Photo by Yebo Photography
Daniela Cardim is a Brazillian/British choreographer, ballet teacher, producer and director based in London. She is Assistant Director and Associate Choreographer at New English Ballet Theatre, as well as an independent choreographer creating work in the UK and internationally.
Daniela trained with Prof. Eliana Karin in Rio de Janeiro. She danced with Ballet do Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro for five years and with Dutch National Ballet, in Amsterdam, for 11 years.
Throughout her career as a professional dancer, she performed works from great choreographers, including Serge Lifar, Vaslav Nijinski, Léonide Massine, George Balanchine, Frederick Ashton, Sir Peter Wright, Alexei Ratmansky, Hans van Manen, Krzysztof Pastor, Ted Brandsen, Lar Lubovitch, Rodrigo Pederneiras, amongst others.
Daniela started choreographing while still dancing, and her first choreography commission was for Dutch National Ballet School in 2007. She has been creating works ever since.
As a choreographer, she gives great importance to musicality and her creative process involves close collaboration with the dancers.
Commissions include works for West Australian Ballet, Birmingham Royal Ballet, Dutch National Ballet (main and Junior companies), Poznan Opera Ballet, New English Ballet Theatre, Theatro Municipal do Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo Companhia de Dança, Images Ballet Company, English National Ballet School, Dutch National Ballet School, School of American Ballet (as part of the New York Choreographic Institute), Elmhurst Ballet School and the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts.
She has recently been nominated for the Award of Best Choreography for her work 'Stabat Mater' for Poznan Opera Ballet, by the 17th Theatrical Music Awards Jan Kiepura, in Poland.
In 2022 she has created 4 new works to critical acclaim:
'Reset', for West Australian Ballet which premiered in February at the Quarry Amphitheatre in Perth;
'Nocturne', for NEBT which premiered in June at the Linbury Theatre Royal Opera House in London;
'All Human Beings' for the Royal Ballet School Summer Intensive in August;
'Stabat Mater', a 25 minute work for Poznan Opera Ballet which premiered in November at the Aula Artis Theatre in Poznan, Poland;
Her work 'Imminent' for Birmingham Royal Ballet was performed in 2021 at the Repertory Theatre in Birmingham and at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London.
Daniela was appointed Assistant Director with New English Ballet Theatre in 2022. She has worked with NEBT since 2013, initially as Project manager, then as Company/General Manager from 2014. She has also created 5 choreographic works for the company throughout the years, and will create a new work for the Autumn Season 2023.
She was a guest Mentor working with student choreographers at the Royal Ballet School in 2020 and 2021, and has also choreographed for the Royal Ballet School's Summer Intensive in 2021 and 2022.
Daniela was cited as ‘new name to watch’ by Dance Europe Magazine’s Critics’ Choice Awards for her 2015 work for NEBT. Her work Vertex has been chosen by Dance Europe's Critics’ Choice Awards as one of the 'Best Premieres of 2017’.
She holds a first class degree in Arts Management. She was part of DanceEast’s 2012 Rural Retreat, conference for current and aspiring Artistic Directors. She was also part of the Jury at the Brazilian Dance Festival (Festival de Dança de Joinville) for three years (2010 - 2012).
Daniela was a guest teacher with Ballet Rambert, Hong Kong Dance Company, English National Ballet, Wayne McGregor Company, Akram Khan Company and the Swedish Ballet School in Gothenburg.
© 2023 Daniela Cardim