ARTICLE
THE BEST WINE
BY: JULIO A. LARRAMENDI
About the 30th anniversary of the Lizt Alfonso dance company
Connoisseurs speak of good vintages that produce excellent wines, capable of acquiring greater value over time. That is the case of Lizt Alfonso's company, which these days is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its foundation in style.
Emerged in 1991, already in a Special Period in full development after a decade of certain economic well-being, and under the consequences for Cuba of the disappearance of the socialist camp and the disintegration of the USSR, the founding nucleus of the group faced all kinds of misunderstandings, shortcomings and difficulties. But as often happens, the strength of art, its regenerative role, and the perseverance of the director, prevailed.
Although in the beginning Spanish folklore was the objective, they soon broadened horizons and proposed, with a contemporary vision, to recreate the authentically Cuban, starting from African roots, the tradition created by the Cuban school of ballet and our popular dances, the techniques and more current aesthetics, and mix it with what they already did, until they reached their own style: dance-fusion. And they succeeded. So much so that they opened vocational workshops, an artistic-teaching unit, a children's ballet and a youth ballet that serve as a quarry for the company, a choreographic contest that has become international ...
Acclaimed in various latitudes, Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba and its director, UNICEF cultural ambassador, have received important awards, such as the International Spotlight (2016) for the Arts and Humanities, delivered at the White House by the then First Lady Michelle Obama ; the First Prize for Choreography from the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Uneac) for Sincerely Federico García Lorca, Alas, Elements and Force and Compás, and the Dora Prize (Toronto, 2008) for the best choreography for Life, among others. More recently (2021), several of its members won numerous awards at the Ballet Beyond Borders competition, which is held alternately in Los Angeles and Montana, USA, this time online.
Cuba vibrates, the show with which they inaugurate the celebration for its three decades, and which will be presented in addition to other works on a tour of the five continents, recreates an elaborate repertoire that includes mambo, rumba, cha-cha, bolero, bulerías ... With pieces performed live by the musical group belonging to the company, the careful choreographies give soloists, couples and the always exact corps de ballet the opportunity to shine, filling the stage with light and movement, accentuated by the exquisite costumes. The frequent, enthusiastic and grateful applause that resounded in the Martí Theater during the performances, rewarded the vitality of the company after thirty years of constant, disciplined and innovative work.
By Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, a toast with the best wine!
Connoisseurs speak of good vintages that produce excellent wines, capable of acquiring greater value over time. That is the case of Lizt Alfonso's company, which these days is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its foundation in style.
Emerged in 1991, already in a Special Period in full development after a decade of certain economic well-being, and under the consequences for Cuba of the disappearance of the socialist camp and the disintegration of the USSR, the founding nucleus of the group faced all kinds of misunderstandings, shortcomings and difficulties. But as often happens, the strength of art, its regenerative role, and the perseverance of the director, prevailed.
Although in the beginning Spanish folklore was the objective, they soon broadened horizons and proposed, with a contemporary vision, to recreate the authentically Cuban, starting from African roots, the tradition created by the Cuban school of ballet and our popular dances, the techniques and more current aesthetics, and mix it with what they already did, until they reached their own style: dance-fusion. And they succeeded. So much so that they opened vocational workshops, an artistic-teaching unit, a children's ballet and a youth ballet that serve as a quarry for the company, a choreographic contest that has become international ...
Acclaimed in various latitudes, Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba and its director, UNICEF cultural ambassador, have received important awards, such as the International Spotlight (2016) for the Arts and Humanities, delivered at the White House by the then First Lady Michelle Obama ; the First Prize for Choreography from the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (Uneac) for Sincerely Federico García Lorca, Alas, Elements and Force and Compás, and the Dora Prize (Toronto, 2008) for the best choreography for Life, among others. More recently (2021), several of its members won numerous awards at the Ballet Beyond Borders competition, which is held alternately in Los Angeles and Montana, USA, this time online.
Cuba vibrates, the show with which they inaugurate the celebration for its three decades, and which will be presented in addition to other works on a tour of the five continents, recreates an elaborate repertoire that includes mambo, rumba, cha-cha, bolero, bulerías ... With pieces performed live by the musical group belonging to the company, the careful choreographies give soloists, couples and the always exact corps de ballet the opportunity to shine, filling the stage with light and movement, accentuated by the exquisite costumes. The frequent, enthusiastic and grateful applause that resounded in the Martí Theater during the performances, rewarded the vitality of the company after thirty years of constant, disciplined and innovative work.
By Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, a toast with the best wine!
