancer in 1973. Later, in 1987, he became a main character dancer there. This was thanks to the Artistic Director, Helgi Tomasson.

Val's Early Life and Dance Journey

Val Caniparoli was born in Renton, Washington. His father, Francisco, made clothes, and his mother, Leonora, worked at Boeing. Val studied music and theater at Washington State University (WSU).

One day, a dance group called the First Chamber Dance Company visited WSU. They offered ballet workshops. Val tried one and was told he had a lot of talent. He was encouraged to try out for the San Francisco Ballet School.

Val decided to follow a career in ballet and left WSU. He received a special scholarship from the Ford Foundation. This helped him attend the San Francisco Ballet School. After only a year and a half of studying, he was offered a contract with the San Francisco Ballet in 1973. He worked with famous directors like Lew Christensen and Michael Smuin.

Becoming a Choreographer

Val became interested in creating dances after attending a workshop. His choreography career grew quickly. In the mid-1980s, he became the main choreographer for the San Francisco Ballet.

In 1984, Val helped start a dance group called OMO in San Francisco. A TV show about OMO was even shown on PBS that year.

Famous Ballets by Val

In 1994, Val created his first full-length ballet. It was called Lady of the Camellias. This ballet was based on a story by Alexandre Dumas. The music was by Frédéric Chopin. Lady of the Camellias became one of Val's most loved works. Many ballet companies performed it, including Ballet West and Boston Ballet.

Val was also the main choreographer for Ballet West from 1993 to 1997. He worked for Tulsa Ballet from 2001 to 2006. He still creates new dances for the San Francisco Ballet.

In 1995, Val choreographed a new dance called Lambarena. The music for this ballet was a mix of classical music by J.S. Bach and traditional African music. It was composed by Pierre Akendengue and Hughes de Courson. Lambarena became another very popular ballet. It mixes classical ballet with African dance. Over 20 companies have performed it, like Atlanta Ballet and San Francisco Ballet.

In 2002, Val was asked to create a special dance for Evelyn Hart and Rex Harrington. They performed it for Queen Elizabeth II to celebrate her Golden Jubilee visit to Canada.

Tosca Cafe

In 2010, Val worked with Carey Perloff to create Tosca Cafe. This was a unique show that combined theater and dance. It was first performed in San Francisco. Tosca Cafe tells the story of many different people who visit a famous bar in San Francisco. Val and Carey wanted to bring dancers and actors together for this project. Since its first show, Tosca Cafe has been performed all over the world.

Val's Inspirations

Val grew up studying music for 13 years. He learned to play the alto saxophone, clarinet, and flute. He says his music studies helped him love many different kinds of music. He is known for using a wide variety of music for his ballets.

He was also inspired by famous movie dancers like Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire. People describe Val's work as being "rooted in classicism." This means it's based on traditional ballet. But it's also influenced by all kinds of movement. This includes modern dance, ethnic dance, social dancing, and even ice skating.

Val's Life

Val Caniparoli lives in San Francisco, California.

Val's Choreography Work

Val Caniparoli has created many ballets and dances for different types of performances. Here are some of his notable works:

Ballet Choreography

Theater Choreography and Direction

Opera Choreography

  • Two Women (2015) (San Francisco Opera)
  • Capriccio (1990) (San Francisco Opera, Metropolitan Opera)
  • Manon (1986) (San Francisco Opera)

Concert and Film Choreography

  • Mlada (2003) (San Francisco Symphony)
  • Psycho, The Ballet (1996) (San Francisco Pops)
  • Metropolitan Opera Live in HD, R. Strauss: Capriccio (2011)
  • Great Dancers of our Time: In der Hauptrolle Vladimir Malakhov, Lucia Lacarra und Kiyoko Kimura; choreography for Lady of the Camellias (DVD, 2005)

Val on Television

In 2015, Val helped choreograph a commercial for the 50th Anniversary Super Bowl. It featured dancers from the San Francisco Ballet.

His choreography from Lambarena was even shown on Sesame Street! Dancers Lorena Feijoo and Lorna Feijoo performed it.

Val also appeared on PBS in The San Francisco Ballet in Cinderella. He played Cinderella's father. He was also in three other TV specials:

  • The Creation of OMO (1987), where he talked about the experimental dance company he co-founded.
  • A Song for Dead Warriors (1984).
  • Romeo and Juliet, a ballet production that aired in 1976.

Awards and Honors

Val Caniparoli has received many awards for his amazing work:

  • He has received 10 grants for choreography from the National Endowment for the Arts.
  • In 2001, he won the Isadora Duncan Dance Award for his choreography in Death of a Moth.
  • His ballet Lambarena was nominated for the Prix Benois de la Danse in 1997. This is a very important award for choreography.
  • He received awards from the Choo-San Goh & H. Robert Magee Foundation in 1997 and 1994.
  • He won the Isadora Duncan Award for Sustained Achievement in 1997.
  • He received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the California Arts Council.
  • In 1987, he won an Isadora Duncan Award for his work Aubade.
  • He received a scholarship from the Ford Foundation in 1972, which helped him start his dance career.
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