The second edition of the Ballet Beyond Borders Havbana 2025 event begins today with a gala at the National Theatre of this capital, in which the prestigious company Lizt Alfonso Dance Cuba (LADC) will perform.

The group will perform selections from the show Habana Fénix, which premiered in 2023 and became one of the cultural events of that year in Cuba, according to the organisers in a press release.

Although Lizt Alfonso is the author of the choreographic conception and general technique, the piece also features scenes staged by dancers and teachers trained at LADC, such as Yadira Hernández, Diana Fernández, Claudia Valdivia, Laura Abreu, Daira Jay and Yohara García.

For Alfonso, this is a very intimate work, she herself took on the musical selection, collaborated in the editing, devised each of the themes of the choreographies that make up the show and chose her work team, and chose the technical accessories to be used.

With Habana Fénix, the director of LADC won the National Choreography Prize of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba.

After its premiere on 5 May 2023, Cuban troubadour Silvio Rodríguez wrote in his blog Segunda Cita: In Habana Fénix, «the ethnic, the historical and the everyday that shapes us is pronounced, separated and fused».

«The language of dance is capable of transmitting everything. Words spoken by bodies; solo monologues; dance choruses that tell the simple and the complex of our own lives and dreams,» he said.

For his part, the eminent Cuban historian Eusebio Leal (1942-2020), whose words were the inspirational foundation of the work, said of Lizt Alfonso: «she has demonstrated, with very concrete facts, that it is possible to start from the solitude of a project and reach the world dimension that the ballet that bears her name has today».

Ballet Beyond Borders Havbana 2025 will take place in the Cuban capital from 7 to 11 January, thanks to the joint efforts of LADC and Rocky Mountain Ballet Theater from the United States.

This year, the event will feature internationally renowned guests such as the American director Vincent Paterson, creator of iconic choreographies danced by Madonna and Michael Jackson.

In addition to the on-site competition, there will be master classes, conferences and galas with the participation of artists from different countries.

For the first time, the event will be extended outside the Cuban capital. On 13 January, several of the participating artists – both national and foreign – will present a special gala at the Tomás Terry Theatre in the city of Cienfuegos.