The Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica. Accademia di Alta Società is a cultural association that deals mainly with the study and diffusion of Historical Dance from the Renaissance to the beginning of the 20th century.
The CNDS Corps de Ballet carries out the Association’s artistic work.
CNDS has a wide program of Association Activities addressed to enthusiasts of all ages through which it develops many different forms of cultural socialization, mostly through historical dances but also through other forms of artistic expression.
The CNDS School develops high-profile educational projects addressed to professional dancers, but also to enthusiasts who would like to improve their skills.
All of the above initiatives rest on the following elements:
CNDS and its founder Nino Graziano Luca are official members of CID UNESCO (Conseil International de la Danse).
All CNDS activities enjoy the patronage of ENIT (National Tourist Board).
CNDS, through its President Nino Graziano Luca, has been cooperating with:
CNDS schedules Historical Dance Courses, Grand Balls, Tea Dance Parties, Public Performances, Conferences, Exhibitions, Lectures, and Masterclasses throughout the year. The courses are prevalent in the regions of Lombardy, Marche, Lazio, Abruzzo, Campania, Puglia, and Sicily, and are also periodically scheduled abroad.
Among the very successful projects CNDS has organized involving also the Association’s students, it is especially worth mentioning the following:
The Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica offers courses that are designed to entertain and provide an opportunity to spend some happy time together. They create an environment where to enjoy a shared passion with a small cohesive community while promoting forms of psycho-physical well-being. This has always been the number 1 priority of our 19th century Dance Courses, the traditional ones that feature a variety of very entertaining dances. Courses are arranged by beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.
Our traditional offer has expanded over the years with the establishment of new courses, including Advanced Waltz Courses, courses on Regency Dances, Scottish Dances, a course on Good Manners (Etiquette, Makeup, Hairstyle, Costumes of the time) and the Advanced Course in Historical Dances. The latter is focused on perfecting the style to be shown when executing steps and figures and posture (also when on stage), as well as expanding the choreographic repertoire for more complex performances.
Nino Graziano Luca and the Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica have created a very successful format for the staging of Grand Balls which can be customized on a case by case basis to adapt to a given theme: from the choice of the location to the date of the event; from choreographies to music programs; from costumes to accessories; from guest artists to the repertoire of their performances; from the dinner menu to beverages; and from the silverware to gold thread goblets.
It is particularly worth noting the following numerous and wonderful Grand Balls:
Waltzes, Quadrilles, Contredanses, and Mazurkas are the dances included in the programs of the Grand Balls organized by the Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica. Their choreographies draw inspiration from the manuals of the most prominent dance masters of the 19 th century as well as the most beloved period films. The musical program ranges from Strauss to Verdi, from Ziehrer to Puccini, and from Nino Rota to Bellini. Dancers wear precious gowns, crinolines and elegant tailcoats designed according to 19 th century fashion.
The Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica has always endeavored to make the different art forms such as Ballet, the Opera, and Dance interact with one other. To do so, it has staged productions starring its own Company and organized Grand Balls for enthusiasts of the genre. Every dance in the program has been choreographed according to the Handbooks of the great Masters from times past, alternating with arias from the most acclaimed melodramas sung by great tenors and sopranos.
The project known as the COMPAGNIA NAZIONALE DI DANZA STORICA MEETS GREAT OPERA is meant to take the relationship between Dance and Opera to the next level. Dance and Melodrama are both the protagonists and share the same stage and set decoration. Dances are performed before the Opera, after the Opera and, in some cases, between the acts according to the rules of an entr'acte.
The COMPAGNIA NAZIONALE DI DANZA STORICA MEETS GREAT OPERA features the CNDS Corps de Ballet and students playing the choral role of “Aristocrats”.
Among the most remarkable achievements of the project, it is worth mentioning:
August 2018: LA TRAVIATA AND THE GRAND BALL OF THE 19 TH CENTURY (created by Nino Graziano Luca and Barbara Minghetti) featured in the Macerata Opera Festival 2018 at the Sferisterio Theater in Macerata against the backdrop of Josef Svoboda’s famous mirror decoration. The dance was performed at the end of LA TRAVIATA directed by HENNING BROCKHAUS.
August 2019: LA BOHÈME AND THE GRAND BALL OF THE 19 TH CENTURY (created by Nino Graziano Luca and Franco Moretti) featured in the 65th Puccini Festival at the Gran Teatro Puccini in Torre del Lago. The dance preceded LA BOHÈME directed by Alfonso Signorini with ANGELA GHEORGHIU.
August 2020: MADAME BUTTERFLY AND THE GRAND BALL OF THE 19 TH CENTURY (created by Nino Graziano Luca and Franco Moretti). It will be
performed at the Gran Teatro Puccini in Torre del Lago as one of the events featured in the 66th Puccini Festival. The dance will precede MADAMA BUTTERLY, directed by Manu Lalli and starring SHOKO OKADA.
The Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica has traditionally engaged in promoting a philological recovery of the past, rejecting any temptation of a nostalgic reading of history and facts. Instead, it redefines them in the present. The CONTEMPORARY CNDS project brings history and tradition in constant dialogue with the present and the contemporary, making the language of historical dance interact with other forms of artistic expression, as in the following examples:
WHO’S ON NEXT: LA PRIMA Villa Giulia, Rome. VOGUE ITALIA and ALTAROMA invited the Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica to perform at the closing Gala of Who's On Next, a brand new and highly anticipated competition created by Franca Sozzani for young designers in Italy. The CNDS dancers performed all of the dances from the show The Leopard. They wore Gattinoni’s asymmetrical costumes, disorienting fencer masks, and wearing earphones playing the original soundtrack of Luchino Visconti's film while the audience listened to a mix of original music and “chill out” melodies.
PROVOCATIVE BEAUTY - Spazio Field, Rome. The Grand Ball of the Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica was performed against the backdrop of the splendid photographic exhibition of ANTON YELCHIN, the Soviet actor who became internationally known for his role as the young Pavel Chekov in the 2009 film Star Trek, followed by the success of Into Darkness - Star Trek (2013) and Star Trek Beyond (2016). Yelchin is also known for his performance in 15 Minutes with Robert De Niro, in Along Came a Spider with Morgan Freeman and Hearts in Atlantis with Anthony Hopkins.
STRANGE (R) EUROPE. The Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica was a guest on an episode of a show dedicated to Rome aired by RAI 1 and RAI 4. The program presents a series of documentaries on several European cities: London, Paris, Prague, Belgrade, Barcelona, and Rome. The unique aspect of the show is that the itineraries steer away from famous monuments and attractions to focus on museums, places, shows and attractions that are not a secret to the residents of those cities. In the program, the CNDS corps de ballet danced together with the famous D.J. Ema Stokholma and the singer Briga.
CONTEMPORARY ART (ISTS) JOIN THE GRAND BALLS. We all communicate daily in many different ways. The world of news outlets makes use of a wide range of media to disseminate information about events and individuals. A task that in the past was performed by different form of arts - painting and sculpture. This is why the
Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica has chosen to side with numerous artists over the years in an effort to match a Grand Ball with the creation of works of art capable of conveying its emotions and sentiments or alternatively engaging other artists with a powerful communication voice to display their creations.
Among the artists ,it is particularly worth noting a few: Natalia Tsarkova, the official portraitist of the Holy See and an internationally renown artist who painted the portraits of Popes, Kings and Queens, Cardinals, and Presidents (Pope John Paul I, Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI; President of the Republic of Malta, H. E. George Abela).
She is the author of the painting symbolizing the Grand Ball of the Tsar; Giuseppe Bennardo, a sculptor whose pieces are known all over the world – he is especially famous for his large-sized nativities. “Angelica and Don Fabrizio” is the sculpture he made to celebrate the Grand Ball of the Leopard. The Grand Ball of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies at the Royal Palace in Caserta is the work of two painters, Gaetano Imparato and Gianluca Capozzi. The former is well known for his talent in using new technologies to conduct his artistic research, while the latter has been called “one of the best Italian contemporary artists” by curators such as Achille Bonito Oliva, Vittorio Sgarbi, Massimo Sgroi, Alberto Mugnaini and Maurizio Sciaccaluga.
Over the years, the Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica has participated in many institutional and charitable initiatives contributing to fund oimportant projects promoted by TELETHON, UNICEF, AIRC, AIP, CRI, LIONS, ROTARY, TOGETHER FOR PEACE FOUNDATION, CARE AND SHARE, AISM, SOS BRASIL, WWF, SAVE THE CHILDREN.
As examples:
The Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica is driven by its desire to have everyone proactively participate in its culture-generating activities, acquiring a key role in the promotion of the history of European costumes, dances and culture. The CNDS is also engaged in developing socio-cultural activities and initiatives that can be effective in creating forms of psychological and physical well-being.
The Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica is committed to the following activities: the research, study and promotion of the philological recovery and the valorization of historical dances and traditional forms of entertainment; the proactive participation of the public in cultural, artistic and creative processes by involving it in both professional and amateur artistic events; and the organization and promotion of activities, initiatives and events designed to make all participants aware of the values and founding principles of a cohesive and supportive world acknowledging the strategic role of culture.
The Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica is above all a way of being, not simply a dance company. It is informed by a profound love for beauty, manifested in the different artistic forms of European culture. It is a way of being that rests on good manners and mutual respect as well as on the appreciation of etiquette, the attention paid to the person and his/her individual, subjective and collective relationships.
Though an individual art form, dance takes shape within a choral choreography that enhances the values, subjectivity, uniqueness and talents of every single dancer when he/she enters in a harmonious and orchestrated relationship with other dancers.
The Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica pays the utmost attention to human and interpersonal relationships and to a harmonious relationship between man-nature and man-culture. The ideals of peace, justice, tolerance, cohesion and social inclusion, which are at the basis of European civilization, represent the cornerstone of our Association.
La Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica in tempi di COVID 19, sin dai primi di marzo 2020, non si è mai fermata. Ha infatti realizzato un piccolo programma televisivo trasmesso in streaming, sulla Storia della Danza, intitolato 5 MINUTI DI DANZA, scritto e condotto da Nino Graziano Luca ed ha organizzato molteplici iniziative culturali di grande interesse (ideate per coinvolgere gli allievi, rendendoli protagonisti ed offrendogli l’occasione di staccare la spina dalle costanti preoccupazioni scatenate dal Coronavirus): da CNDS GAME SHOW, il quiz sulla storia della nostra Compagnia a TI RACCONTO LA MIA CNDS, concorso letterario volto a raccontare le emozioni dei partecipanti alle attività associative della Compagnia; da DIPINGI UN GRAN BALLO DELLA CNDS, concorso di arti figurative finalizzato alla realizzazione di dipinti e disegni ispirati ai Gran Balli allestiti dalla Cnds a M’ILLUMINO D’IMMENSO, concorso di “poesia” nei componimenti poetici ma anche nelle varie forme di espressione artistica, da dedicare a degli allievi della Cnds.
Nei mesi di marzo, aprile e maggio 2020, il Presidente Nino Graziano Luca ha inoltre ideato un nuovo metodo, rispettoso delle norme Anti Covid, ispirato dai Manuali di Ballo della storia, partendo da un presupposto:
I Maestri di Ballo in passato in molti casi non potevano toccare le mani dei Principi, delle Principesse o più in generale dei Nobili, mentre insegnavano loro le danze, per ragioni di rispetto del lignaggio di questi Signori. Il tocco delle mani era dunque sostituito da uno scambio del fazzoletto oppure dallo sguardo. Ed è a questo che ho pensato proponendo un metodo didattico ed artistico fondato sullo sguardo, applicato alle coreografie danzabili senza l’uso delle mani e rispettoso dell'originale disegno coreico tramandato dai Manuali dei Maestri del tempo.
A giugno dunque, quando siamo usciti dal lockdown, siamo andati in prova con i “Nobili” e le “Dame” della Compagnia Nazionale di Danza Storica per studiare questo nuovo metodo e proporre uno spettacolo in eleganti frac e preziosi abiti con crinolina, indossando le mascherine, eseguendo (a distanza) meravigliose Quadriglie, Contraddanze, Polonaise tratte dai manuali dei più celebri maestri del XIX secolo e dai più incantevoli film in costume - come Il Gattopardo, Sissi, Orgoglio e Pregiudizio, Becoming Jane - e usando un codice espressivo per la messa in scena rispettoso delle norme Anti Covid.
Nell’agosto 2020 siamo stati in scena: al 66° Puccini Festival, al Gran Teatro di Torre del Lago, per il GRAN BALLO e la MADAMA BUTTERFLY; ed al Festival Internazionale della Danza con il GRAN BALLO DEGLI AUGURI A CARLA FRACCI. Nino Graziano Luca ha inoltre presentato e condiviso il metodo al Festival Internazionale di Danza Storica di Mosca in webinar; ed al Meeting Internazionale di Danza Storica di New York sempre in webinar.
Subito dopo essere ripartiti con le lezioni “in presenza”, la seconda ondata del COVID ci ha indotto a lanciare le lezioni on line denominate CNDS A CASA TUA ideate come dei veri e propri programmi televisivi condotti da Nino Graziano Luca e Debora Bianco e divisi in 5 rubriche: riscaldamento, studio di una prima danza, principi base di alta formazione, studio di una seconda danza, teoria con approfondimenti dai Manuali.
