Muriel Romero takes charge of the CND, which had not had a female director since 1987, with a project with a strong female presence

Dancer and choreographer Muriel Romero She presented her project this Wednesday, with a strong female presence, as director of the National Dance Company (CND)), a position that had not been held by a woman since 1987.

Together with Muriel, Mayda Islas will be deputy director; Ana Catalina is Romanian assistant to the artistic director; Violet Gaston; repeating teacher; Pachi Cabins; technical director; and Arturo Barral manager.

In addition to the management team, Romero has opted for “to give opportunities to highly recognized female choreographers in Spain” -although also emerging- but who have not set foot in the CND until now; an unpublished repertoire “never danced” in the company; dialogue, commitment and “self-criticism” among workers; or innovation as the “ultimate goal”.

INCLUSIVE AND RURAL DANCE

One of the axes to which the new team has given the most importance has been “inclusion” in dance and, in that sense, Romero has shown his commitment to Include people with disabilities in the companyas well as bringing dance to the “most rural” areas of Spain.

“The 2030 agenda has a human rights perspective. It is something that I have also worked on quite a bit, in the inclusion of people with different disabilities. Then, in my work, I also do a lot for inclusion in education and in society. For example, being able to open the CND, which has a completely institutional task, to the public, to the most discriminated sectors, especially to children who cannot access dance. When I talk about decentralizing, about accessing, I am talking about dance reaching all possible provinces, I am referring to something rural, decentralizing.“, Romero added.

On the other hand, although the new director has assured that classical dance also “will have a place“One of the axes of its programme is to provide the CND with a unique character that allows it to expand the classic dance icons by working with other arts (such as musical and literary creation), in such a way that it makes it possible to exalt the Spanish cultural heritage while continuing to develop a personality of its own for this creation centre, always supported by dancers “of the highest level”.

In any case, Romero has explained that 2024 is “a year of transition” since they have only been working on the preparation of the new programs for three weeks. He also assured that the programming of the previous director, Joaquín De Luz, will be respected.

Each year, a work from the 20th century repertoire that has not been performed in Spain until now will be revived, always in line with the Company’s cast. Its priority objectives include promoting joint creation between contemporary choreographers and composers, as well as with artists from different disciplines, both national and foreign.

Romero’s appointment by the National Institute of Performing Arts and Music (INAEM) makes the choreographer the third woman to hold the position, along with María de Ávila and Maya Plisetskaya.