On July 28, more than 50 South African students and professors, trained under the Cuban method of teaching ballet, completed their third year of studies. The Cuban ballet teachers María de los Angeles Tourquet Quintanilla and Ayrin Villalón Tourquet taught them as part of a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Culture of Cuba.
The project is part of an initiative promoted by Mr. Dirk Banderhost, Director of the International Ballet Competition of South Africa, which allows to train under the method of the National Ballet School of Cuba, children and teachers from different communities, with the intention to strengthen the domain of this art and thus contribute to the healthy recreation of the most vulnerable communities.
The Ambassador of Cuba in South Africa, Rodolfo Benítez Verson, presented the diplomas to the graduates in the Soweto neighborhood, Johannesburg. He reiterated the special ties of cooperation that exist between Cuba and South Africa and added that this experience demonstrates everything that can be done in the sphere of art when working together. He reiterated Cuba's commitment to continue working to expand cultural projects with South Africa.
Professors and students also spoke, with many expressions of gratitude to Cuba for promoting the development of ballet in South Africa and in particular for the possibility of entering children and young people from low-income communities into the magical world of ballet.
The award-winning ballet students of different ages delighted the numerous audience attending the ceremony with their performances.
Se gradúan en Soweto, Sudáfrica, estudiantes y profesores sudafricanos de ballet entrenados con método cubano