Eloy Barragan

Eloy Barragán is from Mexico City. He received his training at the Escuela Nacional de Danza, Boston Ballet and at the Joffrey School in New York. He began his career dancing with Joffrey II and the Washington Ballet before he became a soloist dancing for the Ballet Royal de Wallonie, Mainz Stattheater, Compania Nacional de Danza, and Ballet Monterey. He then joined Western Ballet, Eugene Ballet, and Idaho Ballet where he was a principal dancer, regisseur, and Ballet Master from 1996-2002.
While in Idaho he received a choreographers fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, was awarded the 2000 Lifetime Career Fellowship from the Idaho Commission of the Arts, and a grant from the Boise Arts Council for his choreography.
Eloy began choreographing in 1996, and has since choreographed over 30 works for dance companies in the United States, South and Central America. His contemporary ballets have been performed in several world renowned theaters including the Bolshoi Theatre, Alvin Ailey Theater, and the Teatro Nacional de Panama. He has been commissioned to teach and create new works at the University of Utah, Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica, Willamette University, Boise State University, American Festival Ballet, Ballet Nacional de Mexico, Ballet Peninsula, California Riverside Ballet, and American Repertory Dance Company.
Formerly, he was an Assistant Professor of ballet and choreography at the University of California, Irvine. He has also served as a guest teacher at many prestigious institutions including Fiorello H. Laguardia High School of Music, the National Conservatory Superior de Paris, and for ACDFA. For his work in education he has been awarded funds to assist with major concentration on his scholarly and research activities. In 2003 he presented his research about global choreographic trends of the twentieth century at the III Festival International de Danza as a part of the First Seminar for Professionals of Dance in Panama City. He is also an active member of the International Dance Council.
In the winter of 2005, Eloy was honored by the National Ballet of Panama when they performed an entire evening of his choreography at the Teatro Nacional de Panama before the Ministers of Culture of Central America.
Competitively, his contemporary choreography has helped dancers win in the 2004 and 2005 Youth America Grand Prix, Spotlight Award 2005 and the 2005 Ballet Competition in Helsinki.
In 2006 his work was presented at the 50th Anniversary of the American Dance Guild by dancers from the Richmond Ballet.
Currently at the University of Iowa, Eloy is the recipient of the Iowa Old Gold Fellowship, the Arts and Humanities Initiative Fellowship, the sponsor for an Iowa Research Experiences for Undergraduates Fellowship, and the Ida Cordelia Beam Fellowship Project Investigator with Donald McKayle.