First Cuban Ballet Gathering Held in Costa Rica

At the initiative of Grettel Morejón, principal dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba, the First Cuban Ballet Gathering was held in San José, Costa Rica, from February 27 to March 1, according to the company’s Press Department. The institution is recognized as part of the nation’s cultural heritage.

The event underscored the international reach of the Cuban ballet school, one of the world’s most influential pedagogical traditions in the art of dance. Organized primarily by Morejón, the gathering also featured the participation of Sara Acevedo, a distinguished instructor at the Fernando Alonso National Ballet School.

The program included master classes in Ballet, Pointe, and Repertoire, as well as a methodology workshop focused on instruction during the first two years of training under the Cuban system.

Morejón—who, in addition to being a leading figure of the National Ballet of Cuba, has appeared as a guest artist with Germany’s Magdeburg Theatre Ballet, the National Ballet of Peru, and Bulgaria’s Sofia Festival Ballet—conceived the gathering as a platform for both artistic and pedagogical exchange.

“In our view, the gathering also pursues several long-term objectives, all aimed at strengthening the presence and visibility of the Cuban ballet school throughout Latin America,” said the dancer and teacher. She recalled that Alicia Alonso, Fernando Alonso, and Alberto Alonso envisioned the Cuban school with the aspiration that its teaching method could become a shared point of reference for the region—a true “greater homeland” of ballet, the press release noted.

Morejón further emphasized that Latin America’s cultural and anthropological characteristics favor this vision, adding that, as ambassadors of the Cuban tradition, “we have the responsibility to showcase the very best of our school and to embrace the continued development of our teaching method.”

The gathering helped strengthen artistic and academic ties across the region and reaffirmed the vitality and international expansion of the Cuban ballet school.

Photos: National Ballet of Cuba.

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez