Sulkary, masterpiece of Cuban dance, is back

Master Isidro Rolando is back at the training halls of the Cuba Contemporary Dance (DCC), the company where he once worked for five decades, to supervise, along with the also Master Luz María Collazo, the re-staging of Sulkary, masterpiece by choreographer and dancer Eduardo Rivero, and undisputable icon of Cuban modern dance.

Both Luz María and Isidro were members of the original cast that premiered the play, back in May 13, 1971, at the Grand Theater of Havana. They have gotten emotional in rehearsals, led by master and ballet dancer Yoerlis Brunet (who also danced the play a decade ago). “Of course I have cried —she said. I am remembering one of the greatest times of my life. When I danced Sulkary for the first time, so long ago, I knew that play would transcend. I felt I was part of something that would last forever.”

Indeed, Súlkary is here to stay. Throughout all these years, the play has been staged multiple times, and has always achieved unanimous and enthusiastic applause from the public and critics, both in Cuba and all the countries where it has been performed.

Cuba Contemporary Dance, the group where it was first premiered (at that time it was called the National Modern Dance Ensemble) will re-stage it in the season that kicks off this Friday, June 28, at the Avellaneda Hall of the National Theater of Cuba, along with two plays by resident choreographers of the company: Identidad (-1), by George Céspedes, and El Cristal, by Julio César Iglesias.

DCC director, Miguel Iglesias, wants to surprise the public with three plays that have no relation among them…, or do have: the young cast takes them on with the same energy, assuming that the stylistic, technical and conceptual diversity has always been the hallmark of the group.

“Look, I try hard to find flaws in Súlkary, but I just can't. I say this is the flag of modern dance in Cuba. With that work, the student (Rivero) surpassed the teacher (Ramiro Guerra, the founder) in that search for a poetics that defined our dance movement. It has been a while since we programmed it, because the conditions were not optimal, and this play must be done rightly. We can do it now. And I am sure that it will seduce those who have never seen it,” says Iglesias.

Isidro Rolando, who was the dancer who danced it the most, believes that the young performers will do an excellent job: “They always had the technique, they just had to grasp the spirit. And they got it. It is that poetry of movement, that strength, that truth that Rivero achieved. It is what has kept Súlkary alive, what makes it a classic.”

DCC will turn 65 years old in September and this season joins the celebrations for the closed anniversary.

"We couldn't celebrate our birthday without re-staging our masterpiece," says Jorge Brooks, the company's manager. Súlkary is not only the heritage of Cuban dance, it is the heritage of the entire culture of the nation. "It is the aesthetic reaffirmation of an identity and an extraordinary example of what Cuba Contemporary Dance has contributed to this people."

The performances will take place on Friday June 28^th, and Saturday 29^th, at 7:00 p.m., and Sunday 30^th, at 5:00 p.m.

Translated by Sergio A. Paneque Díaz / CubaSí Translation Staff