Ballet Nacional de Cuba to Dedicate Gala Performance to UNEAC

The Ballet Nacional de Cuba, under the direction of Viengsay Valdés, will present a gala performance this Saturday, August 22, at 5:00 p.m. local time in the Sala Avellaneda of the Teatro Nacional de Cuba, to mark the 65th anniversary of the Unión de Escritores y Artistas de Cuba (UNEAC).

The program will feature Muñecos, Alberto Méndez’s award-winning choreography; Tarde en la siesta, also by Méndez; Ben Stevenson’s End of Time; Mauro de Candia’s The Dying Swan; Diana and Acteon, based on the original choreography by Marius Petipa; and Canto Vital by Azari Plisetski.

The performance will pay tribute to the longstanding ties between the Ballet Nacional de Cuba and UNEAC, which date back to the organization’s founding years under the leadership of Nicolás Guillén. Alicia Alonso, Fernando Alonso, and Alberto Alonso were among UNEAC’s founding artists, and their involvement in numerous activities, events, and initiatives associated with the institution’s development was significant, according to the press release.

Over the years, that relationship has deepened, with leading figures from the Ballet Nacional de Cuba taking on leadership roles within UNEAC at different stages—evidence of a commitment that extended beyond the stage into the country’s professional and cultural life.

One example is provided by first soloists Loipa Araújo and Aurora Bosch, who headed teams within UNEAC’s Performing Arts Association, where they helped foster exchanges among creators and advocate for the interests of performing artists.

Likewise, dancers and other members of the company, including current director Viengsay Valdés, have served and continue to serve on UNEAC’s National Council and have received major honors, including the Lorna Burdsall and Villanueva Critics’ Awards, as well as the Nicolás Guillén Diploma.

The celebration also commemorates a shared history of collaboration and commitment. The Ballet Nacional de Cuba is thus joining UNEAC’s 65th Anniversary Campaign to honor a relationship built over decades and sustained by artists who understood artistic creation as a form of active participation in the nation’s cultural life.

The gala will bring UNEAC’s 65th Anniversary Campaign to a close. The campaign is part of the Arte Fiel initiative, through which the organization is paying tribute to Fidel on the centenary of his birth while also celebrating UNEAC’s own 65th anniversary.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez