Cuba’s aspiring ballerinas remain nation’s pride while finding light amid power cuts and scarcity
Por Andrea Rodriguez — – World RSS Feed
Cuba’s aspiring ballerinas remain nation’s pride while finding light amid power cuts and scarcity
Classical ballet remains a celebrated part of national culture and remains nearly as popular on the island as baseball
Andrea Rodriguez Tuesday 29 September 2026 17:07 BST
- Bookmark
Bookmark popover
Removed from bookmarks
Close popover
Become an Independent member to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Membership today.
Already a member?
Log in
Your support helps us to tell the story
Read more Support Now
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference. Read more
Across Cuba, blackouts have left two-thirds of the country without power at night for months.
In Havana, some neighborhoods have lacked running water for over two weeks. Transportation options are scarce, while staples such as eggs, bread, and cooking oil remain hard to find.
Yet every morning, roughly 178 young students arrive for classes at the National Ballet School in the capital.
Located inside an imposing Art Nouveau building in Old Havana, the school pairs intensive dance instruction with academic courses in math, Spanish, history, and science.
Training to become a top classical dancer demands discipline and sacrifice anywhere. In Cuba today, where blackouts and shortages of fuel, water, and food complicate daily life, those demands extend far beyond the dance studio.
For 14-year-old Roxana Pérez de La Mora, that means waking up before dawn and traveling about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from her home to the school.
“Sometimes I tell my mom I don’t feel like going, but missing it could cause problems for me later in training,” she said. “I’ve always said that my dream is to be a prima ballerina.”
Ballet endures as a source of pride amid island crisis
Despite Cuba’s ongoing economic problems, classical ballet remains a celebrated part of national culture, nearly as popular on the island as baseball.
open image in galleryOver decades, Cuba has produced internationally renowned dancers and choreographers whose careers are closely followed by an educated ballet audience.
The Cuban National Ballet, founded in the 1940s by celebrated ballerina Alicia Alonso and her husband Fernando Alonso, is considered one of the world’s most prestigious companies.
Tickets cost under $1, while comparable performances elsewhere can cost as much as $300.
For its season-ending gala in August, the company staged “Canto Vital,” a work by Russian choreographer Azari Plisetski set to music by Gustav Mahler.
The performance starred Dani Hernández, a principal dancer who also directs the National Ballet School where Pérez de La Mora trains daily.
Fuel shortages had left city streets nearly empty that night, yet Avellaneda Hall at the National Theatre of Cuba was filled with elegantly dressed patrons, their hair and makeup styled for the occasion.
The audience gave a standing ovation, shouting “Bravo!”
open image in galleryThe combination of demanding leadership at the National Ballet and rigorous training at a public school has helped produce dozens of prominent dancers.
Some have gone on to become principals at leading companies including the Paris Opera Ballet, the Royal Ballet in London, and American Ballet Theatre in New York.
Crisis tests resolve of aspiring dancers and seasoned professionals
Hernández, a professional dancer and teacher, rides an electric motorcycle daily from his Havana apartment to dance class—a risky commute for someone whose career depends on avoiding injury.
During recent persistent blackouts, heat and mosquitoes forced Hernández, 37, to sleep on the terrace of his apartment building.
“Whether I have electricity or not, I have to be in the studio,” he said. “But I keep thinking: Will the food in my refrigerator spoil?”
open image in galleryHernández expressed worry about how the country’s mounting crises could affect future generations of dancers.
“The entire situation we’re experiencing today could affect a generation of students training in ballet, dance, music, the visual arts,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “And it’s been the same for all other fields: engineering, medicine, education, everything else.”
Yet classical ballet remains a source of national pride while maintaining internationally recognized standards, an endurance reflected in the discipline’s broad appeal across Cuban society.
“It’s one of those things where you go out on the street and say, ‘Hey, I saw the ballet,’ and everyone starts talking to you about ballet,” he said.
More about
Most popular
Popular videos
Bulletin
Read next
Fonte: – World RSS Feed
