Blanca Li, originally Blanca María Gutiérrez Ortiz (born January 12, 1964) is a Spanish

choreographer Choreography is the art or practice of designing sequences of movements of physical bodies (or their depictions) in which motion or form or both are specified. ''Choreography'' may also refer to the design itself. A choreographer is one who cr ...

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

, dancer, and actress. She has created choreographies for the

Paris Opera Ballet The Paris Opera Ballet () is a French ballet company that is an integral part of the Paris Opera. It is the oldest national ballet company, and many European and international ballet companies can trace their origins to it. It is still regarded ...

, The Berlin Ballet, the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is operat ...

, for filmmakers like

Pedro Almodóvar Pedro Almodóvar Caballero (; (often known simply as Almodóvar) born 25 September 1949) is a Spanish filmmaker. His films are marked by melodrama, irreverent humour, bold colour, glossy décor, quotations from popular culture, and complex narr ...

and

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one of the writers ...

or for musical artists like

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. Widely regarded as one of the most influential acts in dance music history, they achieved popularity in the late 1990s as p ...

(" Around the World" ),

Paul McCartney Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and fashion designer. Born in Atlanta and raised in Chicago, West gained recognition as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records in the ea ...

and

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University Col ...

, among others. Whether performance, opera, musical, museum installation, event, music video or feature film, she initiates and realizes a great number of projects : "I like to give life to all that’s in my brain". Never restricted to one style, she gets her inspiration from a broad spectrum of physical forms of expression (from

flamenco Flamenco (), in its strictest sense, is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and ...

classical ballet Classical ballet is any of the traditional, formal styles of ballet that exclusively employ classical ballet technique. It is known for its aesthetics and rigorous technique (such as pointe work, turnout of the legs, and high extensions), its ...

and hip-hop).

Formation

Blanca Li, originally Blanca María Gutiérrez Ortiz, was born in 1964 in Granada, in a nine-member family. She started to take Flamenco dance lessons during her childhood and participated in a contest to join the Spanish

Rhythmic Gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coord ...

Team. She was accepted at the age of twelve, but she abandoned the team six months before the Olympics because of growth disorders. However, due to her need for physical activity, she decided to replace gymnastics with dance. She moved to New York at the age of seventeen, where she was trained for five years as a dancer and choreographer at

Martha Graham Martha Graham (May 11, 1894 – April 1, 1991) was an American modern dancer and choreographer. Her style, the Graham technique, reshaped American dance and is still taught worldwide. Graham danced and taught for over seventy years. She wa ...

’s School. She also studied with

Alvin Ailey Alvin Ailey Jr. (January 5, 1931 – December 1, 1989) was an American dancer, director, choreographer, and activist who founded the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT). He created AAADT and its affiliated Alvin Ailey American Dance Cente ...

Paul Sanasardo Paul Sanasardo (born 15 September 1928) is an American dancer, choreographer and dance teacher of Italian descent. Life and career Paul Sanasardo was born in Chicago, Illinois to a Sicilian family from Palermo, Italy. He attended the School of th ...

and

Merce Cunningham Mercier Philip "Merce" Cunningham (April 16, 1919 – July 26, 2009) was an American dancer and choreographer who was at the forefront of American modern dance for more than 50 years. He frequently collaborated with artists of other discipl ...

. In New York she lived in Harlem, where she witnessed the birth of hip hop. Her first show took place in the East Village and it was a mix of different styles: classical, modern and hip hop dance. During those years, Blanca met Etienne Li, a mathematician who was also a Franco-Korean graffiti artist. He designed the pamphlets of her first show and would later become her partner. During her time in New York, she created Xoxonees with her sister, a flamenco-rap band in which they danced wearing flamenco dressed. They received an offer in Spain, where they released an homonymous album in 1989. In the late eighties, she founded her first company in

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the second-largest city in the European Union (EU), and ...

, a company she performed with in the Universal Exposition of Seville in 1992, also known as “Expo 92”. Later that year, she moved to Paris. During her first year in the French capital, she worked in a cabaret at

Place Pigalle The Place Pigalle is a public square located in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, between the Boulevard de Clichy and the Boulevard de Rochechouart, near Sacré-Cœur, at the foot of the Montmartre hill. Location and access The square is located ...

where she introduced herself to singers and other artists.

Blanca Li Dance Company

She settles in Paris in 1993 to install her own contemporary dance company, with 14 major pieces at her repertory since. She opens up her own dance studios in Paris in 1998. Fusion between disciplines and a very Latin sense of humor are present in most of her creations. ''Macadam Macadam'', a hip-hop piece commissioned by Suresnes Cite Danse Festival in 1999, becomes the reference of the genre, while touring worldwide, from

Avignon Festival The ''Festival d'Avignon'', or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon every summer in July in the courtyard of the Palais des Papes as well as in other locations of the city. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vila ...

to Festival of Arts and Ideas in

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

. In 2006, in a series performed at the Théâtre Mogador of Paris, ''Macadam Macadam'' receives the Globes de Cristal for Best Musical. She creates her first one-woman show ''Zap! Zap! Zap!'', which is successfully performed at

Théâtre national de Chaillot The Théâtre National de Chaillot (English: Chaillot National Theatre) is a theatre located in the Palais de Chaillot at 1, place du Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. Close by the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro Gardens—the Th ...

in Paris and at

The Kitchen The Kitchen is a non-profit, multi-disciplinary avant-garde performance and experimental art institution located at 512 West 19th Street, between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. It was founde ...

in New York City for the France Moves Festival (2001). She draws inspiration from various sources, from

Gnawa The Gnawa (or Gnaoua, Ghanawa, Ghanawi, Gnawi'; Arabic: ڭناوة) are an ethnic group inhabiting Morocco. The name Gnawa probably originated in the indigenous language of North Africa and the Sahara Desert. The phonology of this term accordi ...

trance ceremonies in

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

for Nana et Lila or Ancient Greek art for Le Songe du Minotaure. She stages the madness of our contemporary world in the wake of

September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...

in collaboration with plastic artists

Jorge Jorge is a Spanish and Portuguese given name. It is derived from the Greek name Γεώργιος (''Georgios'') via Latin ''Georgius''; the former is derived from (''georgos''), meaning "farmer" or "earth-worker". The Latin form ''Georgius'' ...

and

Lucy Orta Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Luci ...

for Borderline (2002). Corazón Loco, playing with love fusion and disintegration, combines dancers with lyrical singers of the vocal ensemble Sequenza 9.3, directed by Catherine Simonpietri on a contemporary score by

Édith Canat de Chizy Edith Canat de Chizy (born 26 March 1950) is a French composer, born in Lyon and now based in Paris. She was the first female composer to be elected a member of the Académie des Beaux-Arts. Life and career Edith Canat de Chizy was born in Lyon, ...

; ''Poet in New York'', inspired by the poems of

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

in New York City and commissioned by Andalucia's Ministry of Culture, has gathered nearly 150 000 spectators during its performances at the summer festival in

Granada Granada (,, DIN 31635, DIN: ; grc, Ἐλιβύργη, Elibýrgē; la, Illiberis or . ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the fo ...

, (two seasons),

in Paris, and Teatros del Canal in Madrid.

In 2013, Blanca Li Dance Company celebrates her 20th anniversary with four shows on tour for more than a 100 performances : * ''Macadam Macadam'' still goes on with a Spanish–French team of hip hop dancers. * ''Garden of Earthly Delights'', an dreamlike fantasy inspired from the painting by

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oa ...

. * ''Elektro Kif'', putting on stage for the first time the new “electro” street dance style (an original urban dance style born in France and spreading worldwide) for a long series at la Cigale in Paris after a successful world tour in Great Britain, Japan, China, Philippines, and Indonesia and France. * ''Robot'' in collaboration with Japanese artists Maywa Denki and NAO robots from Aldebaran, premieres at Montpellier Danse 2013 Festival and ends the 2013 year at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris for a sold-out series. This show is universally acclaimed by the press for opening new horizons on the use of robots on stage. ''Robot'' had a one-week showing at the

Brooklyn Academy of Music The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is a performing arts venue in Brooklyn, New York City, known as a center for progressive and avant-garde performance. It presented its first performance in 1861 and began operations in its present location in ...

in 2015.

Opera, theater, events, installations

Outside her company, Blanca Li has choreographed and produced a great number of projects for major institutions. In 1997, she was commissioned by the Nancy Opera to direct and choreograph two operas, '' La vida breve'' and ''

El amor brujo ''El amor brujo'' (, "The sorcerer love") is a ballet by Manuel de Falla to a libretto by María de la O Lejárraga García, although for years it was attributed to her husband Gregorio Martínez Sierra. It exists in three versions as well as a p ...

'', and, in 1999, the world premiere of ''Un Tango Pour Monsieur Lautrec''. In 1999, the

Paris Opera The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...

asks her for a contemporary choreography for the Baroque opera ''

Les Indes galantes (French: "The Amorous Indies") is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau with a libretto by Louis Fuzelier. It takes the form of an ''opéra-ballet'' with a prologue and (in its final form) four ''entrées'' (acts). Following an allegorical prologue, ...

'' conducted by William Christie and produced by

Andrei Serban Andrei Șerban (born June 21, 1943) is a Romanian-American theater director. A major name in twentieth-century theater, he is renowned for his innovative and iconoclastic interpretations and stagings. In 1992 he became Professor of Theater at the ...

. (Rameau's ballet opera, now part of the Opéra's repertoire, was released in DVD in 2005). For the turn of the millennium Blanca Li creates, together with trapeze artists, the air ballet ''Univers Unique''. Monique Loudières, Danseuse Etoile of the

company, asks Li to create a solo for her: Silhouette, to be performed at the

in 2000. Highest honors in the dance world in 2001: the famous

invites Li to create a new ballet on ''

Scheherazade Scheherazade () is a major female character and the storyteller in the frame narrative of the Middle Eastern collection of tales known as the ''One Thousand and One Nights''. Name According to modern scholarship, the name ''Scheherazade'' deri ...

'' by

Rimsky-Korsakov Nikolai Andreyevich Rimsky-Korsakov . At the time, his name was spelled Николай Андреевичъ Римскій-Корсаковъ. la, Nicolaus Andreae filius Rimskij-Korsakov. The composer romanized his name as ''Nicolas Rimsk ...

, together with Christian Lacroix as costume designer. In 2001, Blanca Li is nominated artistic director and choreographer of the Berlin Ballet at the

Komische Oper Berlin The Komische Oper Berlin is a German opera company based in Berlin. The company produces opera, operetta and musicals. The opera house is located on Behrenstraße, just a few steps from Unter den Linden. Since 2004, the Komische Oper Berlin, a ...

in Germany, a company of 24 dancers, for whom she creates a new version of ''Le Songe du Minotaure'', which is also performed at the Mérida Festival in Spain. Borderline is produced as world premiere by the Berlin Ballett in June 2002. In March 2003, Blanca Li creates at the Paris

Opéra Bastille The Opéra Bastille (, "Bastille Opera House") is a modern opera house in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, France. Inaugurated in 1989 as part of President François Mitterrand's '' Grands Travaux'', it became the main facility of the Paris N ...

a choreography for ''

William Tell William Tell (german: Wilhelm Tell, ; french: Guillaume Tell; it, Guglielmo Tell; rm, Guglielm Tell) is a folk hero of Switzerland. According to the legend, Tell was an expert mountain climber and marksman with a crossbow who assassinated Albr ...

'', produced by

Francesca Zambello Francesca Zambello (born August 24, 1956) is an American opera and theatre director. She serves as director of Glimmerglass Festival and the Washington National Opera. Early life and education Born in New York City, Zambello lived in Europe whe ...

. Al Andalus, featuring ''

'' by

Manuel de Falla Manuel de Falla y Matheu (, 23 November 187614 November 1946) was an Andalusian Spanish composer and pianist. Along with Isaac Albéniz, Francisco Tárrega, and Enrique Granados, he was one of Spain's most important musicians of the first hal ...

is premiered at the Massy Opera before being performed at the

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ar, الْحَمْرَاء, Al-Ḥamrāʾ, , ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the ...

Palace for the International Festival of Music and Dance of

in June 2004. In March 2004, Blanca Li is invited as choreographer for the new

Don Giovanni ''Don Giovanni'' (; K. 527; Vienna (1788) title: , literally ''The Rake Punished, or Don Giovanni'') is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to an Italian libretto by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Its subject is a centuries-old Spanis ...

production at the

in NYC produced by

Marthe Keller Marthe Keller (born 28 January 1945) is a Swiss actress and opera director. She is perhaps best known for her role in the film '' Marathon Man'' (1976), for which she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Career Early years Keller studied ba ...

. In 2005 she creates the choreography for the musical comedy '' Bagdad Café'' together with Bob Telson and

Percy Adlon Paul Rudolf Parsifal "Percy" Adlon (; born 1 June 1935) is a German director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his film ''Bagdad Cafe''. He is associated with the New German Cinema movement (ca. 1965–1985), and has been noted f ...

. In October 2008, she creates ''Enamorados Anonimos'', a musical played for seven months at the Movistar Theatre, in the Gran Via in

. In July 2009, she choreographs ''Am Anfang'' by

Anselm Kiefer Anselm Kiefer (born 8 March 1945) is a German painter and sculptor. He studied with Peter Dreher and Horst Antes at the end of the 1960s. His works incorporate materials such as straw, ash, clay, lead, and shellac. The poems of Paul Celan hav ...

, a special event for the departure of

Gerard Mortier Gerard Alfons August, Baron Mortier (25 November 1943 – 8 March 2014) was a Belgian opera director and administrator of Flemish origin. Biography Born in Ghent, the son of a baker, Mortier attended in youth the Jesuit private school Sint-Barbar ...

as director. Blanca Li choreographs ''Quel Cirque!'' (What a circus!) in January 2010, a short piece (25 mn) for the Collective Jeu de Jambes, pioneer of jazz-rock in France, commissioned by Festival Suresnes Cités Danse. In March 2010, she directs and choreographs the opera ''

Treemonisha ''Treemonisha'' (1911) is an opera by American ragtime composer Scott Joplin. It is sometimes referred to as a "ragtime opera", though Joplin did not refer to it as such and it encompasses a wide range of musical styles. The music of ''Treemonis ...

'' (by

Scott Joplin Scott Joplin ( 1868 – April 1, 1917) was an American composer and pianist. Because of the fame achieved for his ragtime compositions, he was dubbed the "King of Ragtime." During his career, he wrote over 40 original ragtime pieces, one ra ...

) at the

Théâtre du Châtelet The Théâtre du Châtelet () is a theatre and opera house, located in the place du Châtelet in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. One of two theatres (the other being the Théâtre de la Ville) built on the site of a ''châtelet'', a s ...

in Paris. In June 2010, she stages in Spain two operas of the contemporary composer

Luis de Pablo Luis de Pablo Costales (28 January 1930 – 10 October 2021) was a Spanish composer belonging to the generation that Cristóbal Halffter named ''the Generación del 51''. Mostly self-taught as a composer and influenced by Maurice Ohana and Max ...

, ''Very Gentle'' and ''Un parque'' (Teatros del Canal, Madrid). In the field of visual arts and multimedia, Blanca Li is invited by the MUSAC, Contemporary Art Museum of Castilla y Leon, for her first exhibition "" ("I’ll teach you how to dance") (from January 26 to May 4, 2008). As part of the Noche en Blanco (White Night) to Madrid, in September 2009, Blanca Li designs "" ("Come dance with me"), an audiovisual and interactive installation, with tens of thousands of people dancing in the streets of the Spanish capital. The French edition of "" ("The Dance Fest") becomes a major popular event at the Grand Palais in Paris, in September 2011 with more than 15 000 participants, and is later commissioned by

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. The museum was inaugurated on 18 October 1997 by King Juan Carlos I of Sp ...

in 2012 and Odyssud in Toulouse in 2013. She stages numerous fashion shows and events for

Stella McCartney Stella Nina McCartney (born 13 September 1971) is an English fashion designer. She is a daughter of British singer-songwriter Paul McCartney and the late American photographer and animals rights activist Linda McCartney. Like her parents, McCa ...

Hermès Hermès International S.A., or simply Hermès ( , ), is a French luxury design house established in 1837. It specializes in leather goods, lifestyle accessories, home furnishings, perfumery, jewelry, watches and ready-to-wear. Its logo, since ...

Jean-Paul Gaultier Jean Paul Gaultier (; born 24 April 1952) is a French haute couture and prêt-à-porter fashion designer. He is described as an " enfant terrible" of the fashion industry and is known for his unconventional designs with motifs including corset ...

, H&M,

Target Target may refer to: Physical items * Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports ** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports ** Aiming point, in field artillery, fi ...

, Just One Eye and many others in Paris, London, New York City, Los Angeles or Shanghai.

Film, advertising, and music videos

From the beginning, she extends her activity by participating as a choreographer to the movie industry ('' French Twist'' by

Josiane Balasko Josiane Balasko (born Josiane Balašković; 15 April 1950) is a French actress, writer, and director. She has been nominated seven times for César Awards, and won twice. Career One of Balasko's most recognized roles among English speakers is ...

, ''

Dry Cleaning Dry cleaning is any cleaning process for clothing and textiles using a solvent other than water. Dry cleaning still involves liquid, but clothes are instead soaked in a water-free liquid solvent. Tetrachloroethylene (perchloroethylene), known in ...

'' by

Anne Fontaine Anne Fontaine (born Anne-Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc; 15 July 1959) is a Luxembourger film director, screenwriter, and former actress. She lives and works in France. Life and career Born Anne-Fontaine Sibertin-Blanc in Luxembourg, sister of actor ...

, ''

Mood Indigo "Mood Indigo" is a jazz song with music by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard and lyrics by Irving Mills. Composition Although Irving Mills—Jack Mills's brother and publishing partner—took credit for the lyrics, Mitchell Parish claimed in ...

'' by

, '' I'm So Excited'' by

, to advertising (

Perrier Perrier ( , also , ) is a French brand of natural bottled water, bottled mineral water obtained at its source in Vergèze, located in the Gard ''département''. Perrier is known for its carbonation and its distinctive green bottle. Perrier w ...

, Gap,

Prada Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding t ...

Lancôme Lancôme () is a French luxury perfumes and cosmetics house that distributes products internationally. Lancôme is part of the L'Oréal Luxury Products division, which is its parent company and offers luxury skin care, fragrances, and makeup at ...

, Longchamp,

, H&M,

Kookai Kookai is a women's fashion label founded in Paris, France in 1983 by Jean-Lou Tepper, Jacques Nataf and Philippe de Hesdin. It has a simple philosophy: "to supply women with fashion forward apparel for their wardrobes at accessible prices". Kooka ...

Kenzo is a common masculine Japanese given name. Possible writings Kenzō can be written using different kanji characters and can mean: *賢三, "wise, three" *健三, "healthy, three" *謙三, "humble, three" *健想, "healthy, concept" *建造, "bu ...

) or to music videos (

's Around the World , Blur's " Music Is My Radar",

Rita Mitsouko Les Rita Mitsouko (, translation: ''The Rita Mitsukos'') were a French pop rock group formed by Fred Chichin and Catherine Ringer. The duo first performed as Rita Mitsouko at Gibus Club in Paris in 1980. They went on to become one of the most a ...

Goldfrapp Goldfrapp are an English electronic music duo from London, formed in 1999. The duo consists of Alison Goldfrapp (vocals, synthesiser) and Will Gregory (synthesiser). Despite favourable reviews and a short-listing for the Mercury Prize, their ...

True Love...) She writes a script and shoots her first short film: ''Angoisse'' (4 "Best Film" Awards). She directs numerous audiovisual works and humorous short films (And so on, ''la Paella'', ''Un après-midi'', ''Sandance'', ''Home Fitness''). She directs the adaptation of her choreographic work, ''Al Andalús'' for

Arte Arte (; (), sometimes stylized in lowercase or uppercase in its logo) is a European public service channel dedicated to culture. It is made up of three separate companies: the Strasbourg-based European Economic Interest Grouping ARTE, plus ...

TV Channel in 2002. Blanca Li's first feature film, ''The Challenge'' (Le Défi), a hip hop musical comedy featuring

Sofia Boutella Sofia Boutella ( ar, صوفيا بوتلة; born 3 April 1982) is an Algerian actress, model, and dancer. Early life Boutella was born in the Bab El Oued district of Algiers, Algeria, to an architect mother and a jazz musician father, Safy Bout ...

Amanda Lear Amanda Lear (; born 1939) is a French singer, songwriter, painter, television presenter, actress, and former model. She began her professional career as a fashion model in the mid-1960s, and went on to model for Paco Rabanne, Ossie Clark, and ...

and 150 dancers, is released in May 2002. Box office: 300 000 spectators in France and continued showing for 4 months (director, choreographer, dancer and actress: Blanca Li). In May 2004, this film is selected by the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...

in New York City. In 2009, she confirms her presence on the screen with one of the main roles of the film by

Danièle Thompson Danièle Thompson (born 3 January 1942) is a Monegasque film director and screenwriter. Thompson is the daughter of film director Gérard Oury, and actress Jacqueline Roman. She has written screenplays for a number of highly successful films i ...

, ''

Change of Plans ''Change of Plans'' (french: Le code a changé; literally, "The Code Has Changed," referring to the entry code for the outer door of the apartment complex where much of the film takes place) is a 2009 French film directed and written by Danièle ...

''. Also in 2009, she directs ''For Her'' (Pour Elle), a short film with

Victoria Abril Victoria Mérida Rojas (born 4 July 1959), better known as Victoria Abril, is a Spanish film actress and singer based in France. She is possibly best known to international audiences for her performance in the film ''Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!'' by ...

for the series

X Femmes ''X Femmes'' (English: ''X Women'') is a French television series of short films shown on Canal+ in 2008–2009. They were shot by female directors with the goal of producing erotica, soft-core pornography and hard-core pornography from a female p ...

(Season 2), broadcast by

Canal Plus Canal+ (Canal Plus, , meaning 'Channel Plus'; sometimes abbreviated C+ or Canal) is a French premium television channel launched in 1984. It is 100% owned by the Groupe Canal+, which in turn is owned by Vivendi. The channel broadcasts several ki ...

. Her second feature film as a director, Step by Step (Pas à Pas), is a documentary about the creative process of Corazon loco (theatrical release in France in January 2010). She directs the TV filmings of her shows Elektro Kif and Robot in 2013 for

France Television France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Her feature film ''Robot, director's cut'' world premieres at the Lincoln Center Film Society “Dance on Camera Festival” in New York City on February 2, 2015 (). Her fifth feature film as a director, ''Elektro Mathematrix'', a musical adapted from her show ''Elektro Kif'' is shot in a Paris high school in 2014.

Awards and distinctions

From September 2006 to 2010, Blanca Li was the artistic director of CAD (Andalusian Center of Dance), a government institute for professional dancers in

Seville Seville (; es, Sevilla, ) is the capital and largest city of the Spanish autonomous community of Andalusia and the province of Seville. It is situated on the lower reaches of the River Guadalquivir, in the southwest of the Iberian Peninsula ...

. She creates a hip hop section and a program about Escuela Bolera, a unique traditional genre almost disappearing at that time in Spain. She receives the distinctions of Officer de la

Légion d'Honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

from the French president

François Hollande François Gérard Georges Nicolas Hollande (; born 12 August 1954) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2012 to 2017. He previously was First Secretary of the Socialist Party (PS) from 1997 to 2008, Mayor of Tulle from ...

in 2014, Officer in

Ordre des Arts et des Lettres The ''Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'' (Order of Arts and Letters) is an order of France established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture. Its supplementary status to the was confirmed by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963. Its purpose is ...

(2007) from the French Ministry of Culture and Chevalier of the

Ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's esta ...

(2004) from the French Ministry of European Affairs. In Spain, she receives from the King of Spain the 2009 Gold Medal of Fine Arts, a distinction for 20 major figures in arts and culture. In 2004 the

Prize is offered in recognition of her contribution to contemporary choreography and her professional career. And in 2013 she gets her entry in the popular French dictionary ''

Petit Larousse ''Le Petit Larousse Illustré'', commonly known simply as ''Le Petit Larousse'' (), is a French-language encyclopedic dictionary published by Éditions Larousse. It first appeared in 1905 and was edited by Claude Augé, following Augé's '' Dict ...

''. On April 24, 2019, she gets elected to the French

Académie des Beaux Arts An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

, as one of three permanent members of the newly created choreography department. On October 15, 2019, she is nominated artistic director of los Teatros del Canal in Madrid, Spain.

Repertory of Blanca Li Dance Company

* ''Nana et Lila'' (1993) Trans Europe Express Festival (Berlin) and Avignon Off. "Public OFF" award: Best dance show at the Avignon Festival. * ''Central Station'' (1994) * ''Salomé'' (1995) Le Quartz, Brest. * ''Stress'' (1997) Jean Vilar Theatre, Suresnes. * ''Le Songe du Minotaure'' (1998) Dance biennial, Lyon. * ''Macadam Macadam'' (1999) Suresnes Cité Dance Festival. (Recreated in 2006, at the Mogador Theatre, Paris). "Cristal Globe" of the "Best Show" in the Opera/Dance category France. * ''Zap! Zap! Zap!'' (1999) (One Woman Show). Maison de la Musique, Nanterre and National Theatre of Chaillot, Paris. Performed at France Moves Festival at

, New York City in 2001 (USA) * ''Borderline'' (2002) Maison des Arts et de la Culture, Créteil. * ''Al Andalus'' (2004) Three parts ballet (Nana, Canciones Populares, l'Amour Sorcier). Massy Opera and the International Festival of Granada. * ''Alarme'' (2004) International dance biennial, Lyon. * ''Corazon Loco'' (2007). Odyssud (Blagnac) and

, Paris. * ''Poeta en Nueva York'' (2007). Generalife Theatre, the Alhambra Gardens (Lorca and Granada Program) Ministry of Culture of Andalucia, Spain. Awards and distinctions: "Premios Max de las Artes Escenicas" for the Best Choreography. "Chivas Télon", "Ideal de Granada" and "Imagen" of the City of Granada. * ''Le Jardin des Délices'' (2009) inspired by a painting by

. Montpellier Dance Festival. * ''Elektro Kif'' (2011) for 8 "electro" dancers. The Avant-Seine, Colombes. * ''Robot'' (2013) for 8 dancers and robots. With NAO and Maywa Denki musical automats. Montpellier Dance Festival 2013.

Selected filmography as
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

Fiction

* ''Angoisse'' (1997) Short film (Première Heure, shot in 35 mm, 5 min). Won the Audience Award and Special Mention from the Jury Members of the 14th

Brest European Short Film Festival The Brest European Short Film Festival ( French: Festival européen du film court de Brest) is a film festival dedicated to short films, happening every year in Brest, in the Brittany region in France. It has been organized by the Côte Ouest As ...

(France), the Fuji Film Award of the 22nd Short Festival of Grenoble (France), and the Best French Short Film Award at the Women Films Festival of Créteil (France). * ''La paella'' (2000) Short film with Blanca Li and Lola Mercier (7 min). * ''Le Défi'' (Dance Challenge).(2002) Feature film with Blanca Li,

, Benji Chaouat and 100 hip hop dancers. Hip hop musical written, choreographed and directed by Blanca Li. (SPI 35 mm, 1h34 length). Won the Audience Award at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

(Canada), selected at

in New York 2004. * ''The Chicken'' (2002) Short film with Blanca Li (2 min). * ''Home Fitness'' (2007) Short film with Blanca Li, Rafa Liñares ( MUSAC Léon, 3 min). * ''Pour Elle'' (2009) Short film with

, Canal Plus série ''

'' (2009), Season 2, Episode 2. 23 min). * ''Feathers'' (2014) Short film for John Nollet collection of Hair design. (Calentito, 3 min) * ''Elektro Mathematrix'' (2015) Feature musical adapted from Elektro Kif stage show. (Film Addict, 82 min) * ''BlancaLi360'' (2015) Experimental short artistic film for 360° vision devices (

Oculus Rift Oculus Rift is a discontinued line of virtual reality headsets developed and manufactured by Oculus VR, a division of Meta Platforms, released on March 28, 2016. In 2012 Oculus initiated a Kickstarter campaign to fund the Rift's development, af ...

). (Premiere Heure, 10 min)

Documentaries

* ''Al Andalús'' (2006) Choreography filmed for ARTE (French TV channel) ; choreographed, staged and directed by Blanca Li (Les Films d'Ici, 26 min). * ''Pas à pas'' (2009) Documentary directed by Blanca Li about the gestation period and the creation of Corazon Loco spectacle . Released in January 2010 (production Film Addict, 1h 30). * ''Elektrokif'' (2013) Choreography filmed for FRANCE O (French TV channel) ; choreographed, staged and directed by Blanca Li (Premiere Heure, 70 min). * R''obot'' (2013) Choreography filmed for FRANCE 2 (French TV channel) ; choreographed, staged and directed by Blanca Li (Premiere Heure, 90 min). * ''Robot Director's cut'' version (2014) to premiere at Lincoln Center Film Society (http://www.filmlinc.com/films/on-sale/robot Dance on Camera Festival, Feb 2nd 2015) (Premiere Heure, 61 min)

External links

Homepage of Blanca Li
*

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Li, Blanca 1964 births Living people Spanish female dancers Spanish choreographers

Formation

Blanca Li Dance Company

Opera, theater, events, installations

Film, advertising, and music videos

Awards and distinctions

Repertory of Blanca Li Dance Company

Selected filmography as film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

Fiction

Documentaries

External links

References

Selected filmography as
film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...