Viengsay Valdés

Viengsay Valdés was born in Havana and began her studies at the Elementary School of Ballet «Alejo Carpentier». She obtained the gold medal in Vignale Danza, Italy (1993) and the Grand Prix of Ballet in the youth contest of the National Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC), among others. She graduated with a Gold Title in 1994 and became part of the cast of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba (BNC). She was promoted to Principal Dancer in 1996 and Prima Ballerina in 2001.

She has performed in numerous countries with the BNC and has participated in Star Galas and Festivals in Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Africa. She is a faithful exponent of the Cuban Ballet School and heir to the legacy of Alicia Alonso and Fernando Alonso.

During the 2010-2011 season, Dance Europe magazine placed her in sixth place on the Best Dancers in the World List. In 2019, she obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Ballet, at the Faculty of Dancing Art at the University of the Arts, in Cuba and was appointed technical-artistic deputy director of the company. In 2020 she won the Annual Prize of Gran Teatro de La Habana, Diploma of Recognition from the University of Havana, and appointed General Director of the Ballet Nacional de Cuba.

She has received the main decorations in her country, such as the Alejo Carpentier Medal and the Félix Varela Order. She is a member of the International Dance Council of UNESCO, and in 2020 she won the Positano Dance Prize “Léonide Massine”, in the category of Best Dancer on the International Scene. She was a jury member for the Benois de la Danse Prize in 2023.

Her wide repertoire includes the main roles of the romantic-classical tradition, as well as works of later creation of various styles. Among these roles are the main characters in Giselle, Swan Lake, Don Quixote, The Nutcracker, and Sleeping Beauty, among others. She topped the bill at the premiere with works such as Celeste and Oscurio, by Annabelle López Ochoa; The Magic Flute and Lucía Jerez, by Alicia Alonso; Le Papillon and Double bounce, by Peter Quanz; as well as the premiere in Cuba of Concerto DSCH, by Alexei Ratmansky. She recently played the title role in the premiere of Johann Kobborg’s ballet Lucile.