Lizt Alfonso Wins National Choreography Award for her show "Habana Fénix"

December 13, 2023

Choreographer and dancer Lizt Alfonso received in Havana the National Choreography Award from the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC) for her 2023 show "Habana Fénix".

The Master, director of Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba, is the author of the choreographic and general artistic conception of the piece, created as a tribute to Havana and its eternal historian Eusebio Leal Spengler.

Furthermore, "Habana Fénix" features choreographed scenes by dancers and teachers trained at LADC, such as Yadira Hernández, Diana Fernández, Claudia Valdivia, Laura Abreu, and others closely linked to the company, such as Daira Jay and Yohara García, as reported by the Cuban company on its social media.

In statements to the official UNEAC portal, Alfonso expressed emotion about this award and asserted that "even when dealing with a difficult subject, as its own title suggests, the capital is reborn from the ashes. With this work we wanted to give a message of love, hope and future. An entire cast of young people took to the stage and committed to that objective".

The work was conceived before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it was not until normalization that LADC managed to bring it to the stage and reposition itself as a reference on the island.

Its premiere took place at the Martí Theater last May, six years after the Cuban company's last premiere.

At that moment, Master Lizt Alfonso noted that "in times of crisis is when you have to rise up and find a way to grow all together", that is one of the reasons why her new proposal shows "the resilience of man who lives making his way from the cell to infinity, from the moment he wakes up until he goes to bed, day after day".

Upon receiving the award now, the artist stated that they are "happy to be reborn, to pay homage to Havana and, of course, also to Eusebio Leal, who was the architect of that magical little corner where our headquarters is located".