International Ballet Festival of Havana

The years that followed the first three festivals, 1960, 1966, and 1967, are considered significant to the history of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba since its casting involved the first graduates from the Escuela Nacional de Ballet (National Ballet School). The 4th festival was held in 1974 and was dedicated to the 2nd Congress of the Federation of Cuban Women. Since that year, the festival has been celebrated every two years and has emphasized this particular aspect that has characterized its work. The 5th festival was dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Granma landing. The 6th festival was dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Foundation of the National Ballet of Cuba and to the 35th Anniversary of Alicia Alonso’s debut in the role of Giselle. This festival also placed an emphasis on “the premiere of works created for the company by well-known international choreographers, Cuban and foreign.”

The 7th festival was dedicated to highlighting the relationship of ballet with the rest of the arts, and in it, together with the Premiere Nights, Repertoire Nights, the usual works of the BNC, and the Concerts of International Stars, there were galas dedicated to the dramatic theatre, the plastic arts, the music, the cinema, the folklore, and the literature, as well as galas dedicated to the birthday of the Russian choreographer Mikhail Fokin and to the ballet Giselle on occasion of the performance of the couple made up by the Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso and the Russian dancer Vladimir Vasiliev. The 8th festival gave special attention to The presence of Latin America in its choreographic creation, allowing us to know the roots, experiences, ways, and achievements of the dance on the continent. A significant event was the beginning of the First International Practical Course of the Cuban School of Ballet, which was attended by dancers, advanced students, and observers from eleven American and European countries, and a Cuban representation that created a tradition that still persists today.

The 9th festival put an emphasis on the styles and choreographers. This made it possible to see a panoramic of the principal choreographic landmarks that ballet has known throughout its history. The 10th celebration was an opportunity for the festival to be a part of art and friendship with the presence of hundreds of guests, among them famous stars and dance companies coming from all over the world, who, together with the members of the National Ballet of Cuba and other groups, carried out a varied choreography program.

The 11th festival was dedicated to two anniversaries: the 150th Anniversary of the Gran Teatro de La Habana, the oldest theatrical institution of the country, and the 40th Anniversary of the foundation of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. The 12th had a slogan: "Past, present, and choreographic future," and showed a rich sample of styles and tendencies present in the dance of our times. The 3rd festival emphasized the Iberian American presence in the art of ballet while commemorating the 5th Centennial of the Encounter of the American and European Cultures, faithful to this credo participated in the festival important companies, stars, and personalities of the dance in Spain, and Iberian America that offered a rich sample arisen from the talent and common zeal of these cultural aspects. The 14th festival pointed out the diversity and richness of the choreographic art with a variety of styles and tendencies within academic, contemporary, and folkloric dance, where galas dedicated to Romanticism and Classicism excelled as well as concert programs with Cuban and foreign artists and the performances of nearly a dozen guest companies.

The 15th festival emphasized the composers or musical styles that had the greatest influence on dance. There were galas dedicated to Cuban and French composers, to baroque composers, to Frédéric Chopin, Igor Stravinski and Manuel de Falla (to commemorate the 120th Anniversary of his birthday and the 50th of his death), and as well to the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, a key figure in the classic ballet.

The 16th festival was dedicated to the 50th Anniversary of the foundation of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. Hundreds of guests were present on this occasion among them companies such as Julio Bocca’s from Argentina, the Ballet of Zaragoza, the Spanish Ballet of Murcia (Spain), the Soloist Group from the Komische Opera of Berlin and the Great Dessau Theater (Germany) the Diastases Group (Cyprus), the Company dance Theatre of Turin (Italy); Introdans Ensemble Voor der Jeugd (Netherlands) as well as Kennedy's Tap Dance Company and The Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, both from the United States. The guest list was made up of the famous Italian ballerina Carla Fracci, who came to give prestige to this event 24 years after her first visit in 1974, as well as stars belonging to well-known companies such as the Paris Opera Ballet, the Ballet of the Teatro alla Scala from Milan, the American Ballet Theatre, the New York City Ballet, the Bolshoi Ballet of Moscow, the Ballet Stable of the Colon Theatre from Argentina, the Royal Danish Ballet, the Ballet of the Opera of Berlin, the National Hungarian Ballet, the Classical Ballet of Guangzhou, China, the Ballet of the Municipal Theatre of Rio de Janeiro, and the National Dance Company of Mexico, among others. Collateral activities such as the presentation of the book Ballet Nacional de Cuba: Half a Century of Glory, written by the historian Miguel Cabrera, a stamp cancellation, photographic and plastic arts, and movie and video exhibitions were part of the festival. Two events in this festival were the inauguration of the Dance Museum and the celebration of the 1st Iberian American Choreographic Competition organized by the General Society of Authors and Editors (SGAE), the Author's Foundation, and the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

The 17th festival was dedicated to highlighting the principal creators and choreographic tendencies that have enriched ballet in the 20th century and featured six foreign companies, among them the Ballet of Washington, the folkloric Ballet of Puebla, The Da Capo company and the Dance Group (Azahar) from Valencia, Spain. There were also other representatives from seventeen countries in America, Asia and Australia. The 18th festival was inaugurated by Fidel Castro, President of the State and Council of Ministers of Cuba and the festival slogan was "Past, Present and Future of Dance." Four foreign companies, among them the Dessau Ballet from Germany, and the Choreographic Centre of Valencia, Spain were present as well as seven Cuban companies and dancers, choreographers, and special guests coming from fifteen countries in America, Europe and Asia. During the event it was announced the winning work of the 3rd Iberian American Choreographic Competition corresponded to the Cuban George Enrique Céspedes’ work Por favor, no me limits.., and a wide repertoire that performed in galas and concerts showed the representative works of the most valuable romantic-classical inheritance of the 19th century, as well as contemporary creations of Cuban and foreign choreographers. Additional activities included plastic arts, photographic, and movie exhibitions, and conferences.