Havana International Ballet Festival resumes after pandemic hiatus

HAVANA, Oct. 21 (Xinhua) -- With participations of dancers worldwide, the 27th Havana International Ballet Festival, a major cultural event in Cuba, kicked off on Thursday after a two-year pandemic hiatus.

The country's leading ballerina Viengsay Valdes, who serves as president of the festival, said during the opening gala that it is important to carry forward the island's cultural heritage through art performance.

Running through Nov. 13, the biennial festival also hosts companies and ballet dancers from countries including Russia, Spain, the United States and Italy.

Semyon Chudin, a dancer from the Moscow-based Bolshoi Ballet, an internationally renowned classical ballet company, said he feels happy about being in the Caribbean country.

"I am so glad and honored to come to this festival and dance Giselle with the Cuban ballet company," he said.

According to organizers, ballet performances will also take place in the Cuban provinces of Matanzas, Pinar del Rio and Cienfuegos.