Cuban National Ballet to Perform at the Mariinsky and Bolshoi Theaters

The Cuban National Ballet will soon embark on a tour of Russia, with performances at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, the Pushkin Theater in Nizhny Novgorod, and the Dmitri Shostakovich Theater in Samara.

The tour will open on September 24 at the Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. The performance is part of the program of the 12th International Forum of United Cultures of St. Petersburg, which will be held under the theme “United Cultures, Shared Values,” according to the Press Department of the renowned company.

Under the direction of principal dancer Viengsay Valdés, the Cuban company will present Giselle, one of the crowning works of the Romantic era. In Alicia Alonso’s acclaimed choreographic version, the ballet has become the Cuban National Ballet’s calling card around the world.

The September 24 performance at the Mariinsky will feature principal dancers Anette Delgado and Ányelo Montero as Giselle and Albrecht, respectively, with Ernesto Díaz as Hilarion—a role he will perform in all the tour’s performances—and Gabriela Druyet as the Queen of the Wilis. In Nizhny Novgorod, on September 29, Anette Delgado and Ányelo Montero will headline the cast, with Laura Kamila as the Queen of the Wilis.

At Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre on September 27, Viengsay Valdés will dance the role of Giselle, Dani Hernández will portray Albrecht, and Ana Pessino will perform as the Queen of the Wilis. In Samara, on October 3, Nadila Estrada will appear as the Queen of the Wilis alongside Viengsay Valdés and Dani Hernández.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez