They Present Viengsay Valdés with the Gitana Tropical Distinction

November 19, 2019

Viengsay Valdés, subdirector of the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC) received the Gitana Tropical, the highest distinction granted annually by the provincial culture directorate of La Habana for relevant merits and contributions to the artistic development of the nation.

The presentation of the recognition took place this Monday in Cathedral Square, at a concert by the "Mariana de Gonitch" Academy of Song, directed by tenor Hugo Oslé, which drew a large audience that practically packed the venue and celebrated the 500th anniversary of the Villa San Cristóbal de La Habana.

Reinaldo Méndez, director of culture for the municipality of Habana Vieja, in his words of praise highlighted the solid academic training and total dedication to dance of Viengsay Valdés, who has taken her art around the world and has brought great honor to the name of the Caribbean nation.

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to those who appreciate art and to all the organizations involved in such a beautiful event, for me it is a tremendous honor to receive this award and above all to dedicate it to all those Cuban women who are also heroines of dance that we have in Cuba today, the dancer expressed in her thanks for the gesture.

Also during the evening, the embassy of Mexico in Cuba presented the Cultural Merit distinction to prima ballerina Viengsay Valdés, to choreographer Alberto Méndez and to the director of culture for the municipality of Habana Vieja, Reinaldo Méndez, in the presence of Fernando Rojas, vice minister of culture, and Andrei Guskov, ambassador of Russia to the Cuban capital.

The Academy of Song, which bears the name of the distinguished Russian lyric soprano and pedagogue, performed La paloma, La victoria, La bella cubana and scenes from the zarzuela Cecilia Valdés, among other well-known songs from the ensemble's repertoire.

The program included a performance by the renowned prima ballerina, actress and singer of the National Folkloric Ensemble Zenaida Armenteros and the group Okantomí, who performed En el claro de la luna, by singer-songwriter Silvio Rodríguez, and a panorama of Cuban music.

Muñecos, which closed the gala, has choreography by maestro Alberto Méndez, National Prize for Dance, who in a press conference recalled the debut of the piece in 1978 at the II International Dance Competition, held in Tokyo, and the successive successes the work has achieved.

On this occasion the performers of Muñecos were young dancers Katherine Ochoa and Roque Salvador, both from the BNC, who displayed refined technical quality and elevated artistic expressiveness.