About
A talented jack-of-all-trades
Blanca Li is a choreographer, film director, dancer and actress.
Whether for her company, events, an opera production, a feature film, or a museum installation, she invents and realizes a multitude of projects: "I love bringing to life everything I have in mind." A lover of novelty, cross-pollination, and constant renewal, she draws her inspiration from a wide range of expressions, from flamenco to classical ballet and urban dance. With Blanca Li, everything begins and ends in the energy of movement and dance.
Born in Granada (es)
She became a rhythmic gymnast on the national team at twelve. At seventeen, she moved to New York City where she studied for five years at the Martha Graham School, while also attending the Alvin Ailey School, the Paul Sanasardo School, and the Clark Center. Living in Spanish Harlem, she witnessed the birth of hip-hop firsthand, creating a flamenco-rap group, Las Xoxonees. Upon returning to Spain, she founded her first contemporary dance company in Madrid, which was selected for the Seville Universal Exposition program.
Activity
Blanca Li has choreographed and directed ballets, operas and musicals, including Les Indes Galantes at the Paris Opera, Shéhérazade for the Paris Opera Ballet, Treemonisha at the Châtelet, El Quijote del Plata for the Sodre National Ballet of Uruguay and, more recently, Pulcinella for the National Ballet of Spain.
She has directed three feature films and numerous short films, commercials and music videos.
For film, music and fashion, she has been chosen as a choreographer by names such as Pedro Almodovar, Jean-Jacques Annaud or Michel Gondry, by Daft Punk, Paul McCartney, Beyoncé, Blur or Coldplay, and by Jean-Paul Gaultier, Azzedine Alaïa, CHANEL or Stella McCartney.
In 2019, she was elected to the French Academy of Fine Arts and was appointed artistic director of the Teatros del Canal of the Community of Madrid.
Among her many awards, she was named a Knight of the Legion of Honour in France and received the Medalla de Oro al Mérito de las Bellas Artes in Spain.
One of her company's latest creations – in 2021 – Blanca Li's Le Bal de Paris, an immersive, live virtual reality performance, received the Lion for Best VR Experience at the 78th Venice International Film Festival and has been touring continuously ever since. She also created a hip-hop version of The Nutcracker for Suresnes Cités Danse in 2022 and directed a version of Dido and Aeneas with Les Arts Florissants (William Christie) in 2023. The following year, Blanca Li chose to create a new Dido and Aeneas for 10 dancers, which will begin its tour on June 7, 2024. In April of the same year, Blanca Li directed "Notre Sacre" at the Philharmonie de Paris with Abd Al Malik and David Grimal, a brand-new interpretation of Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring.
In 1998, she opened her own dance studios in Paris (Calentito studios). The fusion of disciplines and genres is frequent in her creations, as well as a very Latin sense of humor (Alarme, Stress, Salomé).
Macadam Macadam, a hip-hop choreographic performance, opened the Suresnes Cités Danses Festival in 1999. From Avignon to the USA, by way of the Opéra-Comique in Paris, this show became the benchmark of the genre and received the 2007 Globe de Cristal award in the Best Opera/Ballet category…
Notre équipe
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