A festival is approaching

It will be a different festival, which is affected by the complexity of present times, but it will certainly defend its essence. In times of crises, art can offer hope and personal fulfillment. And dance (in a nation filled with dance) has a lot to contribute to.

When next October 20, the curtains of the 27th Alicia Alonso International Ballet Festival of Havana open, a great effort will be fulfilled: the return, after the pause imposed by the pandemic, of one of the oldest and integrating events of the Cuban culture.

Alicia's Festival. A festival that belongs to so many national and international artists. The festival of the public. Thanks to this meeting, Cubans have witnessed many of the milestones of universal dance in the 20th century and so far in the 21st: the most important companies, international stars, the main choreographers of the moment.

And in this edition, much more extensive since it will last almost a month, there will also be world premieres by top-level creators.

Recently, the American choreographer Jessica Lang (a relevant figure of the American Ballet Theater and other companies) concluded the staging in Havana of her proposal: Joyful We, a piece for 24 dancers based on a Mozart piano concert that will be performed by the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC).

The emblematic Cuban ballet will be, as is tradition, the host of the event.

One of the most attractive proposals will be the season of Giselle, perhaps the main proposal of the Cuban ballet on many stages, thanks to the acclaimed version by Alicia Alonso. The peculiarity is that the BNC will host leading figures from several European companies.

Cuban dance groups have been invited to the galas that will be held at the National Theater of Cuba: Acosta Danza, Mi Compañía, Malpaso...

A note released by the BNC informs that the National Dance Company of Spain will perform at the event and will offer three performances, on November 11, 12 and 13 in the Avellaneda Hall, where the company will present Carmen, the award-winning choreography of Swedish Johann Inger.

On the other hand, it has been announced that the Buenos Aires Ballet company will offer two programs from its varied repertoire, on November 3 and 4, at the Covarrubias Hall.

Cuban dancer Catherine Zuáznabar will meet again with the Havana public, after an intense career in Europe, with the staging of Sandra Rami’s Sacre.

Staging are also conceived in other cities of the country: Matanzas and Cienfuegos.

The organizing committee, chaired by first dancer Viengsay Valdés, director of the BNC, wants to reaffirm with this edition the company's commitment: the harmonious integration of aesthetics: tradition and contemporaneity in a choreographic body that meets with the most current dance trends worldwide.

Defending the celebration of a festival with more than six decades of existence, despite so many handicaps right now, is a declaration of principles: The Cuban ballet wants to continue tracing paths, aware of history and challenged by the future.

Tickets sales kick off

Tickets for the performances of the 27^th Alicia Alonso International Ballet Festival of Havana, in the Avellaneda and Covarrubias Halls of the National Theater, will be on sale, starting on Wednesday, October 5, from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m. at the Theater Box Office, located in the municipality of Plaza de la Revolución.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff