1. Blanca Li, originally Blanca Maria Gutierrez Ortiz was born on January 12,1964 and is a Spanish choreographer, film director, dancer, and actress.
22 Facts About Blanca Li
1. 2.
Blanca Li has created choreographies for the Paris Opera Ballet, The Berlin Ballet, the Metropolitan Opera, for filmmakers like Pedro Almodovar and Michel Gondry, and for musical artists like Beyonce, Daft Punk, Paul McCartney, Kanye West and Coldplay, among others.
3.
Blanca Li, originally Blanca Maria Gutierrez Ortiz, was born in 1964 in Granada, in a nine-member family.
4.
Blanca Li started to take Flamenco dance lessons during her childhood and participated in a contest to join the Spanish Rhythmic Gymnastics Team.
5.
Blanca Li was accepted at the age of twelve, but she abandoned the team six months before the Olympics because of growth disorders.
6.
Blanca Li moved to New York at the age of seventeen, where she was trained for five years as a dancer and choreographer at Martha Graham's School.
7.
Blanca Li studied with Alvin Ailey, Paul Sanasardo and Merce Cunningham.
8.
Blanca Li's first show took place in the East Village and it was a mix of different styles: classical, modern and hip hop dance.
9.
Blanca Li designed the pamphlets of her first show and would later become her partner.
10.
Blanca Li settles in Paris in 1993 to install her own contemporary dance company, with 14 major pieces at her repertory since.
11.
Blanca Li opens up her own dance studios in Paris in 1998.
12.
Outside her company, Blanca Li has choreographed and produced a great number of projects for major institutions.
13.
In 2001, Blanca Li is nominated artistic director and choreographer of the Berlin Ballet at the Komische Oper Berlin in Germany, a company of 24 dancers, for whom she creates a new version of Le Songe du Minotaure, which is performed at the Merida Festival in Spain.
14.
In March 2003, Blanca Li creates at the Paris Opera Bastille a choreography for William Tell, produced by Francesca Zambello.
15.
In March 2004, Blanca Li is invited as choreographer for the new Don Giovanni production at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC produced by Marthe Keller.
16.
Blanca Li directs numerous audiovisual works and humorous short films.
17.
Blanca Li directs the adaptation of her choreographic work, Al Andalus for Arte TV Channel in 2002.
18.
Blanca Li's second feature film as a director, Step by Step, is a documentary about the creative process of Corazon loco.
19.
Blanca Li directs the TV filmings of her shows Elektro Kif and Robot in 2013 for France Television.
20.
From September 2006 to 2010, Blanca Li was the artistic director of CAD, a government institute for professional dancers in Seville.
21.
Blanca Li creates a hip hop section and a program about Escuela Bolera, a unique traditional genre almost disappearing at that time in Spain.
22.
Blanca Li receives the distinctions of Officer de la Legion d'Honneur from the French president Francois Hollande in 2014, Officer in Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from the French Ministry of Culture and Chevalier of the Ordre national du Merite from the French Ministry of European Affairs.