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Valdés not only shines on the stage with her top-notch technical skills, expressionism and artistry, but she's also driving the BNC to continue the artistic heritage left behind by Alicia Alonso.
Ballerina superstar Viengsay Valdés leads BNC ballet stars to full houses in Hà Nội on June 26 and 29. Photo courtesy of BNC
HÀ NỘI International ballet star Viengsay Valdés from Cuba will return to Việt Nam to perform at the Hồ Gươm Opera House for two nights this week.
This is the third time Valdés has led her troupe to perform in Việt Nam. She's now not only the prima ballerina but also the General Director of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (BNC).
Having been entrusted by Cuba's ballet legend Alicia Alonso, Valdés has been encouraging her team to respect the Cuban ballet tradition and maintain the core values.
The 48-year-old is well known for her strong commitment to hard training, national pride and her mission to perform the ballet classics at the highest artistic quality.
On top of her worldwide recognition as the symbol of the Cuban school of ballet, Valdés not only shines on the stage with her top-notch technical skills, expressionism and artistry, but she's also driving the BNC to continue the artistic heritage left behind by Alonso.
This year, Valdés was selected to be in the jury of the Prix de Lausanne, a significant ballet competition in Switzerland. She also received the Order of Arts and Letters, rank Chevalier, awarded by France.
Cuban artists are some of the world's best, putting Cuban ballet schools up there with schools in France and Russia. Photo courtesy of BNC
Last year, ViengsayValdés celebrated her 30th anniversary of her ballet career with a series of grand shows at the Havana Grand Theatre, where the public got to contemplate her art in not only classic roles, but also contemporary pieces. These shows not only had personal imprints of Valdés, but also prove the vibrant livelihood of the Cuban ballet school under her direction.
Her first name, Viengsay, means Victory in the Lao language, where she was born when her father was the Cuban Ambassador in Laos. The name has been a foresight for her future achievement and mission in her country's art world.
The programme at Hồ Gươm Opera shall feature some classic ballet variations, including Carmen, Esmeralda, The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, The Dying Swan and Swan Lake, as well as contemporary pieces.
With tickets quickly selling out, as ballet is so popular here, theatre managers arranged for additional seating, which has never been done before.
The performances take place on June 26 and June 29 at the Hồ Gươm Opera House in Hà Nội. VNS