Cuba hosts meeting of ballet teaching academies

The 30th International Meeting of Ballet Teaching Academies is being held in Cuba from today until April 20, with more than 300 participants from 30 schools and 12 countries.    

The official opening will be tomorrow, April 12, at 2:00 p.m. local time, and an artistic parade of participants will take place along Havana’s Paseo del Prado, from the Alicia Alonso Grand Theater of Havana to the Fernando Alonso National Ballet School (ENB), the meeting venue.

Among the nations represented are Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and the Dominican Republic.

The Main Guest Artist, Joseph Gatti, Artistic Director of the United Ballet Theatre & Academy, will be a jury member of the international competition.

The academic program includes theoretical courses, practical workshops, specialized teacher training, and the International Ballet Student Competition.

A highlight will be the meeting with international institutions that apply the Cuban teaching method. This thirtieth edition pays tribute to teacher Ramona de Saá Bello, a fundamental figure in the development of ballet teaching in Cuba, and to filmmaker Alfredo Guevara, a prominent Cuban intellectual who influenced the advancement and promotion of national cinematography.

Exchanges between teachers, students, critics, and ballet specialists about national and international styles and methodologies will be part of the event, which will also include presentations in this capital at ENB, the Covarrubias Hall of the National Theater of Cuba, and the Yara cinema.

The International Ballet Competition will also be held in Havana from April 14-18, judged by prestigious figures in the dance world.