blog post Cuba: Land of cigars, baseball and tutus

Think Cuba and the first thing that springs to mind probably won't be a tutu. But maybe it should be. This Latin American country, better known for cigars, baseball and rum, is a powerhouse in the world of ballet. Its Cuban National Ballet is widely regarded as one of the world’s great companies. So their appearance in Vancouver beginning tonight has me very excited.

I danced for some 20 years, fell in love with ballet and came within a pointed toe of getting into Canada’s National Ballet School when I was eleven. I also learned to play the cello, but during those years, ballet was my true passion.

A few years back I was in Havana and went to the sumptuous Gran Teatro to see a production of the Cuban National Ballet School. As we sidled into the Gran Teatro, we found the ripped red seats looked beautifully forlorn in that Havana way. The crowd was very balletic: taut and lean and muscular with plenty of “bunheads” amongst the mix. When the mottled curtain was drawn up, out came some incredible dancers. Sure, the costumes were frayed and threadbare; the sets laughably worn. But the dancing was simply phenomenal; disciplined, expressive and gravity-defying. It was like watching the farm team for the Yankees, but in this case for the Cuban National Ballet.  

The Cuban National Ballet was founded in 1948 by the great Alicia Alonso, who is considered the godmother of ballet in Cuba and is still alive today. But ballet didn’t really take off on the island until the revolution. Along with Fidel Castro and Communism came financial security and an artistic attachment to the Soviet Union. Indeed, it’s that Soviet connection that helped the Cuban National Ballet become the legendary company it is today.

The Cuban National Ballet has been touring Western Canada for a little more than a week with a program of balletic highlights. But it’s their final stop that has ballet lovers really excited. Starting tonight and for four performances they’ll present the full ballet Don Quixote. It’s a chance to see the Cuban National Ballet in full performance. Here’s a little taste of what’s in store.

The Vancouver Opera Orchestra has been called into the pit for the show. I was excited when I realized the orchestra would perform live: So many times ballet companies roll into town and use recorded music, but not this time around. Kudos to the presenters; this promises to be a rich experience. The score is by Ludwig Minkus, a name lost in the shadows of music history. Minkus was the official composer of ballet music to the Imperial Theatres in St. Petersburg and wrote some 20 ballets. Don Quixote is his most famous score and it’s a standard in the Cuban National Ballet’s repertory. 

Reflecting on that moment in Havana a few years back, I was struck by how strange an experience it was. Here, in the land of beaches, salsa and carnival was this most elegant and reserved of art forms. And it was so magnificently performed, a kind of severed connection to the cold war and Cuba’s now-lost Soviet ally. And yet, if you were to have a remnant, well, you could do worse. I can’t wait to see and hear this Don Quixote. That reminds me, I need to check my rum stock. A post-show mojito is in order.

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