Viengsay Valdés to Perform at Gala Celebrating the Centennial of Teatro Colón’s Ballet Company
Viengsay Valdés, the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Cuba, will take center stage at a gala commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Ballet Estable at Buenos Aires’ prestigious Teatro Colón. The event is scheduled for August 7 at the historic theater.
The renowned Cuban prima ballerina will perform excerpts from Carmen, the celebrated choreography by Alberto Alonso, alongside Argentine principal dancer Emmanuel Vázquez of the Ballet Municipal de Santiago de Chile, as announced by the National Ballet of Cuba.
The gala’s program features an impressive lineup of distinguished artists, including Marianela Núñez (The Royal Ballet), María Celeste Losa and Nicola Del Freo (Teatro alla Scala), Herman Cornejo (American Ballet Theatre), Ludmila Pagliero (Paris Opera Ballet), Sergio Neglia (founder and artistic director of Neglia Ballet Artists), Daniel Proietto (founder and director of Know Nation), María Eva Prediger (Ballet Contemporáneo del Teatro San Martín), Rodrigo Colomba (Ballet Folklórico Nacional), and members of the Teatro Colón’s Ballet Estable.
Since its founding in 1908, the Teatro Colón’s new building has primarily hosted the world’s most prestigious international companies. The resident Ballet Estable was established in 1925, along with the Chorus and Orchestra, with Russian dancer and choreographer Adolph Bolm serving as its first director. Over the years, the company has collaborated with legendary figures such as Russian maestro Michel Fokine, Bronislava Nijinska, George Balanchine, Léonide Massine, William Dollar, Antony Tudor, Jack Carter, Rudolf Nureyev, Pierre Lacotte, and Natalia Makarova.
The connection between Cuban dancers and the Teatro Colón began with Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso, who staged her production of Giselle there in 1958. More recently, from 2001 to 2004, Cuban ballerina and teacher Martha García directed the company and created the ballet Lady Caroline for them.
Translated by Luis E. Amador Dominguez
Viengsay Valdés in Carmen Photo: Nancy Reyes
