Los inicios de la Compañía Nacional de Danza: Ensayo y error de una errática política cultural estatal

Abstract

On the 40th anniversary of the Spanish National Dance Company, the present article analyzes its first decade of existence, then known as National Classical Ballet. This institution was a product of the democratic transition and of the foundation of the cultural action after the Francoist dictatorship. The National Dance Company, originally oriented towards academical ballet, followed a zigzagging trajectory as an institution, merging artistic logic and national cultural policy, which lacked both experience and well-defined objectives. Starting from the heteronomous condition of the artistic field compared to that of power, this article researches literally and in context, the degree to which extent politics affected the artistic and managerial praxis, as well as the institutional model of the most prominent ballet company in Spain.