National Ballet of Cuba Dedicates Performance to Fidel Castro Amid Political Spectacle

The National Ballet of Cuba (BNC) joined the series of official tributes marking the 100th anniversary of Fidel Castro Ruz with a special gala at the Sala Avellaneda of the National Theater of Cuba. Under the general direction of Viengsay Valdés, the event took place at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

Cultural journalist and critic Wilfredo Cancio Isla dubbed the event "Fouettés of Flattery," mockingly noting that the BNC "wouldn't be left behind after La Colmenita's show at the Karl Marx Theater honoring the Patriarch." He pointed out that the company had "put on a special gala for the centenary of Fidel Castro, the Dancer-in-Chief."

The program featured four performances: "Afternoon at the Siesta," choreographed by Alberto Méndez with music by Ernesto Lecuona; "Vital Chant" by Azari Plisetski with music by Gustav Mahler; scenes from the second act of "Swan Lake" in Alicia Alonso's version of the original choreography by Lev Ivánov; and the final movement of Gottschalk's Symphony, also choreographed by Alonso.

Symbolism in Ballet Choice

Regarding the selection of "Swan Lake" to honor Castro, Cancio Isla sarcastically remarked, "Dancing scenes from 'Swan Lake' for Fidel Castro is truly a macabre reunion with Von Rothbart, the character most fitting from the array of wicked and manipulative sorcerers in classic ballets." The ironic undertone highlights the political overtones embedded in the artistic choice.

The audience in Sala Avellaneda was filled with the usual officials. As reported by the state channel Canal Caribe, attendees included Elier Ramírez Cañedo, deputy head of the Ideological Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba; the Minister of Culture, Alpidio Alonso Grau; and the president of the UNEAC, Marta Bonet de la Cruz. The presence of the party's ideological head at a ballet performance speaks volumes about the event's true nature.

Artists and Officials in the Spectacle

The stage featured students from the Ballet Company Chair and the Fernando Alonso National Ballet School, alongside more experienced dancers. This was to showcase, as stated by the state channel's voice-over, "the continuity of the Cuban Ballet School, its technique, and tradition." In this context, however, this tradition seems inextricably linked to the obligation of performing for the regime.

The gala is part of the year designated by the regime as the "Year of the Centenary of Commander-in-Chief Fidel Castro Ruz," an agenda that already included the 1st International Colloquium "Fidel: Legacy and Future" —held from August 10 to 13 at the Havana Convention Palace with over 1,500 delegates from 63 countries. For the colloquium's closing, Raúl Castro made a public appearance at the Karl Marx Theater.

Contrasting Realities

While the regime rallies artists and officials for the centenary worship, the Cuban people face a starkly different reality. On the same Sunday, the government announced another day of blackouts with expected impacts exceeding 2,000 MW. So far in August, the country has suffered a record 2,411 MW electricity deficit —recorded on August 4—, seven total collapses of the National Electric System in 2026, and outages lasting more than 80 consecutive hours in some Matanzas areas. The BNC itself had to cancel performances of "Giselle" in June due to a lack of air conditioning in the theater.

Cancio Isla also noted a coincidence reflecting the divide between the two shores: precisely at 5:00 p.m. on the same Sunday, the closing gala of the 31st Miami International Ballet Festival began at the Fillmore Theater in Miami Beach. "As if the situation between Havana and Miami remains a field of opposing symmetries," wrote the journalist: in one city, ballet serves art; in the other, art serves worship.