Havana, March 27 (RHC)--  Five of Cuba’s best dance companies held a gala at Havana’s Grand Theater Alicia Alonso Tuesday evening to honor Prince Charles and his wife Duchess Camilia who wind up an official visit to Cuba Wednesday.

The show began with a dance classic - Act II of Giselle- by the Cuban National Ballet, the company which has set a historical and cultural milestone on the island and the world, followed by Cuba’s Contemporary Dance Ensemble and the National Folk Group.

Next was Acosta Dance, one of the Caribbean island’s newest and most important such ensembles, which performed three pieces, including Paysage, Soudain and La Nuit, with a score by Cuban maestro Leo Brouwer and choreographed by Pontus Lindberg, a piece about Cuban culture through ‘rumba’, a very Cuban musical and dance genre. The Santiago Alfonso Company closed the gala with La Conga, a dance moment that connected with the audience by appealing to popular Cuban dance codes.

The gala, full of Cuban spirit, was a Cuban Culture Ministry courtesy to the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornualles, attended by Minister Alpidio Alonso, Vice-Ministers Fernando Rojas and Fernando León.