National Ballet of Cuba to Hold Gala for Fidel's Centennial

According to information shared with the Cuban News Agency, the company, under the direction of Viengsay Valdés, will present representative works from its repertoire, including Tarde en la siesta, choreographed by Alberto Méndez with music by Ernesto Lecuona (1895-1963); Canto vital, by Azari Plisetski with music by Gustav Mahler; scenes from Swan Lake, in the version by Alicia Alonso (1920-2019) based on the original choreography by Lev Ivanov; and the final movement of Gottschalk Symphony, also choreographed by Alonso.

In addition, film materials created especially for the occasion by filmmaker Omelio Esteban Borroto Leiseca will be screened.

Following the triumph of the Revolution, through Fidel's direct intervention, the National Ballet of Cuba was given the resources needed to rebuild the company, which had been dissolved in 1956 after the Batista dictatorship cut off the state subsidy it received.

That gesture by the Revolutionary Government marked the starting point for an extraordinary boost to the art of ballet in Cuba, which has since become a genuine popular phenomenon in the country and an internationally recognized success.

Tickets are on sale at the National Theater box office from 1:00 to 6:00 p.m.