Contemporary avant-garde and Caribbean sensuality – a ballet company full of surprises – this is the label under which Cuba’s largest dance company performs. Danza Contemporánea de Cuba looks back on a history spanning more than 50 years. It was founded in the very year of Fidel Castro’s revolution. All of its dancers are trained in Cuba’s great ballet tradition, which they continually expand by incorporating modern European and Latin American styles. Their repertoire is not limited to Cuban traditions; it ranges from choreographer George Céspedes from within the company to Spain’s Rafael Bonachela and Sweden’s Mats Ek. In Cologne, they present themselves for the first time with three very different works.

The evening opens with REVERSIBLE by Belgian-Cuban choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa. This piece plunges straight into a battle of the sexes: men and women face each other like two opposing tribes. Even the costumes create confusion, while physical attraction unsettles both groups. When individuals draw closer, the collective reacts alertly – commenting, exaggerating, heightening the tension or holding it back. Despite its choreographic freedom and European contemporary influences, Annabelle Lopez Ochoa deliberately draws on Cuban movement vocabulary. Since the 25/26 season, she has been part of the artistic leadership team of Ballet Dortmund and has already created works for more than 78 theaters worldwide (including English National Ballet London, Les Grands Ballets Canadiens Montréal, Dutch National Ballet Amsterdam, Joffrey Ballet, Hong Kong Ballet, and Dance Theatre of Harlem New York City).

The second work is by George Céspedes, considered one of the most promising figures in contemporary Cuban dance. In MAMBO 3XXI, the company brings together everything that defines the Cuban spirit: virtuosity at the highest level, fiery energy, and a dynamic interplay of touch and movement, blending street dance and neoclassicism in a pulsating rhythm.

George Céspedes studied dance and choreography at the National School of Dance in Havana. After graduating, he became a soloist with Danza Contemporánea de Cuba. In addition, he has choreographed more than twenty works, both for the company and for the Cuban National Ballet.

The third part of the evening will be announced later in the season.