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The Opera House, the main stage of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, was the stage for Cuban National Ballet´s (BNC) performances. There, on the banks of the Potomac River, in the capital of the United States, I was the only dance critic reporting for the island and an eyewitness to this historic artistic event for the two nations involved. Needless to say, it is a challenge for me to describe, with just words devoid of all chauvinism, those magical nights.
These presentations coincided with a significant event not only for Cubans, but for the world of dance in general: on May 30, it was forty years since the BNC (Cuban National Ballet) had last danced at the Kennedy Center with Alicia Alonso in her paradigmatic role of Giselle. In addition, among other important reasons, this living legend and glory of dance was present that night with all the august vitality of her 97 years of life. She reached the peak of her career in the United States during the forties and fifties of the last century and is currently the company's general director and prima ballerina assoluta.