Cuba National School of Ballet

Tina currently teaches at the Art Academy of Cincinnati and is a frequent guest lecturer at many venues, including the University of Cincinnati. Tina’s work has been widely exhibited, at FotoFocus 2018 and 2016, numerous Cincinnati art galleries and as far away as Havana, Cuba.Tina’s practice is g

The Cuban National Ballet School (Escuela Nacional Cubana de Ballet) in Havana appeared to

be organized much like a school for the creative and performing arts here in the U.S. Students

were learning all the usual subjects in a school, including history, math, science, proper Spanish

grammar, and languages. Classes seemed well-organized and the students very attentive. The

most noticeable difference is that here many the students were in leotards and tights under their

school uniforms.

The building itself, a block long and three stories high, is a magnificent Spanish colonial

structure of marble featuring impossibly high ceilings and decorative marble floors that had to be

fitted with a sprung surface and a Marley-type covering to be suitable for dancing.

In the hallways, sitting on the floor having snacks, chatting, they may have been students in any

school with one big difference. They moved with a studied grace, as if always preparing for the

vigorous and demanding physical exercises between the regular classes. It was explained that the

school’s ballet classes preserve a more classical style that is distinctly Cuban. They feel that

traditional Cuban dancers have great passion. I could see it even when they were casually

practicing a few moves during a break — the Cuban penchant for all things joyful and

spontaneous. Two very young ones practiced their moves with a springy bounce, moving in a

tight synergy, flitting from place to place like the tiny bee hummingbirds found only in Cuba.

Damian introduced me to Akemys and Carlos, a pair of young dancers who were asked to

demonstrate some moves and lifts for photos. He also introduced Carolina, who posed in her

school uniform, revealing another side of the student’s lives in the school. The students in the

dance studios were being trained in the inimitable Cuban style of ballet — strong and precise, yet

passionately expressive. It was clearly their technical proficiency, spirit, and dedication that

raised ballet to a whole new level. It was clear why Cuban-trained dancers are in demand by the

most prominent ballet companies around the world.