Otto F. Chaviano Lleonard

===BODY===
Scenic Designer and Theater Director.

He was born in Cumanayagua, province of Cienfuegos, in 1936.

At the age of seven he moved to reside in the city of La Habana where he studied primary and secondary education at the Champagnat school of the Marist Brothers of Víbora, graduating with a degree in Commercial Studies in 1955.

In 1957 with a group of enthusiasts, he forms the group GEDO (Experimental Opera Group) in which he participates as assistant director and head of staging, presenting performances in the Theater Room of the National Museum and other theatrical spaces in the capital and throughout the country.

During 1958-59, he works as assistant and head of staging for national and international directors of the opera seasons of SPAM (Pro-Arte Musical Society) where important figures such as Victoria de los Ángeles, Renata Tebaldi, etc. were presented.

In 1960-61, he works on the staging of Carmen, La Traviata, Rigoletto and Fausto, presented by the Popular Art Cooperative of the Municipality of La Habana and the National Council of Culture. He collaborates on a series of programs for Cuban Television where, in addition to these operas, thirteen total were presented, assuming the responsibility of head of staging, assistant director and costume specialist.

In 1962 he directs the staging of J.C. Menotti's opera Amelia va al baile for SPAM. In March of that same year he begins as scenic director of the National Ballet of Cuba, a position he holds for ten years, performing in this company in addition to his duties as a member of the Artistic Board and costume designer.

In 1967 he becomes part of the Artistic Direction of the National Lyric Theater and presents under his direction shows in the Musical Theater of La Habana.

In 1966 he directs for the National Opera the staging of G.C. Menotti's operas El Teléfono and La Medium in the Hubert de Blanck Theater Room, with the latter being presented again in 1968 in the García Lorca Room of the Gran Teatro de la Habana in a joint performance with the National Ballet of Cuba. Also in 1968, he directs the technical team of the show where the famous international "vedette" Josephine Baker was presented during her last two visits to Cuba, also designing her costume for her presentation performing Cuban musical numbers.

On different occasions he tours with the National Ballet of Cuba to China, Viet Nam, Mongolia, GDR, Poland, Bulgaria, Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and the USSR, participating in Paris in the International Ballet Festival of the Teatro des Champs Elysèes in 1966, where the Cuban ballet wins the Grand Prix of the City of Paris, and in the Cultural Olympics in Mexico City in 1968.

In 1972 he begins working as costume designer in the Artistic Shows Company of the National Tourism Institute (later Turarte), from then on creating designs for shows at the main nightclubs throughout the country. At the same time he collaborates with the National Music Direction of the National Council of Culture, designing costumes for recitals, international competitions and presentations of Cuban artistic delegations abroad, of the most important artists of popular music.

Since its founding in 1967, he provides technical and artistic advice to the Camagüey Ballet, where he has designed much of its repertoire. He continues to currently design occasionally for the National Ballet and the Pro-Danza Center.

In 1979 he joins as a member of the Design Section of the Association of Scenic Artists of UNEAC (Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba) and from 1985 he is also part of the Association of Plastic Artists.

In 1980 he directs for the National Opera a new staging of the operas El Teléfono and La Medium at the Gran Teatro de la Habana. In July of that same year he receives the award for best costume design of the Carnival of La Habana, awarded by the magazine Revolución y Cultura, a fact that is repeated again in 1981.

He has participated, among others, in the exhibition La Danza en el Teatro, on the occasion of the International Ballet Festival in 1974, and in the theater design exhibition Cuadrienal de Praga in 1983 and 1987.

In 1988 he is elected as president of the Design Section of the Association of Scenic Artists of UNEAC. In July of that same year he creates the designs for the show Tropicana en Salsa Cubana which was presented in the cities of New York and Los Ángeles obtaining great praise from specialized critics including the magazine Variety.

In 1990 he participates in the first Rubén Vigón Scenic Design Competition, where he wins the award for Best Design for the musical show Brindis por Tropicana (a show commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of the creation of this famous nightclub).

Member of the Expert Council of the National Council of Performing Arts since its creation and of the jury of the Carnival of La Habana since 1985, as well as of the Artistic Council of the Turarte company.

He forms with other specialists the joint commission Institute of Music-UNEAC-MINTUR, for the review and advisory of musical and cabaret shows, and is also part of the commission in charge of evaluating designs related to the performing arts created by the Cuban Fund of Cultural Assets, and of the evaluation commission of designers of the National Council of Performing Arts.

In 1991 he travels with the first show of the Tropicana cabaret that visits the African continent, remaining for forty days in the Republic of Zaïre, where he is awarded the official decoration for Artistic, Scientific and Literary Merit.

In 1992 he tours France with the musical show ¡Oh La Habana! with the main figures of the Tropicana cabaret.

He possesses an extensive curriculum that includes designs for Opera, Zarzuela, Classical Ballet, and Musical and Cabaret Shows.

In 1993 the Ministry of Culture awards him the medal Distinction for National Culture, in recognition of his long and valuable artistic career. In November of that same year he is elected during the V Congress of UNEAC as a member of the National Council of that institution.

In 1999 he is awarded the diploma Nicolás Guillén for his outstanding contributions to the development of Cuban Culture.

In March of the year 2001, The Council of State of the Republic of Cuba awards him the Medal Alejo Carpentier, in recognition of the outstanding work developed in costume design, of high aesthetic value, highlighting Cuban identity and national values.