Viengsay Valdés, general director of the dance company, told Prensa Latina that Fidel Castro had maintained with BNC.

«He was really very close to Alicia and Fernando Alonso, offering full support to the foundation, development, prosperity and achievements of the National Ballet of Cuba, today considered as Cultural Heritage of the Nation», added Valdés.

Recently, the Cuban company participated in the twenty-third edition of the International Festival of the Arts in Shanghai. Valdés, Artistic Ambassador of the event, voiced her satisfaction at returning to China and joining outstanding dancers and choreographers there.

“Returning here and meeting the Bolshoi and Mariinsky ballets, their works and great classics represents a great experience for the National Ballet of Cuba, especially for younger dancers, who are then exposed to a new culture and a different audience,” said Valdés.

After performing today in Beijing, the BNC will fly to Laos and Vietnam.

“In fact, we are going to do a joint gala with two couples from the Vietnam Ballet, which would further enhance cultural relations between our countries, because we are going to perform on the same stage,” she said.

The Cuban prima ballerina harbours a special affection for Laos, where her first name, Viengsay, comes from, as a legacy from her parents, who were the first Cuban ambassadors in that nation, as well as the affection she receives from Laotian audiences in every performance.

«We will present mixed program, featuring the classical and neoclassical repertoire such as “Carmen”, “Swan Lake”, “Majísimo”, “The Nutcracker” in an very nice show that everyone will like», she said.

According to the general director of the BNC, next year they will return to China.

«Bringing ballet into communities, to all theatres, to different cities, as we did in our island, bringing it to all audiences so they can get to know ballet, appreciating that it is a difficult art form, but one van culturally elevate the spirit», she added.

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