Alberto Méndez González

Choreographer. He was part of the cast of the National Ballet of Cuba. And he achieved the rank of First Dancer of Cuba. He learned about dance through musical films.

Upon finishing his secondary studies, in 1959, he enrolled in architecture at the University of Havana, but immediately attended an audition to form the Modern Dance Department of the National Theater of Cuba, directed by master Ramiro Guerra. Due to his athletic training he was accepted and debuted in the founding performance of the National Modern Dance Ensemble (today Contemporary Dance of Cuba). He played leading roles in the ballets Mambí and Mulato, during the beginning of Cuban modern dance and, at the same time, enrolled in the Alicia Alonso Ballet Academy.

Artistic Career

In 1960 he joined the cast of the National Ballet of Cuba, under the guidance of Alicia Alonso, Fernando Alonso, Azari Plisetski and other distinguished teachers, and in 1967 he achieved the rank of First Dancer in 1968. He remained there until 1999.

He interpreted central roles in the ballets: Swan Lake, Giselle, Coppelia, La fille mal gardée, Sleeping Beauty, La bayadera, Don Quixote, and in the pieces Theme and Variations, by Balanchine; Les Sylphides, by Fokine; Carmen, by Alberto Alonso; Bach X 11 = 4 X A, by José Parés and Masquerade, by Anna Leontieva.

In 1968, he briefly moved to the Ballet of Camagüey, where he prepared some choreographies from the traditional repertoire. Upon returning to the capital he is named first demi-caractere dancer, and from this artistic category he created interpretive models in the roles of Mamá Simona, in La fille mal gardée, Hilarion, in Giselle, Carabosse, in Sleeping Beauty and Doctor Coppélius (true creation), in Coppelia.

Ballet Plasmasis
His choreographic career began in 1970 with the ballet Plasmasis, music by S. Fernández Barroso, which won the First Prize at the International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria, an award he would also receive in 1974 and 1976 for his works The River and the Forest (collage) and Pas de deux, both with music by Pi Mangiagalli. For his ballet Dolls, with musical composition by Rembert Egües, he received in 1978 the Choreography Prize at the International Ballet Competition in Japan, and the "Nina Verchinina" Prize in Brazil, in 1984.

He was partner to figures of the caliber of Alicia Alonso, Josefina Méndez, Loipa Araújo, Marta García, Italian Carla Fracci, Russian Ekaterina Maxímova and alternated on stage with Vladimir Vasiliev and Paolo Bortoluzzi, world luminaries.

During his years of life in dance, he has traveled throughout Europe, Asia and America; he has created works for the stars Carla Fracci, Fernando Bujones, Rudolf Nureyev; and for the Grand Theater of Warsaw, the Scala of Milan, the Arenas of Verona, the Ballet of San Juan de Puerto Rico and the National Dance Company of Mexico.

The Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba has awarded him the First Prize of its Choreography Competition on several occasions: Rara avis, music by Hander and Marcello (1981); After the Flood, music by Sain-Säens; The Poem of Fire, music by Scriabin (1983); and Suite Generis, music by Handel and Haydn (1988).

His Work in the Ballet
Other important creations for the National Ballet of Cuba are: From the 16th to the 20th, music by Britten (1972); Afternoon Siesta, music by Ernesto Lecuona (1973); Pas à trois, music by Manuel Mauri (1976); Doña Rosita, Music by C. Álvarez and On Stage, music by Joaquín Rodrigo (1980); Pas In Excelsis Deux, music by various (1990); Sickness of Angels, a ballet without plot, music by A. Scriabin (1994); Baroque Relief, music by various (1994); ...then I exist, music by I. Stravinski (1996); Yurisleidi or The Girl with Dream-Colored Eyes, music by various authors (1998), Romeo and Juliet, music by S. Prokofiev and Smoke and Glory, music by José María Vitier (1999).

An important phase of his choreographic career consisted in the creation of works composed for Alicia Alonso. He created especially for that repertoire: We Will See Each Other Last Night, Margarita; with soundtrack by H. Sauget (1971); Woman, with collage music (1974); La Péri, music by J.F. Burmüller (1976); Song for the Strange Flower, music by A. Scriabin (1977); Ad Limitum, with music by Sergio Vitier, choreography created especially for the stage encounter between Alonso and Spanish dancer Antonio Gades (1978); Robert the Devil, music by G. Mayerbeer (1980); Lucrezia Borgia, music by Bela Bartok-Rembert Egües (1981); The Diva, music by F. Guerrero (1982); The Golden Arrow, music by various composers (1984), The Merry Widow, music by F. Léhar (1986); Azor, music by A. Vitali (1990); Poem of Love and the Sea music by E. Chausoson for Alonso and the great Russian dancer Rudolf Nureyev (1990); The Four Seasons, music by A. Vivaldi (1993) and In the middle of the subset, with music by Ernesto Lecuona (1995).

Other creations of his for the world stage are: The Lady of the Camellias, for Carla Fracci and the San Carlo Theater of Naples (1982); Intermezzo per l'amore, La Calinda (1989) and The Phantom of the Opera (1997), for the Ballet Concierto of Puerto Rico; Memories of the Lady of the Camellias, for Carla Fracci and the Sixtina Theater of Rome (1992); Christopher Columbus, for the Scala Theater of Milan (1992); A Midsummer Night's Dream, for the Ballet of the Roman Theater of Verona (1995); Letters for the National Theater of Santiago de los Caballeros; and the staging of The Nutcracker for Norma García's Ballet school and Mme. M. Corbett's School, both in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (1999).

Choreographer
In 1970, he created his Opus Prima: Plasmasis, and with it obtained the first choreography prize at the V International Ballet Competition in Varna, Bulgaria. His career in the field of creation includes more than eighty works for the National Ballet of Cuba, and for other dance and theatrical institutions in Cuba and abroad. Noteworthy are: Afternoon Siesta, The River and the Forest, Dolls, Rara avis and After the Flood. While he was resident choreographer of the National Ballet of Cuba, he simultaneously worked as a professor and choreographer for the National Ballet School, in addition to creating choreographies for theatrical pieces, musicals, films and political events. Choreographies for the National Ballet of Cuba:

1970 Plasmasis
1971 We Will See Each Other Last Night, Margarita
1973 Afternoon Siesta The River and the Forest The Beautiful Cuban Woman
1975 Pas de deux
1976 La Péri
1977 Song for the Strange Flower
1978 Dolls Ad Limitum Rara avis
1980 Robert the Devil On Stage
1981 After the Flood
1982 The Diva
1983 The Poem of Fire
1986 The Merry Widow
1988 Suite Generis
1989 Intermezzo per l'amore
1990 Poem of Love and the Sea
1993 The Four Seasons (autumn)
1994 Sickness of Angels, a ballet without plot Baroque Relief

Culture, Sport and Identity
Once again, Revolution Square witnessed a new page in the Revolution. It, as it could not be otherwise, hosted the opening of the I National Cuban Sports Olympiad. And as the setting could not be different, culture and identity presided over the inaugural ceremony of this grand festival of muscle. "It was a journey through the history of Cuba, its sport and its struggles for independence. It began with the Indians and the Game of Batos and passed through the arrival of Spanish Colonizers, the arrival of African Blacks, sporting manifestations in the country in the 19th century, the Pseudo-republic, a period in which three great moments stood out in Chess, Fencing and Boxing," said Alberto Méndez, general director of the inaugural ceremony, in an exclusive interview with Granma.

He emphasized that there were more than 2,000 participants, to which of course 30,000 spectators also added themselves as protagonists. Méndez, who has conducted the May First events for three consecutive years, expressed that the Schools of Art; the Ballet; Dance; Folklore; varieties and Circus participated in the evening; a considerable group of athletes who competed in the Olympiad, which exceeded 800; the State General Staff Band, with maestro Ney Milanés leading. He also mentioned Children's Choirs, with more than 800 voices, and Alina Orraca directing; Sonata Habaneras, with maestro Jesús Ortega; the National Choir; Lizt Alfonso with the professional company and school; two folklore groups: JJ and Raíces Profundas; Pancho Amat; Rumores del Hormigo, and the Moncada Group.

The Circus
A dazzling spectacle, for its creativity and the beauty of costume designs, made by artisans of Tecnoescena, fascinates children and adults, who are amazed from the initial parade of artists, in a choreography that summarizes ancient circus techniques in fusion with the Performing Arts, in masterful symbiosis of initiative and fantasy, to which an integral training of the entire cast of the National Circus of Cuba has contributed.

Such an event occurs in the Trompoloco tent with the world premiere of Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, with original idea, script, general and artistic direction by Alberto Méndez, National Prize for Dance and one of the masters of the Cuban stage. Aladdin... constitutes one of the most relevant proposals, for its ingenuity and multidisciplinary character, as it addresses codes of the great musical, with choreographies interpreted by the ballet of the Teatro América interwoven with numbers from the National Circus such as juggling, acrobatics, contortionism, magic and participation of the legendary clowns. The allegory that surrounds the story of Aladdin and the genius of the lamp is inscribed in the course of the plot, in which the scenes are linked by the travels of the central character through various countries and times, from sailing in a canoe through the waters of pre-Hispanic America, to riding on the back of an elephant and touring India, with its artistic and mythological wealth.

He flies over oceans aboard his carpet and arrives at zones of eternal winter in the poles, in a conception of impressive beauty and color.

Films
Alicia. ICAIC, Cuba, 1968.
We Will See Each Other Last Night, Margarita. ICAIC, Cuba, 1972.
Plasmasis. ICAIC, Cuba, 1974.
La Péri. ICAIC, Cuba, 1978.
A Man of Success. ICAIC, Cuba, 198?
Videos and DVDs
Pas à Trois. ICRT, Cuba, 1976.
Dolls. ICRT, Cuba, 1978.
La Péri. TVE, Spain, 1985.
Waltz. TVE, Spain, 1985.
La fille mal gardée. ICRT, Cuba, 198?
Rara Avis. TVE, Spain, 1993.

Awards and Recognition Received
Among the accumulated recognitions in his curriculum are: the National Prize for Dance (), Annual Prize from the Grand Theater of Havana (1994), the Distinction for National Culture granted by the Ministry of Culture of Cuba (1981), Félix Varela Order of the First Degree (1999), granted by the State Council of the Republic of Cuba and several first choreography prizes from the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), and from other competitions in Japan and Bulgaria.

Alberto Méndez and Abel Prieto
He has also been a guest choreographer for important companies, including: Ballet of the Grand Theater of Warsaw (1980); Ballet of the Budapest Opera (1981); International Cervantino Festival, Guanajuato, Mexico (1982); Ballet of the Rhine, France (1982); National Ballet of Panama (1982); Classical Ballet of Spain (1983); Ballet of San Juan, Puerto Rico (1984); Ballet of the "Teresa Carreño" Foundation, Venezuela (1985); Ballet of Rome Opera (1987); Ballet Concierto, Puerto Rico (1988-1999); National Dance Company of Mexico (1988-1989); Youth Ballet of Caracas (1993); Ballet of Cali, Colombia (1994, 1995 and 1998); National Theater of Santo Domingo and the Grand Theater of Cibao, Santiago de los Caballeros, Dominican Republic (1999).

Alberto Méndez is recognized as one of the most important creators of the Cuban School of Ballet and as a contemporary Ballet choreographer at the international level.