Under the direction of Viengsay Valdés, the company will stage pieces representative of its repertoire, including *Tarde en la siesta* (Afternoon Siesta), choreographed by Alberto Méndez to music by Ernesto Lecuona, and *Canto vital* (Vital Song) by Azari Plisetski, set to the music of Gustav Mahler.

The gala program includes scenes from *Swan Lake*—in Alicia Alonso’s version based on Lev Ivanov’s original choreography—and the final movement of *Gottschalk Symphony*, also choreographed by the *prima ballerina assoluta*.

Audiovisual works created for the occasion by filmmaker Omelio Esteban Borroto will also be shown, according to a statement released by the dance company.

The prestigious company recalled how, following the triumph of the Revolution and thanks to Fidel’s direct intervention, it was granted the necessary resources for its reconstruction.

The BNC had previously been disbanded in 1956 after the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista eliminated its state subsidy.

That gesture “marked the starting point for an extraordinary boost to the art of ballet in Cuba, which has since become a true popular phenomenon within the country and an internationally recognized success.”

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