Daniela Cardim has big toe shoes to fill. The new artistic director of Ballet Arizona follows in the pointed footsteps of her legendary predecessor, dance virtuoso Ib Andersen. Cardim is herself an internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer and the first woman to hold the position at the 38-year-old organization. “I feel lucky and honored to be inheriting this talented company,” says Cardim, born in Rio de Janeiro and most recently the assistant director of the New English Ballet Theatre in London. “Ib did such a great job of growing the organization and raising its level of artistry.”

You’re hardly a neophyte in the dance world. But is it intimidating to follow a legend like Ib Andersen?

I wouldn’t say it’s intimidating. But it’s a lot of responsibility. It’s nice to build on something by somebody who has done so much wonderful work. And, you know, this is just how it goes. Every artistic director has their own strengths, and they bring them to the job. And then they leave the job, and this is a new chapter. 

What are your plans for the company? 

We’re going to honor our past by continuing to do some of the classics – some of Ib’s ballets and some of the classical repertoire that a ballet company should be doing, because those are the works that made ballet famous. Like Swan Lake and The Nutcracker and Sleeping Beauty. But I want to bring some masterpieces that haven’t been seen in Arizona, ballets from America and abroad.