Ballet Nacional de Cuba
In 1948, Alicia Alonso and her then-husband Fernando and his brother Alberto opened the Ballet Alicia Alonso, Cuba's first classical ballet company, which while romantic and classic in style, encouraged choreographic creations that delved into the Cuban national character from a contemporary point of view, as was the case then of visual arts, literature and music. In 1959, it was restructured as the Ballet Nacional de Cuba becoming in time the maximum expression of the Cuban school of ballet, which has been highly acclaimed by critics and has been recognized as the newest of ballet schools on a par with other schools of long tradition, such as the Russian or the English schools. Thanks to its excellent dancers, both technically and interpretatively; the talent and diversity of its choreographers; and the precision and ductility of its corps de ballet, it is considered one of the most prestigious companies in the world with a repertoire that includes almost 100 complete ballets including classics such as La fille mal gardée, Giselle, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, and Sleeping beauty, just to name a few, and contemporary works by Cuban and international choreographers many of which have been created especially for the company. Many of its dancers, from legendary Alicia Alonso or the Four Jewels-Josefina Méndez, Mirta Plá, Aurora Bosch and Loipa Araújo-to present-day stars, have been awarded important prizes in international competitions and festivals in the world of classical ballet.
Ballet de Camagüey
Founded in 1967 by Vicentina de la Torre with the collaboration of Fernando Alonso and the wide participation of dancers who had been trained in the Camagüey-based ballet academy that she had opened in 1956, this company has been successively directed by Joaquín Banegas, Jorge Rodríguez Vede, Fernando Alonso and Regina Balaguer. Its line of work has been characterized by the combination of classical tradition and the most audacious works of the contemporary repertoire, in particular as a result of the contribution of Cuban choreographer Jorge Lefebre, who directed the Royal Ballet of Wallonia in Belgium and was a member for many years of Maurice Béjart's Ballet of the 20th Century. The Ballet de Camagüey has performed on numerous stages in the Americas and Europe, and many of its dancers and mâitres have also worked with prestigious international companies. While technically and aesthetically loyal to the Cuban school of ballet, it has succeeded in defining an identifiable profile for itself where the work of chorographers has been crucial to this, seeking to insert the classical language into the spirit of contemporariness.
Ballet de Cámara de Holguín
The year 2001 saw the debut of this company under the direction of teacher and pianist Angélica Serrú and the sponsorship of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba and its director Alicia Alonso, and since then has undertaken a line of work that is open to diverse currents and styles that go from classical to modern to contemporary to popular, with an emphasis on solos, duets and quartets. It has benefited from the contribution by choreographers from the Ballet de Camagüey, Danza Contemporánea de Cuba and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. The company performs mainly in the province of Holguín with special performances at tourist resorts.
Ballet de Laura Alonso
Since it was opened in 1995 by experienced dancer and maître Laura Alonso, daughter of Alicia and Fernando, this company has performed in regular venues with programs that combine classical works- La fille mal gardée and Coppelia, for instance-and works created by the company's choreographers, although it does not disregard unusual spaces such as hotels for which it reserves, together with traditional works, pieces that recreate Cuban and international popular dances. In addition, the company teaches courses for adolescents and younger children who, besides discovering the universe of dance, are trained as future dancers.
Ballet Español de Cuba
Spanish regional dances are the mainstay of this company founded in 1987 as an affiliate of the National School of Arts, directed by dancer, choreographer and teacher Eduardo Veitía. The company's main styles are flamenco and fusion, incorporating techniques from classic, modern and contemporary dance. Sonata y fandango, which won 2nd Prize at the International Choreography Competition held in Madrid in 1992, and Frida, dedicated to Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, and revived in 2007 on the company's 20th anniversary and the centenary of the birth of the artist, are emblematic works in the company's repertoire.
Ballet Lizt Alfonso
Due to the increasing interest in Cuba in Spanish dance traditions, choreographer Lizt Alfonso would found Danzas Ibéricas, which in 1002 would become an independent company with the name of its director. Made up solely of female dancers, it features a fusion of Spanish and Cuban dance within contemporary choreographic and theatrical work. It has toured extensively both in Cuba and in Europe, the United States, and Latin America, and is the first-and only-Cuban dance company to have performed on Broadway. Productions such as Sinceramente FGL, based on characters from plays of Spanish playwright and poet Federico García Lorca, and Elementos y Alas have been very well received by the critics. Her vocational workshops and junior ballet attached to the company is very much appreciated.
INTRODUCTION
The first known manifestation of dance and music in Cuba was a ceremony called areito performed by the island's indigenous population, but due to their rapid extinction, they left no substantial cultural traces; it would be Spaniards and Africans who would shape the individualities of a people who, since colonial times, from slaves' quarters to aristocratic halls, would exhibit a true passion for dance. During the 19th century, performances by professional dancers-both Spanish folk dances and ballet-in Havana's theatres would reinforce this gusto for
dance, which remains to this day. However, Cuba's first ballet company was created during the 1940s by
Alicia Alonso, and only after 1959 would modern dance groups and other ensembles which dramatized folk dances appear. For the first time, these disciplines were taught in a systemic manner; thus, theatricalized dance is a relatively recent phenomenon. At present, there are around 50 dance companies, and new companies continue proliferating in keeping with the love for dance of the Cuban people.