Nora Esteves arrived at the Joffrey Ballet School with a scholarship. After attending classes for one week, she was informed that Robert Joffrey wanted to hire her as a member of the Company. This was a very important term for Nora Esteves’ technical development and artistic maturing, not only for the experience at this Ballet Company, but also for the experience acquired in a City such as New York, where she was alone, far from her Country for the first time, at 19 years old.

Nora also worked with choreographer Gerald Arpino, founder of the Company together with Joffrey, one of the most reputable choreographers in the US dance scenario at that time. At this Company, she participated of two tours, one in the Center West and another in the West Coast of the United States, staying one year in the Joffrey Ballet.

The highest point of her career in the United States was to be selected by the most important character of the US choreography, Jerome Robbins, to make part of the ballet authored by him called “Moves”. This ballet was performed by five couples, and it lasted 20 minutes in the most absolute silence. Nora was highly praised by Variety’s critics. At Joffrey’s company, Nora had Hector Zaraspe as her master, and later, he would be greatly important in the development of her career. Invited by him, Nora performed “Le Corsaire” with Luis Fuentes in the City of Colony, Germany, in the Summer Dance Festival.

Zaraspe also invited her to participate of “Ballet Spectacular”, a group of five couples from several parts of the world, leaded by Margot Fonteyn and Atílio Labis, in Buenos Ayres and in Montevideo. Also with Luis Fuentes, she danced the pas-de-deux of “Don Quixote” and “Le Corsaire”.

Due to the works with George Skibine in Brazil, Nora was invited by him one year later, to perform the title-role of Sheherazade, with choreography by Skibine himself, in Paris, under the general direction of Robert Hossein, a show filmed by the French Television. Nora remained in France for five years. There, she participated of the following companies:

- Théâtre Populaire de Reims(Hossein/Skibine)
- Les Ballets de Marseille (Roland Petit)
- Ballet Théâtre Contemporain at Angers (Cartier/Adrêt)
- Ballet Théâtre Français de Nancy (Cartier/Trailine)
- Ballet da Ópera de Munique

During her stay at the Ballet Théâtre Français, the French Television made a documentary called “Une Étoile de la Danse”, recording scenes of artist’s day by day life. As a guest étoile, she participated several times of the season of Massimo Theater of Palermo

Being invited by Tatiana Leskova, she played the main character in “The Nutcracker” in Hong Kong with the Hong Kong Ballet Company, and Jean Claude Ruiz was her partner.

She was the guest étoile in the International Ballet Festival of Havana City, in Cuba, in 1986, 1992 and 1994; in 1986, she also performed in the City of Camaguay. In 1986 and 1992, Paulo Rodrigues was her partner, and, in 1994, Francisco Timbó.

In 1990 she participated, once more, of the Official Season of the Massimo Theater of Palermo, as a guest étoile. Nora had consecrating critics in the several cities she toured.

In September 2007 and 2008 Nora was invited to deliver the Summer Course of Classic Ballet and Repertoire in the City of Crotone, in Italy, at Marie Taglione School.

Tours in Europe

Nora toured throughout France, Belgium and Italy, receiving excellent critics, with the Sheherazade Ballet.
With Roland Petit, she toured through Italy and France.
She made a tour starting in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Belo Horizonte, extending throughout South America, Central America and Mexico, in several cities of each country along two and a half years with the Ballet Théâtre Contemporain.
She toured through France’s inland and several cities in Germany with Ballet Théâtre Français.