Víctor Ullate facts for kids
Víctor Ullate was born on May 9, 1947, in Zaragoza, Spain. He is a famous dancer, a person who creates dances (called a choreographer), a ballet director, and a ballet teacher. He has had a huge impact on the world of dance, especially in Spain.
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Early Life and Dance Training
Víctor Ullate started learning dance with María de Avila. He also studied at the École supérieure de danse de Cannes Rosella Hightower in France. He began his professional dance career very young, at just 15 years old, in 1962. His first job was with the well-known Spanish dancer Antonio Ruiz Soler.
A Life in Dance
Becoming a Star Dancer
Just three years later, a famous choreographer named Maurice Béjart invited Víctor to join his company, the Ballet du XXième Siècle. Víctor became a Principal Dancer, which is a lead dancer in a ballet company. He worked with Béjart for 14 years. During this time, Béjart created many special dance roles just for him. Some of these famous ballets included Ni fleurs, ni couronnes (1967) and Nijinsky, Clown de Dieu (1971). In 1978, he even played the role of Maurice Béjart himself in a ballet called Gaîté parisienne, which was about Béjart's own life.
Leading and Creating Ballets
In 1979, the Spanish government asked Víctor Ullate to start Spain's very first classical ballet company. This company is now known as the Compañia Nacional de Danza. He was its artistic director for four years.
In 1983, he opened his own dance school, the Centro de Danza Víctor Ullate. Then, in 1988, with help from the Ministry of Culture, he founded the Víctor Ullate Ballet. This was officially Spain's first private dance company. He led this company for more than 30 years.
Víctor Ullate brought many important ballets to the stage for audiences in Spain, South America, Russia, and other European countries. He presented works by famous choreographers like George Balanchine and Maurice Béjart. He also worked on classic ballets such as Les Sylphides, Giselle, and Don Quixote.
He created more than 40 of his own ballets. Many of his works were inspired by Spanish music and culture. Some of his most popular creations for his company include El Amor Brujo (1994), Jaleos (1996), Seguiriya (2000), El sur (2005), and Samsara (2006). His ballets often mix classical ballet with flamenco, a traditional Spanish dance style.
Inspiring New Dancers
Víctor Ullate was also a dedicated teacher. He focused on helping each dancer grow and develop strong technical skills. Many of his students became internationally famous ballet stars. Some of these include Angel Corella, Lucía Lacarra, Tamara Rojo, and Igor Yebra. Hundreds of students started their professional dance careers after training at his school over 32 years.
In 2000, he started a foundation. Its goal was to help talented dancers who didn't have enough money get a full dance education. It also aimed to promote classical ballet in Spain. After many successful years, he closed his ballet company in 2019. Other parts of his dance institutions also closed around 2019-2020 due to changes in culture and politics in Spain.
Awards and Honors
Víctor Ullate has received many important awards for his work. These include:
- The Spanish Dance Prize in 1989.
- The Medalla de Oro de las Bellas Artes (Gold Medal of Fine Arts) in 1996.
- The Medalla Festival de Granada in 1998.
- The Culture Prize of the City of Madrid for Dance in 2003.
- The MAX Honorary Award in 2008.
- A MAX Award in 2011 for his ballet Wonderland, which was named the best dance production.
- The »Gran Cruz de la Orden del Dos de Mayo« from the City of Madrid in 2013.
- The »Medalla de Oro al Mérito del Trabajo« (Gold Medal for Merit in Work) from the Spanish government in 2016.
In 2014, he became an honorary member of the Academy of Performing Arts. In 2024, the government of Aragon honored him with the Medalla al Mérito Cultural de Aragón.
Víctor Ullate has three sons: Patrick Ullate, Víctor Ullate Roche, and Josué Ullate.
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In Spanish: Víctor Ullate para niños
