In the presence of the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, To Lam, and Cuban Designated Ambassador Rogelio Polanco Fuentes, the Cuban dancers, together with young Vietnamese talents, staged a varied show to the public who packed the brand new Ho Guom Opera Theater.
Selections from Don Quixote, The Nutcracker and Carmen, and popular pieces such as Spring Waters and Majísimo, all representative of the BNC repertoire, paraded across the stage, where fragments of Les Sylphides, Tarantella, The Nutcracker and Muto, among others, were also presented.
The long-awaited performance of the BNC, said Polanco Fuentes, marks the beginning of the events on the 65th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, “which we will commemorate on December 2, 2025, which we have called the Year of Vietnam-Cuba Friendship.”
The diplomat recalled that the first performance by the prestigious Cuban company here, in December 1964, became an exceptional show of solidarity with the heroic Vietnamese resistance against foreign aggression.
The members of that artistic delegation, headed by Alicia Alonso, founder of the Cuban School of Ballet, were received by President Ho Chi Minh, who conveyed to them his certainty that one day they would perform in an independent and reunified nation, as finally occurred in 1978 and 2016, the ambassador said.
Polanco Fuentes also referred to the presence of To Lam and other high-ranking leaders of the Party, the State and the Government, which reveals their high sensitivity and the priority they grant to cultural development as an integral part of the people’s prosperity and spiritual well-being.
In particular, he conveyed his immense gratitude to BNC First Dancer and General Director Viengsay Valdés, “who welcomed with passionate enthusiasm this new visit to the Vietnamese homeland that is part of the historic memory of her outstanding artistic career,” he stressed.
Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy reiterated the significance of the Cuban company’s first visit to Vietnam and recalled the meeting of its members with President Ho Chi Minh, who awarded Alicia Alonso the First Class Labor Order.
Thi Thuy also stated that cooperation in the cultural field is a pillar of the special friendship between the peoples of Vietnam and Cuba, transcending geographical distances, enriching and diversifying relations.
The National Ballet of Cuba will perform on Friday in the port city of Hai Phong as part of a tour that began in China, where the company gave two performances in Beijing, in addition to participating in the Shanghai International Arts Festival, and which will also take them to Laos.
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