Norma Fontenla

Norma Fontenla
Norma Fontenla

Norma Fontenla (June 28, 1930 - October 10, 1971) was an Argentine prima ballerina.

Life and work

Fontenla was born in 1930, and while still a child, began attending the National Conservatory of Music and Scenic Art, in Buenos Aires. She was later accepted into the dance school of the Colón Theatre, the nation's premier opera house. Fontenla was made part of the opera house's ballet company and was eventually named its prima ballerina.[1]

She joined the Rio de Janeiro Ballet in the early 1960s, and with them made her first European tours. Returning to Buenos Aires, she led the Colón Theatre Ballet in works such as Frederic Chopin's Les Sylphides, Adolphe Adam's Giselle, Léo Delibes' Coppelia, and as Odette in Peter Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake. Her 1967 performance in Giselle was notable also for her collaboration with Margot Fonteyn and Rudolph Nureyev.[1]

Fontenla performed in Paris in 1968 and in Santiago, Chile in 1969, where she opened the Municipal Theater's ballet season that year. She organized a tour of opera houses in the Argentine hinterland in 1970, and was invited to direct the ballet company in Milan's renowned La Scala.[2] Her previous collaboration with Nureyev earned the Colón Theatre his choosing that venue to perform Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker for the 1971 season. The success of the program was followed by a series of performances by Nureyev for Argentine television, alongside Fontenla and her primo ballerino, José Neglia.[1]

Fontenla, Neglia and seven other members of the ballet company boarded a flight at Jorge Newbery Airfield on October 10, 1971, en route to Trelew, a city in Patagonia where they were scheduled to perform. Shortly after takeoff, however, the twin-engine plane stalled, nose-diving into the Río de la Plata and killing all aboard. Their remains lay in state at the Colón, and on the first anniversary of the tragedy, a monument in their honor was unveiled on Lavalle Plaza (within steps of the opera house).[2]

References


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Norma Fontenla — (*28 de junio de 1930 † 10 de octubre de 1971) fue una Primaballerina de ballet argentina fallecida trágicamente en un accidente aéreo. La bailarina perteneció al ballet estable del Teatro Colón siendo contemporánea de otras importantes colegas… …   Wikipedia Español

  • José Neglia — Archivo:José Neglia.jpg Recibiendo la Medalla de Oro en Francia de manos de Serge Lifar José Neglia (* San Martín, Provincia de Buenos Aires, 2 de abril de 1929 †10 de octubre de 1971) fue un importante bailarín de ballet que junto a su compañera …   Wikipedia Español

  • Plaza Lavalle — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Plaza Lavalle La Plaza Lavalle es una espacio verde de tres manzanas de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Se encuentra en el barrio de San Nicolás, rodeada de las calles Libertad, Lavalle, Talcahuano y Avenida …   Wikipedia Español

  • Homenaje al Ballet Nacional — Homenaje al ballet Ubicación Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Plaza Lavalle …   Wikipedia Español

  • Teatro Colón — Colombus Theatre …   Wikipedia

  • Culture of Argentina — Architecture Cinema Comics Cuisine Dance Holidays Humor …   Wikipedia

  • Argentina — For alternative meanings, see Argentina (disambiguation) and Argentine (disambiguation). Argentine Republic[1] …   Wikipedia

  • Teatro Colón — El Teatro Colón: uno de los más importantes del mundo Edificio Tipo Complejo artístico Estilo …   Wikipedia Español

  • Teatro Colón (Buenos Aires) — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Teatro Colón Teatro Colón: uno de los teatros más importantes de Latinoamerica y el mundo. Edificio Tipo Complejo artístico Estilo ecléctico Sistema est …   Wikipedia Español

  • La muerte del cisne — Anna Pavlova. La Muerte del Cisne es una pieza de ballet coreografiada por Michel Fokine sobre la composición El Cisne de Carnaval de los animales de Camille Saint Saëns en 1866 …   Wikipedia Español

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”