CBYE Media Releases

From Cuba with love

Christina Commisso, Burlington Post Staff
Dec 04, 2009

Belma Diamante is on a mission: to popularize ballet. 

So when the north Burlington resident took over Hamilton-based Canadian Ballet Youth Ensemble (CBYE) in 1998, she went about creating an atmosphere where all young ballerinas have their chance in the spotlight — alongside some of the world’s top dancers.

“These children live in such a competitive age and have challenges thrown at them from the competitive culture,” she said. “I feel (ballet) does not necessarily give a full return to parents and children.”

So Diamante looked toward her mentor for some inspiration — prima ballerina Alicia Alonso.

Alonso was born in Havana, Cuba in 1920 where she began her dancing career. She later travelled to New York City and London to continue training with some of the world’s leading dancers before returning to Cuba in 1950. Stepping away from a lucrative dance career in the United States and returning to her homeland won the hearts of Cubans. There, Alonso founded Ballet Alicia Alonso, which later became the National Ballet of Cuba, and eventually took Cuban ballet to the world stage.

“Alicia Alonso is beyond legendary status as the longest dancing and best dancing ballerina. Her life story is extremely inspiring and moving. Unfortunately, all or most art forms are left in the hands of the elite; ballet is the most elitist of all art forms. I wanted to popularize that.”

Diamante set out to establish a Cuban/Canadian ballet partnership – the first of its kind in North America.

In Cuba, a few pesos will garner a seat in the Grand Teatro to enjoy a rendition of Giselle or Hansel and Gretelby a company ranked amongst the Top Five in the world. Taking ballet to the masses is exactly what Diamante set out to do. Step one was to secure Alonso’s support.

“She created the Cuban ballet out of nowhere. She introduced ballet to the country and held performances in factories, warehouses, fields, in every corner of the country…she took the art form to people from every walk of life. I wanted to do that in Ontario.”

Local dancers on stage

Amongst countless of awards and recognitions, in 2002 Alonso was designated a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for her outstanding contribution to the development, preservation and popularization of classical dance and for her devotion to the art form. Today she continues to direct the National Ballet of Cuba, even though she is in her late 80s and almost blind.

“I really wanted to achieve something, and when you want to achieve something, you go to the top,” said Diamante, who explained it took about a year to get a face-to-face meeting with Alonso. “In my first meeting she listened to me quietly, then she held my hand ... and said, ‘your agenda is so pure, I will work with you’. When I thanked her for her acceptance, she said, ‘no, I thank you. You took me back years from where I started from’.”

For a third year running, top ballerinas from the National Ballet of Cuba will perform the timeless holiday classicThe Nutcracker with CBYE at Hamilton Place. Of the performers, 11 young Burlingtonians will dance alongside Cuba’s elite dancers including Viengsay Valdes, Sadaise Arencibia and Elier Bourzac.

“We’re really excited, we’ve never participated in anything like this and never danced with professionals,” said Megan Fayarchuk, 13, of Burlington. Megan and her sister Olivia, 11, will both be performing in the upcoming show. “It’s a little intimidating. (The Cuban dancers) have been dancing for so many years and they’re so experienced, we want to show them what we can do.”

“I know I’ll always remember it and I’m really excited to dance in front of all those people,” said Olivia, who will be playing the part of a naughty boy who steals the nutcracker.

A year of negotiations

Emma Davis has been dancing for eight years at Burlington’s Dance Academy, but this was her first time auditioning for CBYE. The 10-year-old landed the part of a mouse and a candy. “We saw two principal dancers yesterday (Nov. 29) and they were just amazing. I think they thought we were good too,” she said.

In January 2009 CBYE signed a working agreement that established the Cuban School of Ballet, the Hamilton affiliate of the National Ballet of Cuba. “It took a year of negotiations and a great deal of work (to reach the agreement) but it was well worth every minute we spent working on it,” said Diamante.

Since establishing the partnership, Burlington resident Katie Cole, 10, has been dancing at the pre-professional school. Katie said she wanted to dance in The Nutcracker since her friend danced in the show years ago. This December will be the youngster’s second time dancing in the Christmas classic, this time playing a lead mouse. “It’s lots of fun and it’s cool to watch (the professional dancers) perform.”

Almost a year after establishing the Hamilton/Havana partnership, CBYE dancers, including four from Burlington, have been invited to share the stage with the National Ballet of Cuba to perform The Nutcracker in Havana.

Katie, Bella Bowman, Isabella Fornal and Emma Barbisan are all looking forward to the Havana performance.

“We get to meet (the Cuban dancers) and it’s nice to meet someone else who thinks you can do the same thing as them when you’re older,” said Bella.

The CBYE students will perform three shows in Havana’s Grand Teatro during the first week of January. Diamante calls the invitation an “absolutely thrilling accomplishment.” The dancers will partake in a week of training at the National Ballet of Cuba school. Recently, Diamante learned the CBYE performance will be shown on a big screen in front of Havana’s National Capitol Building for the public to watch.

“Cuban ballet is unique,” Diamante said. “They’re technically superior and also extremely powerful in storytelling. I want to bring the top quality of the art form so the audience can be touched and moved and sensitized. People don’t need to know about ballet or the art form for it to touch people’s hearts.”

Matinee and evening performances of The Nutcracker will be held at Hamilton Place, 10 MacNab St. S., from Dec. 11-13.