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 Founded
in 1992 by Venezuelan born dancer and choreographer, Maria Eugenia
Barrios, and Israeli born dancer Offer Zaks, the Ballet Contemporaneo
de Caracas (BCDC) has established itself in record time as one of
the most successful dance companies in south America, setting new
artistic standards and breaking box office records in Venezuelan
theatres and abroad with its hit productions of John Butler’s
"Carmina Burana" Giuseppe Carbone’s "Carmen",
and Maria Barrios’ "Midsummer Night’s Dream".
Ms. Barios and Mr. Zaks, the BCDC artistic
directors, have had extensive international careers in numerous
dance and opera companies in Europe, the U.S.A. and Canada as dancers
and choreographers and through their artistic collaboration and
friendship with the late American choreographer John Butler, and
the Italian choreographer/director Giuseppe Carbone. Before his
death in 1993 Mr. Butler entrusted Ms. Barrios and Mr. Zaks with
all his choreographic work throughout the world.
In addition to John Butler’s masterpiece
"Carmina Burana"…."a classic of modern dance"…
and other famous Butler works such as "Othello",
"After Eden", "Three", and "Medea"
the eclectic repertory of the company includes works by Ms. Barrios
("Midsummer Night’s Dream", "La Traviata",
"Jerusalem", "Amadeus" the award-winning
"Shivaa" and "Three Loves"), Jiri
Kilian’s "Nuages", Maurice Wainrot’s
"The Diary of Anne Frank", Mauro Galindo’s
"Fandango" and "Play", Nils Christe’s
"Whims of Cupids", and Giuseppe Carbone’s
acclaimed version of "Carmen".
The company has 18 highly skilled and energetic
dancers. Most of them are Venezuelan, a few originally from Colombia,
Peru and Cuba. International tours include Italy summer festivals
(’94,’96’98), Milano (’99), Israel Festivas
(’95,’96,’98), Colombia (’95, ’97), Cuba
("94) and Sarajevo Winter, Bosnia (’99). The critics at
the international Dance Festival in La Habana found the dancers
…"very sensual, handsome men and sinuous women…",
noted the dancing as …"dramatically expressive, technically
brilliant"…and emphasized the…"unusual stage
presence and dramatic power of Miss Barrios and Mr. Zaks".
The critic of the "El Pais" (Colombia) called the
BCDC "…one of the best dance companies in the continent…the
highlight of the festival". The Sarajevo "Evening Paper"
referred to the dancers as " . Cosmic dancers…explosive,
of excellent dance technique…" and to Carmen ..’the
best venue in the winter 1998 festival…".
In Venezuela the BCDC has had unprecedented
success in repeated engagements in their home Caracas Teresa Carreno
Theater with its programs : "Carmen", "Carmina
Burana", "Midsummer Night’s Dream", "The
Diary of Anne Frank", "La Traviata", "Jerusalem"
and the recent "Amadeus", which played to
sold out audiences in Caracas and throughout the nation, and with
its educational multimedia outreach program "Let’s
Dance".
In February 2000 the BCDC presented Maria
Barrios’ new production of "Carmina Burana"
and premiered Thierry Malandain’s "Mozart — Mambo".
The remainder of this season includes a return to Bogota for
performances of "Mozart-Mambo", and to the U.S.A.,
Peru, Italy and Israel with "The Diary of Anne Frank",
"Jerusalem" and "Carmina Burana".
Ballet Contemporaneo de Caracas
is funded by the Venezuelan Ministry of culture (CONAC), the Venezuelan
Foreign Ministry (touring), and by a growing number of private corporation
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