National Ballet trains with international dance companies

Panama, 11 May 2020The National Ballet of Panama shares training sessions with ballet companies from four countries of the continent on the "Unidad por la Danza" project, which brings together several international dance groups across the Internet.

A hundred dancers from different countries, including the members of the Panamanian ballet, come together in a virtual way to integrate into these classes dictated by renowned international teachers, enabling feedback and renewal of their respective realities at the ballet.

The companies and their directors that are currently undergoing this training are: Puerto Rico's Concert, directed by Víctor Gilí, Monterrey's Ballet, directed by Luis Serrano, Panama's National Ballet, directed by Gloria Barrios and Graciela Guillén, Dominican National Ballet, directed by Armando González, and Mauro's Ballet, directed by Marena Pérez and the National School of Dance of the Dominican Republic, directed by Marinella Sallent.

Gloria Barrios, Executive Director of Panama's National Ballet, explain that these forms of training are movements that rigorously conduct all dancers throughout the world and prepare them so that they can improve all movements, which are then reflected in choreographies.

"Our message is that, at the most difficult moments, as this confinement has been to care about COVID19, we can find ways to renew ourselves using the tools we have at our disposal. That" Unidad por la Danza "initiative will leave us better connected with our Latin American partners, Barrios added.

"Unite por la Danza" was born from the initiative of Víctor Gili, director of the Ballet Concert of Puerto Rico, with the aim of connecting with Latin American ballet companies.

This week we have the participation of the teachers Juan Carlos Costoya from Panama, who gave a class with 25 dancers from the National Ballet and 5 candidates. Likewise, Master Stanislav Feco from Prague, Czech Rep.

The Feco Master specializes in the Vanganova Method, the most important method of classical Ballet teaching in the world and is director of the Petipa Foundation.

 Data about Juan Carlos Costoya

Juan Carlos Costoya studied at Havana Ballet National School, leading up as a professional ballet dancer in 1983 and followed his training at Camagüey's Professional School of Art, Camagüey's Ballet Joven Guardia at the Pro-Dance Center, Cuba's National Ballet and Panama's National Ballet.

His leading teachers have been Alicia Alonso, Fernando Alonso, Laura Alonso, Eric Aroutman, Orlando Salgado, Lazaro Recarño, Loipa Araujo, Raisa Gutiérrez and Joyce Vives.

He has been involved in original works as an international classical repertoire, performing different roles from Coripeno and Coripus to Solista. He has been a professional and has been involved at international festivals, in Mexico, Brazil, Greece, Sweden, Cyprus, Colombia, Italy, Guatemala and Venezuela.

From 2000 she worked at Panama's National Ballet, first as a guest dancer and from 2009 she became an Retiring Professor of Panama's National Ballet to date May 2020 and as a teacher at other private dance academies.