Anabella Lenzu

Anabella Lenzu is an Argentinian choreographer and teacher, currently living in New York. She is known for her work at Peridance Center, and at various workshops across the United States, Italy, Argentina, and Chile. She is the founder of L'Atelier Centro Creativo de Danza in Bahia Blanca, Argentina, and is the director and founder of DanceDrama in the United States. Lenzu lives in Brooklyn, New York and teaches at dance studios and colleges in the Manhattan area.

Early life & education

Anabella Lenzu grew up in Argentina, and began dancing at the age of five. Lenzu received degrees in teaching Ballet, Spanish Dance, Folklore and Flamenco at Estudio de Danzas Arte (Bahia Blanca), Escuela Provincial de Danza Clasica (Bahia Blanca), Studio Beatriz Scraiber (Mar del Plata), and Teatro Colon (Buenos Aires). Since finishing her formal education, Lenzu has continued educating herself, at schools like Juilliard in New York City and with teachers all over the world from the techniques of Humphrey/Limon, to Graham and Mary Wigman. Lenzu has studied Argentinian Tango, Dance Criticism, Nicholais Technique, and has taken many workshops with greats such as Jim May, Mary Anthony, Marcelo Falappa, Enrique Bodini, and Marcela Trappe.^[1][2]

Work

Dance

Lenzu began her career as a performer in 1989 when she was a dancer for Ballet Arte Español in Argentina. Between 1990 and 1992, Lenzu worked for Ballet Escuela Provincial de Danzas Clasicas. In 1991 Lenzu also began to dance with the Sur, Taller Coreografico company. Between 1993 and 1995, Lenzu worked with Grupo Experimental La Trama, and from 1995 to 1999, Ms. Lenzu was a contemporary performer for L’Atelier Ballet Contemporaneo. 2000 to 2001 brought Lenzu to the United States, performing with Anna Sokolow and Alice Farley. In 2003, Lenzu spent time performing in Italy with Balleto 90 and Il Flauto Magico. Lenzu has spent much of her professional career as a teacher. She began in 1991 in Argentina as a Ballet instructor at Arteon, and Estudio Coreografico Arte. From 1994 to 1997, Lenzu worked as a Ballet coach and assistant choreographer for Ballet Folklorico Argentino ‘Fortin Sur’ and Folklorico Argentino ‘Renacer’ in Bahia Blanca. In 1997, Lenzu spent some time teaching in Chile, at various workshops and cultural centers. In 1999, Lenzu began her first New York job as a teacher at The Stable in Brooklyn. In 2002, Lenzu was the ballet instructor at Centro Studi Progetto Arte in Naples, Italy. Between 2002 and 2004, Lenzu taught many workshops in Italy from ballet to modern. Between 2003 and 2007, Lenzu traveled to Argentina to teach a few workshops at different cultural centers in Buenos Aires. In 2005, Lenzu served as the instructor for many ballet and modern workshops in Atlanta Georgia at Atlanta Ballet. From 2005 to 2007, Lenzu worked in New York City as a ballet instructor at Taiwan Center. In the same year, she began working at Dance New Amsterdam, where she worked until 2012. In 2006, Lenzu began her work at Peridance Center in New York, a place where she still holds weekly classes today. From 2007 to 2011, Lenzu worked at the Mark Morris Center as the Argentinean Tango instructor. Along with working at different studios, Lenzu has also made a career working with young people at different colleges in the US. In 2005, Lenzu became a resident artist for Randolph College in Lynchburg, VA.^[3] From 2008 to 2009, Ms. Lenzu worked at Sarah Lawrence College in New York. From 2010 to 2013, Lenzu worked at Lehman College teaching Ballet. Beginning in 2010, and still presently, Lenzu is a faculty member of Wagner College on Staten Island.

Lenzu has created many original works and has been commissioned by different companies to choreograph many different pieces. Her most recent original piece is In Pursuit of Happiness (2015) a performance about the loss of her father and dealing with grief.^[4] Other original pieces include: Pachamama: Mother World (2013), Sangre (2012),^[5] The Grass is Always Greener (2010–2011), The Corral (2009), The Garden (2008), Disguise (2007), Amen (2006), Entroterra (2004), Ilusiones de Percantas (2003), Italiani D’Argentina (2003), Che (2001), Danza, Un Grito la Vida (1999–2000), Poemas de Mujer y Bandoneon (1998), Sintiendo Latinoamerica (1998), and La Danza a traves del tiempo (1997)

Opera

In 1998, Lenzu was commissioned by director Guy Ariel Kruh to choreograph a new version of ‘Il Pagliacci’ in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In the same year, Lenzu was invited by the Bahia Blanca Symphonic Orchestra to choreograph ‘Cavalleria Rusticana’ and assist director Eugenia Gallego.

Theater

Lenzu's work is focused in a dance-theater style. From 2007 to 2008, Lenzu served as choreographer for RUSH, a play written by James Scruggs, directed by Kristin Marting at HERE Arts Center. In 2006 until 2012, Lenzu worked with La Mama Theater through Marenostrum Dance Theatre. In 2004, Festival Benevento Citta Spettacollo invited Ms. Lenzu to choreograph ‘Deserere’ in Benevento, Italy. In 2003, Lenzu collaborated and created works with El Aguante Theater Company, and also served as a guest choreographer for Notre Dame de Paris.

Television

In 1995/1996, and 2005, Lenzu choreographed commissioned pieces for the opening sequence (and internal commercial breaks) for the TV Tango program "Tango en la Bahia". This program received the renowned Martin Fierro award for Best Musical TV show in Argentina. She also created pieces for the following TV shows in Bahia Blanca, Argentina: "Solidarnos" (entertainment), "El espejo" (cultural) and "Caramelos" (children), and created two children’s videos: The Lullabies and Christmas Times.

References