Ana Maria Stekelman
Encyclopedia
Ana María Stekelman is one of Argentina
’s leading choreographers and is the founder of the Tangokinesis dance troupe.
Stekelman studied modern dance in Buenos Aires
with Paulina Ossona and Renate Schottelius and then traveled to New York
, where she studied at the Martha Graham
Dance School.
In 1968 she joined the Oscar Araiz School of Dance and in 1972 attended the Opera College, where she studied dance and music research). She was a founder member of the San Martin Theatre Contemporary Ballet and was Artistic Director of the company between 1977 and 1981 and again between 1988 and 1990. In 1976, 1978 and 1990, she was invited to participate in the American Dance Festival
.
After creating Tangokinesis, she continued her research into the fusion of tango
and modern dance
. The company has toured the world, performing in the most important cultural festivals, such as: The Autumn Festival in Madrid
, Biennale de la Danse de Lyon
, Colorado
Dance Festival, The American Dance Festival
, World Financial Center in New York
, and twice at the Kennedy Center. She was the only Argentine choreographer invited to close the Festival of Avignon
in the Coeur d'honneur del Palais des Papes in 1999. Working with Julio Bocca
, Tangokinesis performed at the Paris
Opera Garnier, showcasing the worldwide premiere of Consagración del Tango (Tango's Consecration).
The main feature of the Tangokinesis is not only the fusion of two choreographic languages (Modern Dance and Tango) but also the fact that the group employs dancers with very different disciplines: the women are from the classic and modern dance background, whereas the men are trained in tango and folklore.
Stekelman has created pieces for different ballet companies around the world, including the Ballet Stagium of Brazil
, Ballet du Nord in France
, Ballet dell' Opera of Rome
, the National Ballet of Chile
, and the Colon Theatre of Buenos Aires. She has created several works for internationally-renowned dancer Julio Bocca
: Concertango, Consagración del Tango, Mambo Suite, Piazzolla Tango Vivo; Bocca Tango, Repercusiones and El hombre de la corbata roja.
In addition, Stekelman was asked by Spanish
movie director Carlos Saura
to choreograph some scenes for the film Tango, for which she was awarded the American Choreography Award in Los Angeles and was nominated for an Academy Award
. In April 2002, Tangokinesis was selected to feature in the documentary film
Tango Désir produced by the French Arte channel, and in September 2003 she was invited by the Hebbel Theatre to perform at the Marlene Dietrich
Square in Berlin
with the show Tango, Vals, Tango.
Stekelman continues to work in Buenos Aires, and regularly tours Europe
and the Americas with Tangokinesis.
Prizes, awards and nominations
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
’s leading choreographers and is the founder of the Tangokinesis dance troupe.
Stekelman studied modern dance in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
with Paulina Ossona and Renate Schottelius and then traveled to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where she studied at the Martha Graham
Martha Graham
Martha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
Dance School.
In 1968 she joined the Oscar Araiz School of Dance and in 1972 attended the Opera College, where she studied dance and music research). She was a founder member of the San Martin Theatre Contemporary Ballet and was Artistic Director of the company between 1977 and 1981 and again between 1988 and 1990. In 1976, 1978 and 1990, she was invited to participate in the American Dance Festival
American Dance Festival
The American Dance Festival is a six and four-week school for dance and a six-week summer festival of modern dance performances, currently held at Duke University and the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina....
.
After creating Tangokinesis, she continued her research into the fusion of tango
Tango (dance)
Tango dance originated in the area of the Rio de la Plata , and spread to the rest of the world soon after....
and modern dance
Modern dance
Modern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
. The company has toured the world, performing in the most important cultural festivals, such as: The Autumn Festival in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
, Biennale de la Danse de Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
Dance Festival, The American Dance Festival
American Dance Festival
The American Dance Festival is a six and four-week school for dance and a six-week summer festival of modern dance performances, currently held at Duke University and the Durham Performing Arts Center in Durham, North Carolina....
, World Financial Center in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and twice at the Kennedy Center. She was the only Argentine choreographer invited to close the Festival of Avignon
Avignon
Avignon is a French commune in southeastern France in the départment of the Vaucluse bordered by the left bank of the Rhône river. Of the 94,787 inhabitants of the city on 1 January 2010, 12 000 live in the ancient town centre surrounded by its medieval ramparts.Often referred to as the...
in the Coeur d'honneur del Palais des Papes in 1999. Working with Julio Bocca
Julio Bocca
Julio Bocca is one of the most important ballet dancers of the later part of the 20th century and arguably the most important Argentine dancer of all time....
, Tangokinesis performed at the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
Opera Garnier, showcasing the worldwide premiere of Consagración del Tango (Tango's Consecration).
The main feature of the Tangokinesis is not only the fusion of two choreographic languages (Modern Dance and Tango) but also the fact that the group employs dancers with very different disciplines: the women are from the classic and modern dance background, whereas the men are trained in tango and folklore.
Stekelman has created pieces for different ballet companies around the world, including the Ballet Stagium of Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Ballet du Nord in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, Ballet dell' Opera of Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, the National Ballet of Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, and the Colon Theatre of Buenos Aires. She has created several works for internationally-renowned dancer Julio Bocca
Julio Bocca
Julio Bocca is one of the most important ballet dancers of the later part of the 20th century and arguably the most important Argentine dancer of all time....
: Concertango, Consagración del Tango, Mambo Suite, Piazzolla Tango Vivo; Bocca Tango, Repercusiones and El hombre de la corbata roja.
In addition, Stekelman was asked by Spanish
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
movie director Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura
Carlos Saura Atarés is a Spanish film director and photographer.-Early life:Born into a family of artists , he developed his artistic sense in childhood as a photography enthusiast.He obtained his directing diploma in Madrid in 1957 at the Institute of Cinema Research and Studies...
to choreograph some scenes for the film Tango, for which she was awarded the American Choreography Award in Los Angeles and was nominated for an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
. In April 2002, Tangokinesis was selected to feature in the documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
Tango Désir produced by the French Arte channel, and in September 2003 she was invited by the Hebbel Theatre to perform at the Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich
Marlene Dietrich was a German-American actress and singer.Dietrich remained popular throughout her long career by continually re-inventing herself, professionally and characteristically. In the Berlin of the 1920s, she acted on the stage and in silent films...
Square in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
with the show Tango, Vals, Tango.
Stekelman continues to work in Buenos Aires, and regularly tours Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and the Americas with Tangokinesis.
Prizes, awards and nominations
- 1998 Nominated for the Estrella de Mar award for Consagración del Tango
- 1998 Trinidad Guevara Award for Tango y Fuga
- 1998 Theatre XXI Award for
- 1998 Teatro del Mundo Award from Buenos Aires University for Catálogo
- 1999 Atrevidas Award for her lifetime's artistic work
- 2000 Estrella de Mar Award for Mambo Suite
- 2000 American Choreography Award for the film Tango
- 2000 Nominated for the ACE Award for Tango, Vals, Tango
- 2000 Teatro del Mundo Award for Tango, Vals, Tango
- 2000 Lifetime achievement Atrevidas Award
- 2001 Estrella de Mar Award for Tangokinesis and Piazzolla Tango Vivo
- 2001 ACE Award for Angeles desnudos. Best Choreographer.
- 2001 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Argentine Chamber of Art and Culture
- 2002 Estrella de Mar Award for Bocca Tango
- 2002 Nominated for the Trinidad Guevara Award for Bocca Tango
- 2002 Teatro del Mundo Award for Operatango
- 2003 Estrella de Mar Award for Repercusiones
- 2003 Florencio Sanchez Award for Operatango
- 2004 Nominated for Teatro del Mundo Award for El hombre de la corbata roja and Bésame
- 2005 Nominated for the Teatro del Mundo Award for Lentejuelas Cotillón and Bathory