|
|
Article: Balancing act: Cuban ballerina Viengsay Valdes takes bravura to new lengths.
- Article from:
- Dance Magazine
- Article date:
- April 1, 2009
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2009 Dance Magazine, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]
Some like white, others prefer black. But Viengsay Valdes, Ballet Nacional de Cuba's dazzling ballerina, likes both colors of swans. "When I've danced a good Act II Odette," she says with a grin, "I know that my Odile will be good too. It's like a reward to myself."
The dynamic ballerina is the darling of the Cubans. For them, she is the face of today's ballet--and Cuban people love ballet as much as baseball and cigars. They pack her performances or watch live broadcasts on TV to see her create sparks onstage with multiple pirouettes, or stay on balance "forever and a day." With her amazing technical abilities and her bubbly ...