The actress and dancer Marilena Ansaldi, one of the most important names in dance in Brazil, died this Tuesday (9) at the age of 86, in the city of São Paulo. The information was confirmed by the Municipal Department of Culture, which regretted the death in a note.
On social media, the statement, signed by the Municipal Secretary of Culture, Alexandre Youssef, recalls that she was the first soloist of the Municipal Theater Ball in the 1950s and 1960s, until composing the Bolshoi Ballet in Europe.
The São Paulo Dance Company (SPCD), the artistic body of the State Secretariat of Culture and Creative Economy of São Paulo, highlighted that “multifaceted, Marilena acted as a dancer, choreographer, producer, author, and actress, being a precursor of dance-theater in Brazil “.
After the season in Europe and back to Brazil, Marilena Ansaldi participated in several montages, performed for public policies of Culture, and said goodbye to the stage at the age of 82 in the show “Além”, by Studio 3 Cia de Dança, in 2019.
There is still no information about the funeral and burial of the artist.
Daughter of the Italian baritone Paulo Ansaldi and the chorus girl Maria Nazareth da Silva, Maria Helena Ansaldi was born in the city of São Paulo in 1934 and became a pioneer in the creation of shows that combine dance, theater, and multimedia resources in Brazil.
She started her dance studies at the age of 17 and two years later she became the first dancer, when she started to perform solos specially created for her at the Municipal School of Ballet, and, later, she was also a soloist at the Municipal Theater.
In 1962, at the age of 28, he participated in the Youth Festival in Helsinki, Finland, and went on a trip to Russia, where he obtained a scholarship at the Bolshoi Ballet.
In the company, she played Zarema, one of the main roles in Baychisaray’s opera The Fountain, and was greeted by Nikita Kruschev, who was leading the Soviet Union at the time, was one of the most powerful men in the world and watched the show.
In 1965 he returned to Brazil and married the theater critic Sábato Magaldi. During this period, she helped found the Ballet Chamber of the State of São Paulo and was one of the directors of the Ballet Society of São Paulo.
In 1975, at the age of 41, She started to create “Isso ou Aquilo”, a solo show that was awarded and later presented in Italy, Germany, and France. Then, She produced, created, and performed a new series of shows.
In her autobiography, Marilena stated: “Everything I build in theater comes to me through music. Color, space, and the text itself are dictated by a musical inspiration. And each song generates its own image”.
she participated as an actress in the productions Rabo de Saia, in 1995, directed by Walter Avancini, and, in 1986, in the re-recording of the soap opera Selva de Pedra.
She said goodbye to the stage at the age of 82, next to Studio3 Cia. De Dança, with the dance show “Orpheus”.
Amelia Warner
Amelia Warner writes all the Latest Articles. She mostly covers Entertainment topics, but at times loves to write about movie reviews as well.
