Compañía Nacional de Danza

Ana nace en Madrid. Comienza sus estudios de ballet en una pequeña escuela de Pozuelo de Alcorcón. Con once años decide dar el salto y estudiar danza de forma profesional. Con diecisiete años, y recién graduada, se incorporó a la Compañía Nacional de Danza bajo la dirección artística de José Carlos Martínez. En 2019, bajo la dirección de Joaquín De Luz, ascendió a la categoría de solista.

Among our passionate roster of dancers, Cristina Casa has shared her thrilling style with the CND since 2015, when she first danced the role of Quinteria in . Don Quixotefor the Company. Her journey begins at the schools of María Larios and Africa Guzmán, later to move on to work in schools and companies abroad, such as the English National Ballet or the Royal Ballet of Flanders. Her track record, marked by her constancy, brings her the opportunity to join the CND, where, in 2017, she rises to the category of principal dancer. Ion Agirretxe, is a fighter; persevering and hard-working; characteristics that make him a great dancer. He starts out dancing the traditional dances of his homeland, the Basque Country, but later leaves to work in the Europa Dance company, in France. His career is forged at different companies at home and abroad, until joining the CND in 2016. His simplicity and capacity for work raise him to the category of solo dancer two years later. Together, this couple have imbued many a great stage with their complicity. Together, they have worked with and learned from the best choreographers. And together they have carried out projects jointly, guided by their love of dance and towards each other. Both humbly defend the need to pursue their dreams, a belief they transmit on a daily basis at the Compañía Nacional de Danza.

In Paradisum, Antonio Ruz’s latest creation for the Compañía Nacional de Danza (Spain) is inspired by the Spanish painter El Greco’s colour palette for the costume design, lighting design and also on the dancer’s movements and figures. The composition’s verticality and height, along with the dark and ocre colour tones with strokes of red, white, blue and green are reflected in the choreography. Moreover, the piece also recalls other painters, mainly being from the Renaissance and Baroque period. We can appreciate Caravaggio’s characteristic chiaroscuro technique; the dynamic lines of the body’s posture, often resembling the descent of the cross in Raffaelo’s and Caracciolo’s works; the perspective Christ of Saint John of the Cross by Dalí, or even Bouguereau’s Nymphs and Satyr mythological creatures’ fluid movements. Next, a series of examples of paintings beside In Paradisum’s photographies by Alba Muriel.  

José Becerra is a dancer of Cuban origin, who got into ballet after joining the Escuela Vocacional de Arte de Eva Olga Alonso and, later, the Escuela Nacional de Ballet. He has danced in the Ballet Nacional de Cuba and in the English National Ballet, not only as a corps de ballet dancer but also as soloist and principal dancer. He has also danced in the Fundación para la danza Compañía Víctor Ullate, where he worked for six years until its closure. He has worked with choreographers such as James Kelly, Alicia Alonso, Aurora Bosch and Jiří Kylián, among others. In the 2020 season, he joined the CND under the direction of Joaquín De Luz.