The National Ballet of Cuba to premiere a work by Danish choreographer Johan Kobborg

The National Ballet of Cuba has declared that a work requested by its General Director and Principal Ballerina, Viengsay Valdés, from acclaimed Danish choreographer Johan Kobborg, will be premiered in July 2024.

Lucile is the title of this piece, with music composed by French composer Jules Massenet, orchestrated by Gavin Sutherland, costumes designed by Natalia Steward, set designed by Johan Kobborg, and lighting design by Joey Walls.

This new production was only made possible because of the backing of the British Friends of the National Ballet of Cuba, with whom the company from the Caribbean island has had a long and strong relationship.

For her part, Viengsay Valdés believes that the new work will be an important milestone in the history of collaboration and will enrich the repertoire of the National Ballet of Cuba, always open to different styles and forms of scenic dance.

«I have had the pleasure of working with Kobborg in international galas, as well as in our festivals. He is an admirable artist, both in his performance as a dancer and in his recent and successful work as a choreographer,» said the director of the National Ballet of Cuba, Cultural Heritage of the Nation.

Johan Kobborg is well known to the Cuban public for his performances at the International Ballet Festival of Havana in 1998 and 2004, as well as the performances of the Royal Ballet of Great Britain in our country in 2009.

In his brilliant career as a dancer, he has received international recognition and has been first figure of the Royal Ballet of Denmark and the aforementioned Royal Ballet. In 2006, he received the Lawrence Olivier Award for his production of The Sylph, and the premiere of his version of Romeo and Juliet, in the Arena of Verona, Italy, in 2019, was a resounding success.

Source: National Ballet of Cuba

Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez