The Cuban National Ballet Company, directed by dance legend, Alicia Alonso, began 2018 with the traditional gala celebrating the 59th Anniversary of the Cuban Revolution. At Havana’s Grand Theater Alicia Alonso, the first day of the year, at 5 p.m., the renowned Cuban dance ensemble held the January 1st Gala, including the famous classic Don Quixote, the awards ceremony of the Grand Theater’s Grand Prix, and the shows registered on the theater’s book of honor for 2017.

Don Quixote, choreographed by Alicia Alonso, with the assistance of Marta García and Maria Elena Llorente, was danced by company premier dancer, Anette Delgado as Kitri, Norwegian National Ballet principal, Cuba’s Yoel Carreño as Basilio, Ariel Martínez as the toreador Espada, and Ginett Moncho as Mercedes, along with company soloists and the corps de ballet. Don Quixote is set to have a long January season at the Grand Theater dedicated to the 200th birthday of famous Russian-French dancer and choreographer, Marius Petipa, and the 30th anniversary of the premier of the piece’s Cuban version, including performances on January 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 19th, 20th, 21st, 25th, 26th and 28th.

The classic was premiered at the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow on December 26th, 1869, inspired by an episode of the classical Spanish novel ‘El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha’, by Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra. The Cuban version was danced for the first time at Havana’s Grand Theater on July 6th, 1988, even though the Cuban Natio, nal Ballet had the Act III grand pas de deux in its repertoire since 1950.