Who died in Havana at the age of 85, Ramona de Sáa is among the legends of the company throughout history, such as Josefina Méndez, Loipa Araújo, Aurora Bosch and Mirta Plá, along with Alicia and Fernando Alonso.
“May his legacy live forever. Thank you very much.”, declared Valdés, current general director and first dancer of the BNC at the beginning of the performance in this Andalusian city.
When speaking to the public in the “García Lorca” room, at the Granada Palace of Exhibitions and Congresses, he referred to the death of Ramona de Sáa, “one of the most important ballet teachers in Cuba and Latin America. “She was the teacher of all the dancers who today make up the National Ballet of Cuba.”
To his rigor, to his teachings, we owe a large part of who we are, he said.
The BNC show repeated “Don Quixote”, in a choreographic version by Marta García and María Elena Llorente, based on the original by Marius Petipa and the version by Alexander Gorsky, and artistic-choreographic direction by Alicia Alonso.
Part of its tour through Spain and Portugal, on this occasion the play starred Grettel Morejón (Kitri), Yankiel Vázquez (Basilio), Ányelo Montero (Espada), Chavela Riera (Mercedes) as well as Carolina Rodríguez and Camila Alfonso, who debuted in the roles of the Queen of the Dryads and Love, respectively.
Previously, Viengsay Valdés, in a public statement, spoke of Ramona de Sáa, “our dear teacher Cheri, as her students affectionately called her (…), the intelligence, selflessness and talent that always distinguished her.”
In another part of his reflections, he noted that “his complete understanding of the ideas of Alicia and Fernando Alonso, and his innate ability to put them into practice contributed to his exceptionality.”
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