On Friday, June 20th my students and I went to
Havana’s National Theater to see the National Ballet of Cuba’s performance of
Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. One of my
students had befriended a ballerina who invited us to attend the performance. I
am glad we did!
One of the first things I did once I sat down in my seat was
to glance through the program for a name…a name of Cuba’s most famous ballet
dancer. I read about her in the fall in an issue of Bohemia magazine. I was thrilled to see Viengsay Valdés in the cast
of performers! She played the role of Odette (the Swan) and Odile (the Black
Swan). She was magisterial and virtuosic in both roles. I especially liked her
as the Black Swan. What a performance! Power, beauty, grace and agility mixed
with a poetic and intense yet joyful and dark disposition all emanated from
this incredible dancer. The crowd loved her, especially as the Black Swan. They
roared as if someone had scored a goal in a fútbol match or as if someone had
delivered a great solo at a rock concert. I couldn’t believe it.
Neither could my students. They were glued to the
performance and were soon also excitedly yelling their approval after Ms.
Valdés’s performance. Neither my students nor I are ballet experts, but what we
saw Friday night will live with us for the rest of our lives. I am sure of it.
I would not ever want to forget Viengsay Valdés. She is a world class dancer
who performs all over the world. If you have a chance to see her, go. Just go.
