Havana:
World Dance Capital

After ten days of intense hectic activity, dancers, choreographers, critics and important figures in the world of dance from 19 countries who attended the 21st Havana International Ballet Festival, from October 28th to November 6th, celebrated the 60th Anniversary of the Cuban National Ballet (CNB).

For all ballet lovers in the island, this ended a two-year waiting period for a party considered by authorities among the best of the world. Together with foreign guests, the event was once again a place for encounters, discoveries and validations.

Onstage, Flamenco y poesia (Flamenco and poetry) by flamenco dancer María Pagés erupted with strength and passion. Cristina Hoyos, also from Spain, well remembered by Cuban audiences for her duet with the late Antonio Gades, again excited the public with her flamenco version of the play Romancero Gitano inspired by Spanish poet Federico Garcia Lorca. Hoyos also showed her mastery of the art of dance by producing the premiere of her version of Medea.

A classic of romantic ballet, Sleeping Beauty, was reborn by the CNB. The fantasy of France's Charles Perrault was staged at the Grand Theater of Havana in a renewed version by Alicia Alonso of the original by Marius Petipa