Dr. Carmen Almodovar Receives the Annual Award from the Gran Teatro de La Habana 2021

January 3, 2022

From the most unusual spaces for dance within the Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso, the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (BNC) starred in the gala that is annually offered in tribute to the revolutionary triumph of 1959.

The concert program turned audiovisual performance under the artistic direction of Viengsay Valdés, general director of the BNC and the film direction of Yaendro Tamayo, was broadcast on Saturday afternoon on the Cubavisión channel, given the impossibility of holding the usual spectacle due to COVID-19.

In this way, different locations of the coliseum: lobby, inner courtyard, roof, the Marble Hall, and outdoor sites, such as the gardens of the National Capitol, were taken over by the dancers of that prestigious company which, founded by the masters Alicia, Alberto and Fernando Alonso, reaffirmed their commitment to culture and the socialist project of the Cuban people, for whom the enjoyment of the work of our artists has never again been exclusive.

Mascarada, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Dinomaea, the Grand pas de quatre… a selection of recognized works from the BNC's repertoire -some choreographic versions by Alicia Alonso herself based on the originals-, were performed by the prestigious group declared in 2018 Cultural Heritage of the Nation, and which on this occasion was accompanied by the Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatro de La Habana Alicia Alonso, conducted by Yhovani Duarte, in a novel presentation in its more than 70 years, where the talent, sensuality and grace of the performers, invited the television-watching public to remain in front of the small screen.

The event was also fitting to present the Annual Award from the Gran Teatro de La Habana 2021, which was conferred upon Dr. Carmen Almodóvar Muñoz, defender of the Spanish roots that inhabit Cuba.