Photo: Patricio Melo
The company, which recently celebrated its 63rd anniversary, has performed in important theaters in the United States, Colombia, Uruguay, Peru, Argentina, Spain, Hungary, Germany, China and Mexico.
After two years without public performances due to the pandemic, the Ballet de Santiago has finally been able to start touring in Chile again, and doesn´t rule out performing abroad. At the beginning of April, the company was reunited with the public on stages in Talca and Chillán. “We are very happy and people throughout Chile are very grateful that we were able to go. In fact, tickets sold out really fast and we had to stream the event. It was a great experience!” recalls Luis Ortigoza, artistic director of the Ballet de Santiago.
The company is currently rehearsing Carmen, a piece based on the opera by Georges Bizet, which will premiere in May at Santiago’s Teatro Municipal. For the rest of the year, the program includes Giselle, Swan Lake and the Nutcracker, among other classics.
The Ballet de Santiago, which celebrated its 63rd anniversary on April 13, has a wide repertoire that includes classical, neoclassical and contemporary works. As a long-standing artistic body at Santiago’s Teatro Municipal, the company presents an annual season and offers free performances to reach new audiences in Santiago and throughout the country.
During the pandemic, the Teatro Municipal broadcast operas, ballets and concerts via the Municipal Delivery virtual platform, which were well received by the public. “Thanks to this, we were able to reach all of Chile, from Arica to Punta Arenas, which has been a fantastic opportunity for a closer relationship with our audience, since we obtained more than 13 million views. This is how we know that the public is enthusiastic about ballet and that ballet appeals to many people. We have at all times, in one way or another, maintained contact with the public, and now that we can perform live, they write to us so that we go to their cities,” says Luis.
Founded in 1959, the Ballet de Santiago company has performed on important stages in the United States, Colombia, Uruguay, Peru, Argentina, Spain, Hungary, Germany, China and Mexico.
