Adina Cezar
Adina Cezar was a Romanian choreographer, dancer, and professor. She is considered one of the pioneers of Romanian contemporary dance, having founded the Contemp Dance Company in 1973, which became the first contemporary dance company with permanent artistic activity in Romania.
Early life and education
Cezar graduated from the Choreography High School in Bucharest in 1957. From 1969 to 1970, she was a French Government scholarship recipient and subsequently earned a diploma from the Schola Cantorum de Paris. In 1970, she attended courses at the Cologne Dance Academy in Germany, studying under Glen Tetley and Marija Churiel, and later in Essen with Pina Bausch.Career
Performance
Cezar began her career as a ballerina at the Romanian National Opera in Bucharest in 1957. In 1965, she participated as prima ballerina at the Champs-Élysées Festival in Paris in the world premiere of Le Marteau sans maître by Pierre Boulez.Teaching
In 1967, Cezar became a professor at the Bucharest Choreography High School, where she taught classical ballet and modern dance. She trained generations of professionals including Vavara Ștefănescu, Răzvan Mazilu, Mihai Mihalcea, and Liliana Iorgulescu.She completed the master choreographers course of the Romanian Council of Culture in 1983 and was a scholarship recipient at Rambert Dance Company in London in 1988. She received a British Council scholarship in 1990. From 1992 to 1994, she was a collaborating lecturer at the Academy of Theatre and Film in Bucharest, and from 2014 to 2020, she served as an associate professor at the Bucharest National University of Arts.
In 1988, she was invited to teach modern dance and choreography at the International Courses in Bari, Italy.
Contemp Dance Company
Cezar founded the Contemp dance group in 1973, with the first performance of the "Nocturne" series taking place at the Țăndărică Theatre in Bucharest.In 1990, with the support of Andrei Pleșu, the Minister of Culture, the company became the first contemporary dance company with permanent artistic activity in Romania.
The company presented performances at major venues and festivals including the Romanian National Opera, the George Enescu Festival, and the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts. International tours included Israel, Italy, Austria, Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France.
Selected works
Cezar created choreography and directed performances at major Romanian institutions including the Romanian National Opera, the Oleg Danovski Classical and Contemporary Dance Theatre in Constanța, the Romanian National Opera, Cluj-Napoca, the Constantin Tănase Revue Theatre, and the Bulandra Theatre.Selected choreographies and stage direction include:Nocturne – Țăndărică TheatreThe Mountain – National Theatre in Piatra-Neamț, based on the play by D. R. PopescuThe Tempest – Bulandra Theatre, directed by Liviu CiuleiThe Unsetting Day and Alpha-Lyrae – Romanian National Opera, music by Corneliu CezarOedipus – Romanian National Opera, directed by Cătălina BuzoianuProcrustes' Bed – Bulandra Theatre, directed by Cătălina BuzoianuRed and Black – Bucharest National Theatre, based on StendhalMedea by Seneca – Bucharest National Theatre, directed by Laurențiu Azimioară
Filmography
Throughout her career, Cezar collaborated with directors including Liviu Ciulei, Cătălina Buzoianu, Cornel Todea, Silviu Purcărete, and Iulian Mihu.The Sisters- ''Season of Love''
Awards and honors
- 1982 – ATM Award for launching a new style in Romanian choreography
- 1984 – First Prize and Critics' Prize at the Rock Music Festival in Dresden, Germany
- 1985 – First Prize for choreography and training in the choreography high schools competition
- 1992 – Grand Prize at the first International Contemporary Dance Festival in Iași
- 1993 – UNICEF Prize for choreography at the second International Contemporary Dance Festival in Iași
- 1995 – Selected from 500 participants worldwide for performance direction and choreography in Denver, Colorado
- 1996 – Music Critics' Prize for the performance "Life, a Journey"
- 1997 – TVR Prize for original choreography
- 2000 – Grand Prize for choreography "5 Lyres" in Budapest, Hungary
- 2000 – Honorary Citizen of Lara Province, Venezuela
- 2016 – Prize from the National Dance Center Bucharest for creating alternative frameworks and encouraging young artists
- 2025 – Honorary Citizen of Călimănești