Ballet Nacional de Cuba

Review: Ballet Nacional de Cuba

Magia de la Danza, Wales Millennium Centre
The Cuban company comes to Cardiff for the first time and as the final
stop of their UK tour and the audience was treated to a whistle stop
tour of ballet's greatest hits

Carlos Acosta and Viengsay Valdes perform on stage during a photocall
for Swan Lake performed by the Ballet Nacional De Cuba at the Coliseum
on March 30, 2010 in London, England. Photograph: Ian Gavan/Getty Images

With Ballet Nacional de Cuba rounding off their UK tour in the Welsh
capital, the audience was treated to a whistlestop tour of ballet's
greatest duets – all given a distinctly Cuban slant by their founding
mother Alicia Alonso.

This is the first time the famed Cuban company has come to Cardiff, and
there was no better way to start their stint in the city than with a
guest performance from their home-grown legend Carlos Acosta.

Acosta is currently guest principal dancer with The Royal Ballet – but
his roots are with the Cuban collective where he first trained. Now
nearing the end of his prime years as one of the most exquisite male
dancer's for our generation, Acosta's short excerpt was one to remember.

The audience eagerly awaited Acosta's arrival on stage with a tangible
excitement. The first half consisted of a glimpse of a moving Giselle –
performed in full length from Friday – displaying world class levels of
dancing with an acute sense of timing and mastering of the very
difficult romantic style.

Crowd pleasing hits followed including the wedding dance by Aurora and
her Prince in Sleeping Beauty following by Tchaikovsky's memorable tunes
to the Waltz of the Flowers, dance of the Sugar Plum fairy and the grand
pas de deux from The Nutcracker.

The succession of partnered dances can become monotonous for those
seeking the depth and engagement of a full length ballet – with set
changes from one classic to the next ruling out any chance of developing
moods or real character. Uninspired costumes give the audience little
distinction between partners – "is this The Nutcracker? Does she die at
the End?" I heard someone behind me whisper.

But the audience's attention is hooked by the wow-factor moments – with
every pas de deux there's a string of spinning top pirouettes – with the
female dancers rather forcefully propelled by the male partner's paddle
hands.

The Cuban style itself demonstrates the strict discipline the company
champions – with every arabesque en pointe unwavering and each jété
landing like a feather. But some dancers sacrifice fluidity for
technique – Yanela Piñera's muscular Sugar Plum builds momentum
throughout the dance but her arms remain rigidly stiff. Her Cavalier,
Alejandro Virelles is a Cuban Jonathan Cope but given little time to shine.

Following an excerpt from Coppélia, the atmosphere audible rustles with
anticipation for Acosta, and as he strides onto stage and jumps straight
into his trademark leaps for the Don Quixote pas de deux, he is
acknowledged with a roar of applause.

The brevity of his appearance was a notch below satisfying for those
craving more of his graceful lines and powerful presence. But the
passionate and cheeky duet with Viengsay Valdés sets him apart from the
princes before him on stage – reducing them to aspiring young whipper
snappers, and him the absolute master of his art (also markedly leaving
Valdés to turn on her own without paddling).

The evening would be rounded off nicely if it had finished after a
stunningly beautiful pas de deux from a fragile tormented Odette in Swan
Lake – letting the mournful notes of ballet's greatest composer linger
on the air.

But the finale is an odd choice from the lesser known Gottschalk
Symphony, which lightens the tone, but baffles the crowd with the
dancers in a long train moving slowing across the stage. Overall, the
evening is a colourful display of the Cuban's sharp technique across the
board of their company – highlighting an impeccable ability from the
dancers and strong sense of tradition which runs through the spine,
Alonso's legacy.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/cardiff/2010/may/06/cardiff-ballet-nacional-de-cuba-magia-de-la-danza