Zdenek Konvalina

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Zdenek Konvalina was born in Brno, Czech Republic. He studied classical and contemporary ballet at Europe’s well-known Brno Conservatory. During that time, he was often invited to perform with the National Ballet of Brno in such ballets as Swan Lake, Don Quixote, Giselle and Romeo and Juliet.

In 1997, he joined the National Ballet of Moravia-Silesia, who recognizing his outstanding talent, promoted him to principal with the company in 1998 at the age of 19. There he danced most of the major classical works in the repertoire.

In 2001, Mr. Ben Stevenson invited Mr. Konvalina to become a principal dancer with Houston Ballet. His repertoire includes: Prince in Stevenson’s The Sleeping Beauty and the Prince in The Nutcracker; Siegfried in Stevenson’s and Alicia Alonso’s Swan Lake; Romeo in Stevenson’s and Nicholas Beriozoff‘s Romeo and Juliet; Basilio in Stevenson’s and Raphael Avnikjan’s Don Quixote; Albrecht in Maina Gielgud’s Giselle; Colas in Sir Frederick Ashton’s La Fille mal gardée; Des Grieux in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Manon, Solor in La Bayadere, the slave and Conrad in Le Corsaire; James Kudelka’s The Firebird; Serge Lifar’s Suite en Blanc; Harold Lander’s Etudes; George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations, Apollo, The Four Temperaments, La Valse, Symphony in C, Serenade and Tchaikovsky Pas de Deux; Eddy Toussaint’s Concerto en Movement, Souvenance, Simple Movement, Cantate, Bonjour Brel, Dracula, Mozart's The Requiem, A Cher Couples, Un variation pur un amoure perdu, Ave Maria, and Gottshalk; Stanton Welch’s Indigo, A Dance in the Garden of Mirth, Big Sky, Nosotros and Blindness; William Forsythe’s In the middle, somewhat elevated; Maurice Bejart’s Songs of a Wayfarer and various roles in works by Trey McIntyre, Natalie Weir, Adrian Burnett, Igor Vejsada, P. Tallard, Mark Morris and Christopher Bruce.

Mr. Konvalina is prize a winner at several international ballet competitions, including being awarded the gold medal at the prestigious Helsinki International Ballet Competition in June 2001. He has performed throughout Europe, America, and Asia, including the Hukvaldy Festival in the Czech Republic and the Festival des Art des Saint-Sauveur in Montreal, Canada with the Czech National Ballet, Ostrava. Of his performance at the festival, Mr. Konvalina has appeared in many gala performances, such as Gala des Etoiles in Montreal. Also, he has been a guest with companies around the world, including Slovak National Theater, Inoue Ballet in Tokyo, Ballet Concierto de Puerto Rico, National Ballet of Cuba, and Dutch National Ballet in Amsterdam.

With The National Ballet of Canada, Mr. Konvalina has danced the role of Prince Florimund in Rudolf Nureyev’s The Sleeping Beauty, as well as in Sir Kenneth MacMillan’s Song of the Earth and George Balanchine’s Symphony in C.

[edit] Selected Quotes

"Konvalina leads solid performances at Saint Sauveur. At 20, the company's star, Zdenek Konvalina, is a senior dancer. He bears an uncanny resemblance to...Nureyev. He has the same stage presence…convincing...noble." The Montreal Gazette

Symphony in C

“Chan Hon Goh …and new principal Zdenek Konvalina create the sparks of a magic partnership in the ballet’s Third Movement.” The Hamilton Spectator, 2006

“But the most impressive pairing of the evening was revealed when Chan Hon Goh hit the stage with Zdenek Konvalina, the latest addition to the NboC’s already-impressive stable of dance talent. With the ethereal Goh…and Konvalina - seemingly on leave from prevailing laws of gravity, as he settles into his new home – it was the kind of performance that leaves and audience hungry for more of everything.” The Toronto Sun, 2006

“Zdenek Konvalina bursts onto stage with Chan Hon Goh, investing his Allegro Vivace with a joy and personality that makes Symphony in C not just visually spectacular but rather moving.” The Toronto Star, 2006