Cuba says goodbye to prominent dancer and choreographer Gladys González

January 14, 2021

Without prior notice, dancer and choreographer Gladys González bid eternal farewell to life on January 13th, after a heart attack that took her to eternity at the age of 83 years old.

Her death occurred in the Aztec nation, where the devoted artist resided until her final days, she who was a main figure of the Cuban Television Ballet.

Her stay in Mexico did not limit her passion for dance, and her dedication as a teacher at TEC, one of the most prestigious Mexican universities, where she worked until her death as a dance advisor and specialist in ballroom dancing, are testament to her constancy and dedication to the art of dance.

Together with her husband Antonio Sánchez, they formed one of the most well-known dance couples in our country. Gladys and Antonio stood out for their pedagogical contribution to the program Para Bailar and later created Aprendiendo a Bailar where they taught classes in popular and traditional dances from Cuba and other countries.

Her work as a choreographer for ballet is present in works that she adapted for pointe ballet, through adaptations such as Las Pericas, inspired by the famous theatrical work by Nicolás Dorr, created especially for the National Ballet of Cuba.

Her physical departure leaves profound pain in the Cuban dance movement and in Cuban culture in general, for her great legacy and dedication in the defense of Cuban dance.

Gladys González Camejo is the mother of actor Julio Camejo who has expressed on his Twitter account "The last of the rumberas, Gladys González, 'Antonio's woman' today is dancing alongside my father once more. I am left with everything great that they gave me. And gratitude because thanks to them I am the man, the father, the artist and the person that I am". "I'm not going to tell you how she died, I'm going to tell you how this great woman lived. María Gladys González Camejo, my mother, her last message was yesterday and she told me: 'I taught an online class and the kids liked it'. This morning she encouraged me to go for a run", he commented.

"Never mind the great dancer that she was, the great choreographer that she was, that in the middle of the Cold War, choreographed [sic] the Bolshoi and the American Ballet Theatre. The amazing woman, amazing mother, amazing wife that she was [...]."