THE RELEVANT QUEER: Julio Bocca, Ballet Dancer of Passion and Precision

“I think we have to keep fighting so that this beautiful and difficult art continues to be respected.”

TRQ: Julio Bocca, Born March 6, 1967

Argentinian ballet dancer Julio Bocca was born on March 6, 1967. Known for his technique and talent, Bocca is one of most renowned dancers of the twentieth century. He was the principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre and artistic director of the National Ballet of Uruguay. For over thirty years, his magnetic combination of passion and precision filled auditoriums and sports arenas with fans mesmerised by his seemingly supernatural capabilities.

Bocca was born in Munro, Argentina, a small barrio town near Buenos Aires. While his father refused to acknowledge him, he had a close relationship with his mother’s Italian family. Performance arts enthusiasts, Bocca’s grandfather scrimped and saved to buy a piano for the family while his grandmother sewed costumes.

Bocca’s mother taught ballet in the family’s home studio. At age four, he started practicing ballet under her instruction. At age seven, Bocca was accepted into the National School of Dance. He then entered the Institute Superior of Art at the Teatro Colón. Four years later he joined the Ballet of Camera of the Teatro Colón. In 1982 he performed as a soloist in a production by Flemming Flindt. From 1983 to 2016, he was a member of the Ballet Estable of the Teatro Colón.

In 1985, Bocca entered the International Ballet Competition in Moscow. He performed a selection from Don Quixote. When he returned to Argentina with a gold medal, he found over 5,000 fans waiting at the airport. Bocca was now a national hero.

As he once explained, “The whole thing was a complete surprise to me… I didn’t think I could ever win an award in a country whose school, as we all know, is the best there is.”

In 1986, he joined the American Ballet Theatre with Mikhail Baryshnikov. His contract flexibly allowed him to perform with the Royal Ballet of London, the Bolshoi Ballet, La Scala

in Milan, the Paris Opera and the Royal Danish Ballet. When Bocca returned to perform in Argentina, he was forever the ballet superstar stalked by fans and the paparazzi.

In an interview with Harpers Bazaar, Bocca commented that “Most poor Argentines never saw ballet… Ballet was for rich people—what we call gente bien.” As a result, he gave free performances in Buenos Aires attended live by thousands, seen on television by millions. Bocca brought ballet to the Argentinian popular culture.

“I think we have to keep fighting so that this beautiful and difficult art continues to be respected.” — Julio Bocca

Bocca founded Ballet Argentino in 1990, where he brought together the most talented young dancers to tour throughout the world. In Buenos Aires, they performed at Estadio Luna Park nearly 150 times.

Stylistically, Bocca experimented with mixing forms of dance. He began combining ballet and tango in collaborations with Ana Maria Stekelman. Bocca reached new audiences through his appearance in the film Tango in 1998. A year later he was cast in the Broadway musical Fosse, featuring the acclaimed choreographer’s jazz-oriented work in Cabaret, Chicago, and other productions. Bocca’s work in the musical won the praise of critics and audiences alike.

Bocca once told Dance Magazine, “It’s always difficult to face a new technique, especially if it’s such a distinctive style as Fosse’s… but I don’t think it’s impossible. I think to master the style will enhance my dancing career.”

Through the course of the production, Bocca and Fosse developed a friendship. “We went out drinking after every performance—I’ve never been able to do that kind of thing before because it was always, like, the next morning I’d have to go to dance class,” Bocca told Dance Magazine. “Fosse was amazing for me… I wasn’t really happy before. Now, I am—every day—and I enjoy life.”

After retiring in 2007, Bocca met the love of his life, a Uruguayan economist, on the Chihuahua nudist beach. He told La Nación, “It was mutual. That same day he invited me to see the sunset at Punta Ballena. I said: That’s it! It was spectacular! (… ) It’s a wonderful life, I’m very happy with how we are learning to live together.”

In 2010, the American Ballet Theatre invited Bocca to coach dancers for the company. Later that year, the President José Mujica of Uruguay offered him the Artistic Direction of the National Ballet Sodre. Five years later, President Tabaré Vázquez awarded Bocca the Delmira Agustini Medal. Bocca directed the National Ballet of Uruguay for seven years. He now lives in Montevideo, Uruguay.

About the Authors

Troy Wise is currently a PhD student at UAL Central St Martins and teaches fashion and graphic design at London College of Contemporary Arts. His background is in marketing and is founder and co-editor of Image Amplified. He lives in, and is continually fascinated by, the city of London.

Rick Guzman earned his most recent MA at UAL Central St Martins in Applied Imagination in the Creative Industries. He currently holds two MA’s and an MBA in the New Media, Journalism and International Business fields. Co-editor at Image Amplified since its start, he lives in London, is fascinated by history and is motivated by continuing to learn and explore.

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Sources:

Prix de Lausanne

Encyclopedia

New York Latin Culture

Pantallazo