Brazilian dancer and choreographer Juliano Nunes, who currently dances with the Royal Ballet of Flanders (Belgium), is one of our distinguished guest artists in this year’s Gala of the Stars. We caught up with Juliano and chatted with him about his pieces set to be performed at the Gala.
Juliano Nunes and Morgan Lugo from the Royal Ballet of Flanders
Festival Ballet Theatre (FBT) : What are your thoughts about coming to Orange County, CA to be a part of Festival Ballet Theatre’s Gala of the Stars?
Juliano Nunes (JN): I’m very excited to be a part of it! I will be performing one of mine own Creations, it’s called “Back Forward back,” and Evan Mckie and Svetlana Lunkina will be performing one of my creations as well called “Sospiri.”
Sospiri // Evan McKie and Svetlana Lunkina Choreographed by Juliano Nunes
FBT: What inspired you to start being a choreographer?
JN: I had a moment in my career where I felt the extreme desire to put my own voice inside the dance community as a choreographer and that come out throughout my experiences as a ballet dancer
Working for other choreographers made me realize that my creative input was becoming stronger and stronger, I believe in dance and I believe on something fresh for the dancers and the audience.
Back Forward Back// Juliano Nunes + Morgan Lugo Choreographed by Juliano Nunes
FBT: How do you approach dancing and choreographing?
JN: My approach towards choreography is a completely different approach. As a dancer, you are used to receiving information and exploring. As a choreographer, my first thought is caring about the second person, music, audience, light, interesting configurations and so on…It’s such a larger scale of creativity, it goes far beyond than being just a dancer and within it comes a lot more of responsibility.
FBT: Lastly, since our Gala includes Young Dancers in the first act, what advice would you give aspiring ballerinas?
JN: For the younger Generation, the most important thing is to keep working hard, start facing your own imperfections and embrace your personality as an artist. Don’t be afraid to be confident and believe in yourself. Explore Diversity there is a lot more of beauty outside our comfort zone, Diversity is a Joy!
Just don’t give up on what you believe, keep working hard towards your dreams and once you achieve one of your dreams close your eyes and dream once again.
