TOPIC OF THE WEEK

The Cuban National Ballet School and
National Dance Academy of Rome:
a one year fruitful exchange

An interview with the Father of Italian Contemporary Dance, Professor Joseph Fontano about their bilateral cooperation.

by Damián Donéstevez.

-Different actions have been taken this year as part of an ongoing exchange between the National Dance Academy of Rome, which you represent, and the Cuban National Ballet School. Can you elaborate?

The National Dance Academy, based in Rome, is the only government institute for dance in Italy and today it is the only institute that has a degree programme in dance for teaching, dancing and choreographing.

Last year after having been invited to Cuba, to the Escuela Nacional de Ballet, I came back home to Rome thinking that our dance academy would grow a great deal if we could start a cultural exchange with the national ballet school. As a member of the Academic Council I presented them with a programme for exchange. The Directress Ramona De Saa was very enthusiastic to start and exchange with our academy.

The first part of the exchange was that I would have returned to Cuba to teach and give lectures again and that 5 students and one teacher from our academy could come with me. The first part of the exchange was wonderful; the students received excellent dance notions and had the pleasure and honour of seeing Alicia Alonso and to have taken dance classes with the father of the Cuban National Ballet School, Professor Fernando Alonso. I taught contemporary dance classes and held a series of lectures within the International Ballet Academies Encounter that took place within the National Ballet School of Cuba.

- Your Academy recently received the visit of National Ballet School principal Dr. Ramona de Saa Bello, better known as Chery, who exchanged experiences with your teachers and students. How were her classes, what age groups did she teach, what were the basic principles of her class?

The second part of our exchange was to have Directress Ramona De Saa come to Italy and teach the Cuban dance method to our professors and students. The academy in Rome is of University level and they had the pleasure to have had classes in both technique and methodology.

Everyone was amazed by the amount of knowledge that Ramona De Saa has in teaching and in creating and educating a body to dance. The teachers wanted her to stay on and hope that she will come back for a longer visit the next time. The students hope soon that they will be able once again to have dance classes with her. Her classes were simple and to the point, artistic and, at the same time, very educational.

- There is still an important part of the exchange to be fulfilled, including the participation of Cuban ballet students in an international ballet competition in Rome. Can you elaborate?

The third part of the exchange is to have Cuban dance students from the Escuela Nacional de Ballet of Cuba to come to the National Dance Academy of Italy and to be candidates for the dance competition Premio Roma. Four students and one professor from Cuba have been invited to come to Rome. They include Estheysi Menéndez, Aniela Perorín, Luis David Valle, Jonathan, a French boy who was on a one year scholarship at the Cuban National Ballet School and is now dancing with the Royal Danish Ballet, and professor Mirtha Hermida Roque.

The dance competition each year sees many dancers from various countries around the world. One of the important aspects of this contest is that it is broadcast on national television.

- What are the antecedents of this bilateral cooperation between the National Dance Academy of Rome and the Cuban National Ballet School?

Basically I felt that the Italian dance world could gain much knowledge from the interesting dance experiences that Cuba has accumulated in the past 60 years. I was overwhelmed on my first trip to Cuba, and reconfirmed, on my second visit, that the Cuban dance world has much to teach to European dancers and teachers, in particular for classical ballet, in exchange I hope to be able to enrich Cuba with a touch of European contemporary dance.

- I understand that you will choreograph a contemporary piece for the students next year as part of the International Ballet Academies Encounter scheduled to take place in Havana in Easter, am I right? Have you thought of any ideas for it?

Yes, it is true. I have been invited to choreograph next year for the Escuela Nacional de Ballet. I am very excited to work with such talented students. The first thing that I can think about at this moment is to leave them with a part of me and of my artistic approach to dance; the rest is just “show business”.

- Do you think this exchange will continue in the future? What actions do you think the two sides should take to continue this experience?

It is important that the exchange goes on and that it grows. It would be wonderful to have more of our European teachers come and see the Cuban methodology and that many dancers should visit and study at the school in Cuba. On the other hand, it would be interesting for a few contemporary dance teachers, choreographers and students to come to our academy in Rome to gain the notions of this new art dance form.

- Anything else you would like to add?

I want to thank all of the people who work behind the wings and who make cultural exchanges like mine possible and who put them into act…and yes with this year being the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Cuban National Ballet Company, I would like to wish everyone to have wonderful celebrations and to remember that the world knows that Cuba is there and that it works in hard and honest way to stay alive. I admire the way that you all are able to create and go forward; it is a fantastic lesson for the entire globe.