The cuban dance suffered a hard loss this Sunday with the death of the dancer, choreographer and teacher of generations José Antonio Chávez Guetton.
Chavez, National Dance Award 2023died in the city of Ciego de Ávila due to “the complications of a sudden illness,” according to the portal CubaYes. A month ago he had turned 80 years old.
Independent media and publications on networks point out that his death was a consequence of a “complicated arbovirosis.” However, the portal Cubascenafrom the National Council of Performing Arts, explains that it was due to pulmonary thromboembolism.
At the time of his death he was working in Ciego de Avila, according to that digital publication.
A life in dance
Born in Holguín on October 23, 1945, his life and professional career are closely linked to the Camagüey Ballet, a company with which he made his professional debut in 1970, in the first performance of that classical dance group. Giselle.
“Telling the history of the Camagüey Ballet without Chávez’s footprint is impossible. His choreographic catalogue, his training work and his performances on stage—even in character roles recently—defined the artistic profile of the company for decades,” journalist and critic Yuris Nórido wrote in his obituary.
In his career, works such as Ophelia, Vivaldiana, baroque concert, Fatum… and his version of Gisellewhich, together with productions for other groups, distinguish, in Nórid’s opinion, “a creative line that enriched the national repertoire and confirmed the solidity of its aesthetic vision.”
For its part, Cubascena He remembers his work with groups such as the Holguín Chamber Ballet and the Santiago de Cuba Ballet, which he would help found, as well as with renowned companies such as Codanza, Danza Libre, Ballet Folklorico Babul and Danza Fragmentada, among others.
Added to this is his tireless pedagogical work, both in events and competitions in which he gave workshops and conferences, and in the Camagüey branch of the University of the Arts, where he taught several dance subjects since 1995.
Following his 80th birthday, Chávez Guetton had been honored in Camagüey with a program of celebrations that included the premiere of a documentary about his life and a ballet concert program at the Teatro Principal of the city of Camagüey.
According to cultural authoritieshis body would be cremated in Ciego de Ávila and transferred to Camagüey, where this Monday he will be paid tribute at the provincial headquarters of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba (UNEAC).
