©Alba Muriel
Born in 1970 in Zaragoza (Spain), where she starts her dance training at the age of 3 with María de Avila and Cristina Miñana.
At only 11 years old, she makes her debut as soloist with the newly created Zaragoza Classical Ballet Company, dancing at the Zarzuela Theatre, Madrid, and the Joyce Theatre, New York.
At 13 starts dancing as a soloist with the National Ballet Company (Spain), Artistic Director María de Avila. She became Principal Dancer of the company in 1985.
That same year she won the 1st Prize at the European Ballet Competition for Young Dancers in Reggio Emilia, Italy, receiving the award from the legendary Italian Prima Ballerina, Carla Fracci.
In 1986 she won, together with Antonio Castilla, the Grand Prix, Prix Fradkof and Prix Evian at the Paris International Ballet Competition. That same year, she is personally invited by Alicia Alonso to dance at the Havana Ballet Festival (Cuba), where she will continue to dance with the Cuban National Ballet in several occasions after.
During her years in the company (today Compañía Nacional de Danza), she works with several artistic directors, including Maya Plissetskaya, Ray Barra and Nacho Duato. With Duato has the opportunity of dancing together his duo, “Cor Perdut”, and with Maya Plissetskaya, the relationship will be so special that years later she will invite her to dance at her 50th Gala Anniversary at the Bolshoi Theatre (Moscow). In this occasion, both shared the role of “Carmen” to end the Gala.
She participates in International Galas with dancers like Julio Bocca, Charles Jude, Damian Woetzel, Laurent Hilaire, Maximiliano Guerra, Peter Schaufuss o José Manuel Carreño.
In 1991, Peter Schaufuss calls her to be Principal Dancer at the Deutsche Oper Berlín (Germany).
In 1994, she became Principal dancer of the Royal Danish Ballet, where she will deepen her knowledge of the Danish school of A. Bournonville.
In 1996 she works at the Stanislavsky Ballet (Moscow) in the production of “La Sylphide”, which she will dance on tour with the company in Madrid and that will be her last performance as a dancer.
Her repertoire is extensive and she has danced the principal roles in the classics “Swan Lake”, “Giselle”, “La Sylphide, “Don Quijote”, “Sleeping Beauty”, “The Nutcracker”, “Paquita grand pas”, “Chopiniana”, “Raymonda divertissement”, as well as pas de deux like “Romeo and Juliet”, “Corsaire”, “Diana and Acteon” and “Bakhti” among others.
Also has danced a wide repertoire of Georges Balanchine’s ballets, such us “Symphony in C”, “Theme and Variations”, “Concerto Barocco”, “Serenade”, “The Four Temperaments”, “Agon”, “Who Cares?” and “Tchaikovsky pas de deux”, as well as works of different choreographers like Nacho Duato, David Parsons, Maurice Béjart, Roland Petit, Alberto Méndez, Christopher Bruce o Michael Clark.
In 1997 is appointed Artistic Director of the Ballet de Zaragoza (Spain). During her two years with the company, she adds to the company’s repertoire works of N. Duato and G. Balanchine, as well as her own productions of “Paquita”, “Napoli” and “Giselle”.
Guest teacher in different European companies, competitions and events while supervising the team of her own Centro de Danza in Zaragoza. Has work as a teacher at the Real Conservatorio Profesional de Danza Mariemma y los Conservatorios Professionales de Danza Fortea y Carmen Amaya en Madrid.
Season 23-24, she joins the Compañía Nacional de Danza as a ballet mistress by invitation of the Artistic Director, Joaquín de Luz.