Nacho Duato

Born in Valencia, Spain. Nacho Duato started professional ballet training with the Rambert School in London at eighteen, expanding studies at Maurice Béjart's Mudra School in Brussels and completing his dance education at The Alvin Ailey American Dance Centre in New York. In 1980 Duato signed his first professional contract with the Cullberg Ballet in Stockholm and a year later Jirí Kylián brought him to the Nederlands Dans Theater in Holland, where he was quickly incorporated into company and repertoire.

For his achievements as a dancer he received the VSCD Gouden Dansprijs (Golden Dance Award) for the year 1987.
In 1988 Nacho Duato was named Resident Choreographer for Nederlands Dans Theater-alongside Hans van Manen and Jirí Kylián.

With the growing demand of international companies requesting a work of his for their repertoire Duato had to take a decisive step towards choosing his future career. His ballets form part of the repertoire of companies like Cullberg Ballet, Nederlands Dans Theater, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens, Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo, Deustche Opera Ballet, Australian Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Ballet Gulbenkian, Introdans, Chicago Hubbard Street Dance Co., Ballet Grand Theatre de Genève, Musik Theater Essen, Finish Opera Ballet, Ballet de Zaragoza and American Ballet Theatre.

In 1995 he received the grade of Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres which is annually given by the French Embassy in Spain.

Since June 1990, invited by the Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas y de la Música of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Nacho Duato is Artistic Director of Compañía Nacional de Danza.