CAMAGÜEY.- Imagine a little girl who, at six years old, begins attending a ballet school. Studying dance means leaving behind many childhood moments that other children enjoy. Years later, as a scholarship student, she will be far from her family. Then, her professional life will begin in a city distant from home, where she must learn to be independent. How much of this contributes to shaping her character and building a strong, determined woman? We are talking about Regina Balaguer, the director of the Ballet of Camagüey (BC).

Last Friday, invited by the Asociación Hermanos Saíz, she arrived at the Vicentina de la Torre Academy of Arts to talk with students of different levels. Perhaps one of them, unknowingly, is seeing in her their future director. Regina is much more than a dancer or an official: she is a person who has forged her life through effort and sacrifice, sharing the keys to what she has always wanted to be.

She has over 45 years dedicated entirely to dance. Throughout this time, she has faced great challenges, from physical injuries to the responsibility of directing a company during times of material difficulties and limitations. For this reason, she received recognition in the province during the Celebrations of Cuban Culture.

She received recognition at the opening gala of the Celebrations of Cuban Culture. Photo: SC Producciones

After arriving at BC to fulfill her social service, Regina never imagined she would end up directing the company, let alone for 27 years. What began as a temporary six-month position transformed into a permanent challenge, marked by the legacy of giants like Fernando Alonso and Jorge Vede. Replacing teachers of that caliber was no easy task. However, as she insists, the BC community has been key in sustaining her work, a collective she describes as cohesive and united, which is essential for maintaining the company's level despite difficulties.

Although optimism always accompanies her discourse as a director, Regina Balaguer does not shy away from pointing out the problems facing both ballet education and the professional performance of dancers in Cuba. In her reflections, she highlights the serious difficulties that have emerged after the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the training of new dancers.

“A career like this cannot be detached from the classroom or the direct connection between teacher and student,” she mentions, criticizing the idea that ballet can be learned through virtual classes or online sessions. According to Regina, ballet education requires a solid, in-person foundation, where the teacher's guidance is essential for developing technique and discipline. The pandemic, unfortunately, has left many students with gaps that, in her opinion, will be difficult to overcome.

Regina is also very critical of the methodology currently used in teaching acting within ballet. She points out that “acting in ballet cannot be the same as in theater,” and that this is generating deficiencies in stage interpretation. For her, the art of ballet is a blend of perfect technique and emotional projection, and dancers must be both athletes and artists.

Another issue Regina addresses candidly is the lack of necessary material resources for student training. Although the Cuban state continues to uphold free artistic education, Balaguer reflects on how this can lead to a lack of awareness among young people about the true cost of ballet. “There are students who don’t even have pointe shoes or half-pointe shoes,” she comments, suggesting that it might be useful for students to pay a symbolic price for some resources. This measure, she believes, could foster greater appreciation and care for what they receive.

But her criticism does not stop there. Balaguer mentions the need to revise curricula, not only in artistic training but also in general education. She proposes including subjects like Physics, specifically applied to ballet, so that students better understand how their bodies move. This type of approach could, according to her, improve dancers' technical performance by understanding concepts such as centripetal force and balance, which are fundamental in executing many ballet steps.

Despite the criticisms and challenges, she has never stopped dreaming. One of her greatest achievements was fulfilling a dream that Fernando Alonso could not realize: staging a complete and original version of Swan Lake for BC, something that seemed impossible due to material and personnel limitations.

But Regina has other dreams in progress. One is to see BC with a much larger cast, like when the company had over 100 dancers. Today, with only about 30, the possibilities of staging large productions are limited. She dreams of being able to revisit classics like Coppélia, a ballet that, according to her, demands not only technical skill but also character interpretation.

Additionally, another of her major aspirations is to promote the development of choreographers within the company to keep the repertoire alive. “The future of ballet is not only in the dancers but also in the choreographers,” she says. To this end, she has encouraged the creation of the Fernando Alonso in Memoriam choreography and interpretation contest and believes that schools should motivate young people to explore their creative potential.

Throughout her professional life, Regina has had to sacrifice a lot. From a young age, she adapted to being away from her family, first as a scholarship student and then as a director in Camagüey. Today, she continues to face that distance, especially now that her mother is 95 years old.

While she has been fortunate not to deal with weight issues, she has suffered several injuries, some of which kept her off stage for months. Yet her sense of responsibility always pushed her to return, even when circumstances were adverse. “I danced with a fever, with sprains, because I learned that if you have a commitment to your company, your colleagues, and above all, the audience, you must fulfill it,” she says, reflecting her tireless discipline.

Regina Balaguer has kept a ballet company afloat during times of scarcity; she is a critical woman, aware of deficiencies, and at the same time, deeply committed to the dreams that Cuban ballet still has to fulfill. Her journey is a blend of rigor, passion, and unfulfilled dreams, but always pursuing the ideal of a company that can train great dancers and choreographers.

At the end of this conversation, Regina makes it clear that although the challenges are many, her love for what she does remains her driving force. And while she has faced criticism, difficulties, and moments of frustration, her faith in the future of ballet in Cuba remains intact, always guided by a sense of responsibility and commitment to art.

Translated by Linet Acuña Quilez

CAPTION: She received recognition at the opening gala of the Celebrations of Cuban Culture. Photo: SC Producciones