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Cangas, among others. He joined Ballet
Nacional de Cuba in 2017. With BNC, he
has performed in Mexico, Canada, Spain,
Oman and Puerto Rico.
GIOVANNI DUARTE (Orchestra
Conductor) Duarte has been the Orchestra
Conductor of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba
since 2011 and has conducted with the
company around the globe. He began his
musical training when he was ve years
old as a student of violin and piano. He
continued his musical studies with piano
and percussion classes. In 1990, he entered
the Cuban National Art School where
he graduated four years later from the
percussion specialty. In 1994, he joined the
Symphony Orchestra of the Grand Theatre
of Havana as a percussion player. In 1997,
he became a member of the Cuban National
Symphony Orchestra as well. Between
1998 and 2003, he studied orchestra
conduction at the Higher Art Institute
under the guidance of Cuban professors
Jorge López Marín, Elena Herrera, and
American, Kenneth Nafzinger. Duarte is
also the Musical Director and Orchestra
Conductor of the Cuban National Lyrical
Theatre Orchestra.
MARÍA ELENA LLORENTE (Principal
Ballet Mistress) began her ballet training
at the School of the Musical Society Pro
Arte in Havana, and continued at the Alicia
Alonso National Ballet Academy, under
the direction of Alicia Alonso, Fernando
Alonso, Marta Mahr, Alexandra Fedórova,
José Pares and Joaquin Banegas. She began
her professional career in 1962 when she
joined Ballet Nacional de Cuba, rising
to the level of First Dancer in 1976. With
BNC, she has performed worldwide. She
has been a Guest Artist with Alvin Ailey
American Dance Theatre in New York
City. At the Ballet Nacional de Cuba, she
has worked as ballet mistress and teacher
contributing to the education of new
generations of dancers.
CONSUELO DOMÍNGUEZ (Ballet
Mistress) Domínguez began her ballet
training at the Provincial School of Ballet
of Havana and continued at the National
Ballet Academy, under the direction of
Fernando Alonso, Ramona de Saá and Rosa
Elena Álvarez. After graduating in 1979,
she joined the Ballet Nacional de Cuba. As
a member of BNC, she performed a wide
repertoire that included great works of
the nineteenth century romantic-classical
period, as well as contemporary works
by important Cuban and international
choreographers. She performed with the
company throughout the world until 2004.
As a ballet mistress and teacher, she has
worked closely with choreographers such
as Alicia Alonso, Alberto Alonso, Alberto
Méndez, Gustavo Herrera, Iván Tenorio,
Frank Andersen, Hans Spoerli and Antonio
Rios. In 2009, she was the guest ballet
mistress of the Ballet of the Teresa Carreño
Foundation of Caracas, Venezuela. In
2007, she was awarded the distinction “Por
la Cultura Nacional” (National Culture
Award), an award granted by the Ministry
of Culture of Cuba for her valuable work as
an interpreter and pedagogue.
SALVADOR FERNÁNDEZ (Technical
Director and Stage Designer) studied
architecture at Havana’s University.
Subsequently, he studied theatre design with
Czechoslovakian professors L. Vychodil
and L. Porkyñová, and later took courses
in Prague and Bratislava. He has designed
more than 300 titles for dance companies
as well as for the cinema and for theatre
and opera companies. He has worked as
designer for the National Dramatic Group,
Teatro Estudio, National Folkloric Group.
Since 1966, he has worked with Ballet
Nacional de Cuba for which he is also
Technical Director.
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