Ninety years later, the Sodre National Ballet continues to be a reference

By Roy Rodriquez

The National Ballet of the Sodre (BNS) celebrates 90 years since its creation on August 27, 1935, when the Ministry of Education and Culture founded it under the name of the Sodre Dance Corps. The first director was Alberto Pouyanne, a Uruguayan dancer and pianist trained in Europe, who poured his experience and his Montevideo academy into the formation of the company. His students were the first performers of that cast.

The debut occurred on November 23, 1935 with “Native Night,” a work by Pouyanne with music by Vicente Ascone performed by the Symphony Orchestra. This proposal, which mixed folklore and European aesthetics, opened the question about what was the identity of classical dance in Uruguay. In that initial stage, the company sought to consolidate its style with the contribution of foreign teachers and choreographers.

Between 1958 and 1970 there was the first golden age of the BNS, marked by the arrival of Argentine artists, many from the Teatro Colón. It was a period of massive recognition, with figures achieving international status. Sara Nieto entered at the age of 16 in 1964 and in 1970 she was named prima ballerina. He remembers that stage as the first great golden age, alongside performers like Tola Leff, Raúl Severo, Tito Barbón and Eduardo Ramírez, in a context of full rooms and loyal audiences.

The setting of those years was the Estudio Auditorio, in Mercedes and Andes, a theater with a large stage, leather seats and the remembered “chicken coop.” There was lived one of the greatest tragedies of Uruguayan culture: On September 18, 1971, the building caught fire. Sandra Giacosa, who was part of the dance group, recounted the flames, the musicians trying to save instruments and the complete loss of the stage. That accident marked a before and after, leaving the ballet without its central space.

Today, 90 years later, the Sodre National Ballet continues to be a cultural reference in the country, with a history crossed by creation, artistic glory and resilience in the face of adversity.