An exciting development following my visit to the National Ballet School of Cuba was a scheduled meeting with the newly appointed Director of the School, Dani Miguel Hernández, and the Artistic Director of the National Ballet of Cuba, Viengsay Váldes, in San Juan, when the company traveled to Puerto Rico for 2 performances of Carmen and Don Quixote.
Having learned that the male students at the school desperately needed ballet shoes and special dance tights, I used Trifecta Arts’ funding to purchase the necessary items and had them waiting for Mr. Hernández. Additionally, I surprised him with over 40 pairs of brand new donated ballet slippers* for the female students, which Mr. Hernández was able to take back to Havana.
During their quick visit in PR, I also had the pleasure to take several members of the professional company shopping for new Pointe shoes, courtesy of Trifecta Arts’ donors. Viengsay Váldes and three of the younger dancers enjoyed a visit to a fully stocked dance wear store in San Juan, coming away with new shoes, a leotard and tights. For two of the ballerinas, it was their first time ever in a dance store and first time to have a personal shoe fitting session, since there are no dance supply stores in Cuba. Incredibly, as members of the National Ballet of Cuba, each lady only receives one pair of pointe shoes every 6 months…and sometimes they are not the correct size! I know this is very hard to imagine for most dancers who are used to free access to stores and online ordering. Compounding the difficulty is the financial challenge for these dancers; company members are paid approximately $30 per month and pointe shoes cost $150 or more.
If you are interested in helping provide pointe shoes/other dancewear for these hardworking, dedicated students and professionals, please make a donation to Trifecta Arts and we will ensure the dancers receive the full benefit of your contribution!
(*Thank you, Summit Dance Shoppe!)
