Don’t miss your chance to watch the Cuban ballet troupe perform
CAIRO: The debut by the Ballet Nacional de Cuba at the Cairo Opera House was spectacular. Performing “The Magic of Dance, the ballerinas captivated their audience with their masterful, seemingly effortless dancing. They played out scenes from some of the more popular ballets, a compilation that highlights the wealth of classical ballet.
The curtains opened on a scene from the romantic ballet, “Giselle. Portraying the souls of the un-wed maidens, the ballerinas danced in unison, the delicate but precise movements of their arms and legs creating a kaleidoscope-like effect. A scene from “Sleeping Beauty followed; a more festive performance of the wedding of Princess Aurora to Prince Desiré with its colorful, decadent costumes. Another wedding was acted out with the bridal couple taking center stage, the male dancer lifting his partner in the air as she gracefully leapt, promenaded and pirouetted.
Scenes from “The Nutcracker, an all-time favorite, were playful with renditions of the flower dance and the Sugarplum Fairy dancing with her cavalier, considered one of the most beautiful classical pas de deux in the history of ballet.
One of the more theatrical performances was the scene from Don Quixote as the male dancers dazzled the audience with red bull-fighting capes, and the female dancers with their fans. Arguably the most powerful duet of the evening, Basilio, the town barber, lifts the beautiful Kitri effortlessly into the air. Kitri’s backward leap into Basilio’s arms drew applause from the audience.
No compilation would be complete without paying tribute to “Swan Lake, the powerful performance from the lead dancers was matched by an equally enjoyable performance by the corps de ballet.
The performance ended with a ballet recreation of a Louis Moreau Gottschalk symphony. “The Symphony Night of the Tropics’s two movements, “The Night and “Creole Party, created in the late 1850s by the American composer, have been strongly linked to Caribbean culture, which is clearly reflected in the choreography of the dance. Performing to “Creole Party, the dance was more whimsical. Unfortunately a few wardrobe glitches seemed to distract both the dancers and the audience.
The compilation was choreographed by Prima Ballerina Assoluta Alicia Alonso who, despite her elderly frame, graced the stage to receive the audience’s acclaim. In Cairo, the Cairo Opera House Orchestra will perform the music.
Alonso is considered to be one of the most outstanding personalities in ballet history, and is the top figure of classic ballet in the Hispano-American world. Her choreographic rendering of the great classics are famous worldwide and have been performed by prominent companies such as The Opéra de Paris, the Vienna Opera and the Prague Opera. As the general director and principal figure of the Nacional Ballet de Cuba, Alonso has been an inspiration and guide in training a new generation of Cuban dancers.
The Ballet Nacional de Cuba will hold performances of “The Magic Dance at the Cairo Opera house on Saturday, Sept. 16 – its final performance in Cairo – and at the Alexandria Opera House on Sunday, Sept. 17 and Monday, Sept. 18. For further information, please call the Cairo Opera House at (202) 739 8144-739 8132.
