MIAMI, United States. – The choreographer and teacher José Chávez Guetton was chosen this Sunday as the 2023 National Dance Award in a meeting held at the headquarters of the National Council of Performing Arts, according to the official website. Cubascene.
Chávez was selected for his “excellent track record” from a list of nominees that included Liliam Padrón, Viengsay Valdés, Luz María Collazo, Alfredo O’Farril and Miguel Cabrera.
The jury, made up of critic Ismael Albelo, national prize winners Johannes García, Santiago Alfonso, Isabel Bustos and Aurora Bosch, who served as president, unanimously elected Chávez on International Dance Day.
Born in the city of Holguín, Chávez has dedicated his life to creation and pedagogy at the Camagüey Ballet, his home for more than 40 years.
“With his almost 78 years, his permanence in Cuba and in his Camaguey querido has served as a bridge, as a common thread between dancers and teachers from different eras”, highlighted the jury.
Chávez has dedicated works of great dramatic force to his company such as Ophelia and of a lot of lyricism and pure joy for the movement as Vivaldian, among a long list of titles that gave the group from Camagüey their own pieces for a contemporary ballet repertoire. He also contributed the assemblies of pieces such as paquitawith elements of the highest academicism.
The artist belongs to a generation of choreographers along with Francisco Lam and Lázaro Martínez, three creators who maintained their own stable repertoire for a company that held its own against all odds. Throughout his extensive career, he has been a constant collaborator with Cuban stage groups, helping to found the Holguín Chamber Ballet and the Santiago Ballet, and collaborating with companies such as Codanza, Danza Libre, Babul and Fragmentada, among others.
Her participation in meetings such as “Solamente Solos” or “Danza en Construcción” and her role as Mama Simone in la fille mal guardée of the Camagüey Ballet are just a few examples of his commitment to Cuban dance.
Assistant professor of the Camagüey branch of the University of the Arts since 1995, Chávez has been a great educator for many generations of Cuban dancers.
