Viengsay Valdés will dance in a gala of world ballet stars in Canada

June 7, 2018

After her successful presentations with the National Ballet of Cuba in the United States, the prima ballerina of the National Ballet of Cuba, BNC, Viengsay Valdés, will take the stage today Thursday, June 7th in Montreal, Canada, alongside renowned figures from the Paris Opera, Boston Ballet and Canadian companies.

Viengsay traveled to Canada at the invitation of Les Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montreal to perform in three galas the pas de deux from Don Quixote within a suite of that classic, accompanied by Constantine Allen, soloist with the Canadian company.

The performances will take place at the Wilfrid Pelletier hall of the Place des Arts on June 7th, 8th and 9th, under the title of Soirée des Étoiles (Evening of Stars), with a program that includes works by William Forsythe, Kenneth MacMillan, Douglas Lee, David Dawson and Yuri Yanowsky, among other creators.

The event features artists such as the French dancers Amandine Albisson and Audric Bezard, from the Paris Opera; Italian Rachele Buriassi, from Boston Ballet, and Russian Svetlana Lunkina, who after developing a remarkable career with the Bolshoi joined the National Ballet of Canada.

Valdés, proud representative of the Cuban school of ballet founded by Alicia, Fernando and Alberto Alonso, has built a career spanning stages on five continents as she receives numerous invitations to perform in international galas and festivals.

The director of the magazine Danzahoy, Maritza Gueler, recently considered her as one of those dancers who in this world of social media would seem to be an endangered species, and praised her great display of technical skill in a performance of Don Quixote offered at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

Capable of maintaining endless balances, giving precise speed to her turns and jumps, playing with the acting by getting into the skin of the character and living it as her own, Valdés dazzles the audience with every movement, she noted.

The performer was a display of bravery and seduction in each of her appearances. Her strength, enthusiasm, and energy make her Kitri devour the stage, affirmed Gueler.

Meanwhile, Broadway World magazine reporter Roger Catlin highlighted the easy and flexible movements of the Cuban prima ballerina.

It was also noted in the continuation of some of the characteristics that Alonso has instilled in the company, with technically brilliant and uninterrupted turns and a long and prolonged balance en pointe that provoked sighs and applause, he reported.

For Carolyn Kelemen, of the DC Metro Theatrer Arts supplement, the smiling Valdés conveyed an instantly pleasant Kitri from her first grand jeté, almost sitting in the air while the crowd gasped.

The audience was ready for very sharp footwork, and her speed and audacity did not disappoint us, she noted.

Multiple U.S. media outlets expressed admiration for Valdés's performance and that of her fellow BNC dancers, who culminate a tour of North American cities on Friday.

Source: CubaDebate