CAMAGÜEY.- "I think that the choreographer Iván Tenorio has been present", declared Aurora Bosch, Jewel of the Cuban Ballet, on the stage where the Ballet of Camagüey (BC) had once again released Cantata, just on International Dance Day.

The words to the press reaffirm the symbolism of the reverence, at 79 years of age, to the public that applauded her as soon as they learned of her presence at the Teatro Principal, endearing in her career as a dancer with the National Ballet of Cuba (BNC) .

Iván Tenorio (1941-2014) was her co-worker. She entered the BNC in auditions for The Swan Lake (El lago de los cines), in 1965; she remained in the dance corps and participated in the choreographic ballet, as an experience promoted by Fernando Alonso, then director of the group. He was sent to Camagüey in 1968, where the BC emerged. This company was one year old and urgently needed an aesthetic definition.

“Camagüey has always been a piece of my career. When the exchange between the BNC and Camagüey was made, we came to dance in this theater, with great affection; and it was also exchanged there”, she recalled, because that relationship contributed to mutual growth, professionally and humanly.

Thanks to the opportunity to create choreographic projects, Iván Tenorio conceived profane games. He put modern dance lessons on mastery of the core muscles into practice to solve balance problems.

Before applying to the BNC, she had taken classes in the United States, at the Martha Graham Academy, who discovered the pelvis as the dancer's source of energy. His style is characterized by contraction and relaxation, the controlled fall to the ground, the jumps of the man, and the development of images with movements.

For the revival, under the general direction of Regina Balaguer, the masters José Antonio Chávez, Lila Martínez, Rafael Saladrigas; and the rehearsal teachers Elda Armengol and María de los Ángeles Varela.

“It has been quite a big effort from all the maîtres, from the dancers, from the musicians, from everyone. There is a lot of value and I have been moved”, emphasized Aurora Bosch with the elegance and tenderness of each gesture applauded in the Principal.

The premiere of Juegos profanos was in 1971, in the same coliseum, under the general direction of Joaquín Banegas. Due to the prejudices of the time related to the ignorance of officials, they changed the title, and since then it has been known as Cantata, in correspondence with the music of the German composer Carl Orff.

In this ballet, the music is not accompanying sound, but a leading character; and that role has been performed exceptionally by the Professional Choir of Camagüey, directed by Lena Lauzao; Coravila, guided by Jorge Rivero; and the Camagüey Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Lídice Cruzata. Special colors toasted with their voices, the soprano Dorca Hernández, the countertenor Ubail Zamora and the baritone Alfredo Mas.

Iván Tenorio received the National Dance Award in 2007. Along with Alberto Méndez and Gustavo Herrera, he composes the triad of Cuban choreography from the 1970s and 1980s.

For her part, Aurora Bosch remains close to the Camagüey company, and participates in the "historical dates", as Fernando Alonso, another Cuban dance legend, preferred to name each anniversary celebration. He led the BC from 1975 to 1992.

“I feel very good whenever I come to Camagüey. This morning I had very nice surprises in two schools that I visited. Because of the enthusiasm of those children and that youth, they make us want to get much more excited, ”she insisted.

Five years ago, Aurora Bosch traveled to the city to give classes at the BC, as part of the celebration of the company's fiftieth anniversary. Return to appreciate Cantata, a challenge to today's Cuban dancers and musicians, who, without a doubt, have contributed to a virtuous offering to the memory of Iván Tenorio, which is still valid through his audacious, shocking and irreverent work of youth.

Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez