A contest that grows from the seed

Camagüey, June 2. - Amid a complex electrical energy situation that forced the relocation of performances to the headquarters of the Camagüey Contemporary Ballet and open its doors with natural light as the only ally, the third Fernando Alonso in memoriam Choreography and Performance Contest shone for the dedication, talent, and initiative of the youngest.

Unlike last year, participation by professionals was minimal. However, this void did not weigh: it was the students of art schools who held the call, not only from the performance, but also from the creation. Some 40 works were presented, many of them conceived by the children and adolescents, who also dared to dance other people’s works as if they were their own.

Renowned choreographer and director Rosario Cárdenas, National Dance Award winner and jury member for this edition, highlighted the enthusiasm, creativity, and educational value of the event: “I'm very happy with how this third contest has developed… Seeing so many young people who continue to develop in the fields of dance, ballet, and folklore, having this opportunity… We've seen several very small choreographies, certainly, and all the desire they have to create… practically without tools, purely through observation, and that must be encouraged; we must give them more tools.”

Beyond the competition, Rosario valued the confrontation as a means of mutual enrichment between students and teachers, in a context where enthusiasm and dedication ultimately prevailed over material difficulties.

During the closing ceremony, the director of the Camagüey Ballet and contest president, Regina Balaguer, thanked the teachers, children, parents, and the audience for their support and participation in this idea, which, more than just a prize, seeks to be a platform to foster creation in dance. He summed it up with a phrase that is the essence of this competition: "There is no company without a choreographer."

During the closing ceremony, the director of the Camagüey Ballet and competition president, Regina Balaguer, thanked the teachers, children, parents, and the audience for their support and participation in this idea, which, more than just a prize, seeks to be a platform to foster creation in dance. She summed it up with a phrase that is the essence of this contest: "There is no company without a choreographer."

The third edition of the Fernando Alonso in memoriam, held from May 28th to June 1st, demonstrated that the future of Cuban dance is also written in the classroom, from the will to create with what one has, and from the passion of those who, even without lights or spotlights, make art their most genuine form of expression.

The competition jury was chaired by Regina Balaguer and comprised of prominent figures in Cuban dance: Rosario Cárdenas, National Dance Prize winner; Arístides Bringues, director of the Folk Ballet of the East; Elsa Avilés, principal dancer and regisseur of the Folk Ballet of Camagüey; Jesús Arias, principal dancer of the Contemporary Ballet of Camagüey; José Antonio Chávez, choreographer and also National Dance Prize winner; and Yanni García, principal dancer of the Ballet of Camagüey.

The relevance of the contest and the talent demonstrated on stage also motivated the presentation of collateral awards by several cultural institutions. Among them, the award for the television program "La danza eterna" (The Eternal Dance), represented by its screenwriter, host, and director, Ahmed Piñeiro; the Fernando Alonso Honorary Chair at the University of the Arts; and the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC, for its acronym in Spanish), as a demonstration of their support and commitment to promoting choreographic creation from an early age.

PERFORMANCE AWARDS

Special Performance Award:

Ederlyn Fernanda Sotomayor, a student at the Fernando Alonso Center for the Promotion of Dance and Ballet, for her performances in the ballet "Tú y yo" and the Kitri variation from the third act of Don Quixote.

Yonkeni de Jesús Nápoles Esponda, intermediate level student at the Vicentina de la Torre Academy of the Arts, for his performance in "Ibú la niwe."

Interpretation Award, Elementary Ballet Level:

Beatriz Pérez Saladrigas, for the female variation of the pas de deux Esmeralda.

Anthony de Jesús Rodríguez González, for the male variation of the pas de deux Arlequinade.

Interpretation Award, Elementary Dance Level:

Mía de la Caridad Cabrera Betancourt, for her performances.

Maykol Machet Mora, for all his performances.

Interpretation Award, Intermediate Ballet Level:

Camila López Ayo, for her performances.

Hansell René Báez Corona, for all his performances.

Interpretation Award, Intermediate Dance Level:

Anyel Irene Arias Castro, for her performances.