National Dance Prize 2022 for scenic designer Eduardo Arrocha

May 3, 2022

On the occasion of the celebrations for International Dance Day in Cuba, the recognition that honors the trajectory of a man dedicated to artistic creation and with a blessed skill for putting together a production was made known.

Arrocha adds more than half a century to his work in the plastic arts, focused on the design of spectacles for dramatic works, cinema, cabaret and dance, and in this particular area his work stands out alongside choreographer Ramiro Guerra.

In his training he received courses at the National Theatre of the Opera of Prague (1966) and the Opera and Ballet of Bratislava (1971) which consolidated his trajectory in the Cuban scene, notable in works for the National Ensemble of Modern Dance, where he served as chief designer and technical director.

Nuptial Chronicle, Amorous Octet, Strange Fruit, Country Suite, Black Impromptu and Baroque Entr'acte are some of the pieces that bear his mark, which he also imprinted on the National Ballet in charge of the designs for Giselle and later for The New Odyssey and Amazonia.

In his possession he treasures more than 80 works for about 70 choreographers of modern or contemporary dance, so that, according to specialized critics, his name forms an indissoluble part of Cuba's performing arts.

He was with Ramiro Guerra in the titanic foundational effort of Cuban modern dance. But he was also with the National Ballet of Cuba, with the National Folklore Ensemble, with a good part of the emerging companies of the great movement of Cuban dance.

He was, and continues to be, an unquestionable point of reference for Cuban performing arts. And he has done it from his art: scenic design.

His creations have marked the visuality of hundreds of works, with an unmistakable author's imprint. He has dialogued as an equal with important choreographers, dancers, and company directors.

He has received awards in Cuba and in several countries around the world for the excellence of his proposals.

For this reason, and also for his constancy, a jury composed of artists and dance specialists has awarded the National Dance Prize 2022 to Eduardo Arrocha (Havana, 1934), one of the main points of reference for Cuban scenic design.

Master Arrocha had already deserved the National Theatre Prize 2007 and the National Design Prize 2013, as well as the highest decorations granted by the Cuban State for the values of artistic creation.

The most recent award, which will be presented to him soon, recognizes decades of dedication to dance, an art that he has considered essential in his artistic trajectory.