Guantanamo.- From May 14 to 16, Guantánamo will host the 11th National Festival of Young Choreographers, an event that reaffirms the province’s status as a vibrant hub for contemporary dance creation in Cuba.
The event will be dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the Hermanos Saíz Association (AHS), Guantánamo’s dance heritage, and Cuban modern dance techniques, under the slogan “Guantánamo: Creative City of Dance.”
The event’s overall objective is to position Guantánamo as the epicenter of young choreographic creation, while also promoting exchange among students, instructors, and professional companies, generating sponsorship and mentorship opportunities, and documenting the creative process using digital tools.
Among the participants are renowned masters such as César Simón, Marvellis Martínez, Ernesto Llewellyn, and Ladislao Navarro, along with professional companies like Danza Libre, Danza Fragmentada, and Ballet Folclórico Babul. Students from art schools, instructors, community projects, and creators from diverse artistic disciplines will also be participating.
New this year, the event includes a Choreographic Pitching session for young creators and dance teachers, with the aim of selecting works for production or mentorship, in collaboration with state and non-state economic actors.
The program includes the official opening on May 14 at Bajo la Ceiba, community performances in the University District and Parque Caribe, and the opening of the exhibition “Cartography of a Dream” at the Palacio Salcines, dedicated to the event’s history.
On May 15, there will be dance dialogues, conferences, theoretical and practical workshops, and community performances, as well as the first session of the Choreographic Pitching session at the Danza Libre’s studio.
May 16 will feature conferences, open classes, and workshops on contemporary choreographic composition, along with the final Pitching session, where proposals with potential for funding or creative support will be selected.
The event will conclude with a massive flash mob at the intersection of Pedro A. Pérez and La Avenida, featuring students, professional dance companies, and community projects, and will close with a rueda de casino dance as an expression of identity and collective participation.
In parallel, the event will feature an online program including live streams, audiovisual content, daily promotion of activities, and summaries of the event’s events on digital platforms. Guantánamo: epienter of young choreographic creaction
