Ballet Contemporáneo de Camagüey at Kaye Playhouse Hunter College

Contemporary Dance, Cuban, DANCE, People / March 13, 2019 by Editors

Cuban Ballet Contemporáneo de Camagüey makes its U.S. debut at the Kaye Playhouse at Hunter College in Manhattan’s Upper East Side on Wednesday, March 13, 2019 at 7pm. From $15

Get tickets at hunter.cuny.edu

Ballet Contemporáneo de Camagüey

The company is led by Cuban-American choreographer Pedro Ruiz (Ballet Hispánico). Ruiz teaches at Hunter College, the Ailey School and Marymount Manhattan College.

Camagüey is a city in the central Cuba. It is Cuba’s third-largest city and the capital of Camgüey Province.

This is part of the Windows Project which Ruiz founded as a way to bring together the rich dance traditions of our two countries. The experience of his return to Cuba after 30 years away is preserved in the WNET/13 documentary ‘Pedro Ruiz: Coming Home.’

For us, dance is not something special. it is an essential part of being human, being alive and being Cuban.

The Company will dance three Ruiz ballets:

Guajira

Music: Los Activos, Grupo Céspedes, José María Vitier

Originally created in 1999 for Ballet Hispánico, the work is inspired by the beauty and freshness of the Cuban fields., Ruiz draws from his childhood memories of the life of the peasant – the long working days, celebrations, and his loves. With music that blends Afro-Cuban and flamenco elements, Guajira shows the racial essence of Cuban culture.

Más allá Del Mar (Beyond the Sea)

Music: Traditional Sardinian folk songs sung by Elena Ledda

Ruiz has drawn his inspiration from the Italian island of Sardinia – its vintage folklore, the Mediterranean spirit of its inhabitants, and the expressive freedom of the sea.

Paseando mi alma (Taking my Soul for a Walk)

Music: Cuban composer Dafnis Prieto

Ruiz’s reflections on the influence of universal culture on contemporary Cuban dance and creative expression. The choreographer combines elements of Cuban culture with Afro-Cuban Latin jazz elements composed specifically for this piece, which also reclaims some of Cuba’s most undiluted traditions, such as the Rumba.