- Ballet of Camagüey, half a century of fruitful art
In Cuba, an elitist art such as ballet is not limited to Havana, because that manifestation also ignites passions in a city in the center of the country: Camagüey, which has had a company of its own for the last fifty years.
To turn half a century of life was for the Ballet of Camagüey (BC) an opportunity for celebration and reaffirmation as one of the artistic ensembles of excellence on the Island.
«The National Ballet of Cuba (BNC) emerged in 1948, but with the triumph of the Revolution and the visit of Fidel to Alicia and Fernando Alonso's home, it became a great company with the respect and unconditional support of the government. Thanks to that, in 1959 there was a rebirth of this institution. We are the result of the same thing: a process and a socialist revolution that is magnificent, even with all the shortcomings it may have, but which has chosen to make a cultural power out of Cuba. We should be able to act together, cooperate, connect, because ultimately Cuban culture wins, and that's the most important thing," considers Regina Balaguer, director of the BC (Camagüey´s Ballet) for two decades.
"We should all know where we come from and to whom we owe that there is Cuban ballet and a school recognized by the whole world. There are three essential people in the development of ballet in Cuba; there is a lot of talk about Alicia, that spectacular dancer, but very little mention is made of Alberto and his brother Fernando Alonso, and I think it's time to do justice: which would be acknowledging their value».
"In dancing schools they teach the history of dance, but they have to teach the history of past centuries and also make a similar emphasis on the recent one, so that the generations get to know the real evolution of dance in Cuba. And we should talk about the BNC and also the BC, which has its own repertoire and a particular way of dancing, of approaching choreography, despite the fact that they both belong to the same Cuban ballet school.»
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