Thereza Aguilar

 


Thereza Aguilar

Creator and coordinator of the Associação Dançando Para Não Dançar, Thereza Aguilar is a classical ballet dancer, with specialization at Staatliche Ballettschule Berlin, in Germany, and at The Balé de Camaguey and Balé Nacional, in Cuba. 

Upon her return to Brazil, the dancer decided to create a social project based on a successful experience conducted by Balé Nacional de Cuba with the poor and orphan children of this country. In Brazil, the project began in the communities of Pavão-Pavãozinho and Cantagalo, in Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro, in the year 1995.

The main objective of the Project is to offer a professional alternative to the poor children of Rio de Janeiro communities, giving them a chance to learn classical ballet with a professional approach. The project motivates children towards studying and developing cultural skills, thus avoiding school evasion, since the project pays close attention to their frequency and performance. 

Today, the popularization of classical ballet in poor communities is not only a leisure activity or a way to keep children off the streets, but it also represents a passport to a profession through citizenship. Says Thereza Aguilar: “I knew it wouldn’t be easy. With the support of Associação dos Moradores, I called the children for an audition and much to my surprise, 250 children showed up for the 40 places offered. Every time the children succeeded in exams to the school of Teatro Municipal, I felt more encouraged than before. The partnership with Petrobrás , the support of BNDES and Lei de Incentivo à Cultura – Lei Rouanet – offered the possibility for the project to extend its activities to eleven communities, which amounts to 840 children.